Inventing Futures

Artistic Research With(in) Educational Institutions 2 & 3 december 2013 Artez - Arnhem, the Netherlands

Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

INVEN TING FUTU RES

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Artistic Research with/in Educational Institutions The ArtEZ Master of Choreography celebrates its 11 years with the publication Inventing Futures, doing and thinking artistic research with(in) the Master of Choreography Programme of ArtEZ. Artists, current and former students, and theorists reflect on themes and notions that have emerged in the program as particularly challenging and productive, namely latency, constraint, collaboration, failure and trust. These are suggested as prisms through which one could think, imagine and invent future(s), in particular for choreography and institutional practice-as-research.

Together with the launching of the book a gathering is organized, which is an initiative of the ArtEZ Master of Choreography and Bertha Bermudez / ICKamsterdam, with the support of the ArtEZ Professorship Theory in Art. The aim is to extend the discussion on artistic research to the inter/national field. – João da Silva, Konstantina Georgelou and Bertha Bermudez

You can order the book on: - bol.com - amazon - ideabooks.nl -o r directly from ArtEZ Press us by sending an email to: Minke Vos at Mi.Vos@ArtEZ.nl

Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

INVENTING FUTURES:

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LATENCY CONSTRAINT COLLABORATION 4

FAILURE TRUST

Compared to the late 80s and early 2000s it has become harder to foster institutional experimentation and change from within. The production of measureable, ‘understandable’ and profitable products have, under the guise of the discourse of innovation, to a large extent become sine qua non conditions for validation and funding in the arts and the humanities. These conditions, one could argue, are not exactly favorable for artistic research, in particular when this is thought of as the production or invention of ‘problems’ (Cvejić, 2013) and not as avenues leading towards solutions that follow current fashion or pre- determined guidelines for their mainstream acceptance and transferability.

A plethora of artistic research educational programmes and centres have emerged in the last few years. And yet, the function and value of artistic research remain too vague, as it is understood and used for different and often contradictory purposes per institution (educational/academic, economic, stylistic, market-oriented etc.). One could thus arguably claim that artistic research is becoming more detached from the artists and their artistic processes/methodologies and more attached to institutional needs and requirements.

Against this background, Inventing Futures proposes a gathering in which artists and theorists from within and outside of institutions can expose, discuss and experiment with their understandings and doings of artistic research.

(How) can educational institutions be with and within artistic research? How can artistic research be (re)invented?

– João da Silva

Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

THEME AND CONTEXT

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Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

SCHEDULE 10:30-11:00

Fitspatrick & Doughty (theatre 1)

11:00-11:30 11:30-11:45 11:45-12:15

12:15-12:45 12:45-13:15

break Vresswijk / Roos & Foultier / Hiltbrunner / Viviani (moderated by Efrosini Protopapa)

Christolfi & Megas & Adams

Brabandere

13:15-13:45

Lunch

13:45-14:15

Schedule

14:15-14:45

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14:45-15:15

Bruneau / Kortvelyessy / Gala (moderated by Emilie Gallier)

Levi Group a

Roussel / Rutgeerts

15:15-15:45 15:45-16:15

reports & coffee break

16:15-16:45

Levi Group b

Sommerlade & Salzer

16:45-17:15 17:15-17:45 17:45-18:00

reports & coffee break

18:00-18:30 18:30-19:00 19:00-19:30

Plischke (Theatre 1)

UP / ArtEZ

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Mapping the landscape: The identity of artist-scholars working in institutions and the industry.

MAPPING THE LANDSCAPE Sally Doughty & Marie Fitzpatrick “It is a scraping of the surface of this subject.

We aim to open up the floor for further discussions. There is also a very interesting tension coming from differences between countries and languages. Part of he struggle of the research lies with defining yourself. We are very happy to leave with more questions“

Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

The identity of artist-scholars working in institutions and the industry.

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“One can say, first of all, it’s really important to have this gathering.

To meet, talk and identify with each other. To meet from different counties and backgrounds. We dialogue, that is the core.

Each time you have to explain yourself, you learn by the response of the other. And each time you have to say something important you develop your way of communicating and your urge. That goes back to how

you define yourself as an artist, my audiences finishes my work.

One has to be prepared for the input of the other, partners in a dialogue finish my sentences. It’s kind of beautiful. These gatherings create a trust between us as peers, we learn to give references to each others work and it brings an understanding of the peer process by sharing, and a strength to the art community.”

Efva Lilja

“I love that these days are wrapping our heads about the same issues. It seems more and more that we discuss, relate and enrich. During these exchanges we can place our own vision in a broader spectrum.

I aim to situate these visions from art, dance, research within social economical and political context.

Yesterday to me was about rescuing the vitality of the arts and not let ourselves get disillusioned about all the discussions or troubles we might encounter. I see the book as a positive injection into that vitality.”

Ricardo Viviani

Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

“WHAT KIND OF FUTURE DO WE WANT?”

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Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

OPPORTUNITY FOR DEBATE

DEVELOP

CONTINUE FACILITATE

SITUATE ART

VISION TO CAPTURE VOICES

ALIGNING/TENSION

Mapping the landscape: The identity of artist-scholars working in institutions and the industry.

EXPERIENCES OF INSTITUTIONS

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DISSEMINATE

BEYOND ACADEMIC CONTEXT

DEMARKATIONS

RESEARCH

EXPERTISE SETS

PARTICULAR QUESTIONS

DEFINE WITHIN/W

ABLE & WILLING

CREATIVE PRA

GATHER & SHARE

RESEARCH

SUMMARIZE FINDINGS

MAPPIN

INFORM/EMBARK

STAT

COMMENTS

A

OPTING OUT/CONTRIBUTE DOCUMENT ARTISTS/SCHOLARS UNDERPIN / CREATIVE WORK FRAMEWORK

COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE

UNDERSTAND OPERA

BEYOND ACADEM

DIFFERENT PRA

BLURRING B

SEEKING

ATTE

RE

ACTICE

HERS/ARTISTS

NG EXPERIENCES

TUS IN CONTEXT

ATTITUDES/PERCEPTIONS GATEKEEPER RANGE OF BACKGROUNDS QUESTIONS / THOUGHTS / FEEDBACK DISCUSSION/DOCUMENTATION

E

NOTATE KEY IDEAS

ATE

MIA

ACTICES

FACILITATE SMALLER GROUPS IDENTIFY AS SCHOLAR/GATEKEEPER/ARTIST/OTHER PINPOINT / DISAGREE

BOUNDARIES

G LINKS AND RECOGNITION

EMPTS

ESEARCH PUSHING

COMPLEMENT/TENSIONS RECOGNITION EVIDENCE AND KNOWLEDGE INFORMAL EXAMPLES COME INTO THE SPACE

Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

WITHOUT

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Inventing Futures:

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Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

“YOU DON’T NECESSARILY NEED TO BE INFORMED TO UNDERSTAND.”

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“The focus lies with articulating experiences. The key for me is talking from your own experiences instead of talking about or discussing a subject. Recognizing experiences of others helps the accumulation of information. It’s possible to switch between forms of expressions.

Sometimes you can ask or answer a question through talking, sometimes through movement.

The question becomes not how to find a place where we can do re-

search and are safe from the public.

But how can we; artists, theoreticians and public (so we, human beings) do research together.

I see a similarity between the research projects in that they create and provide a (simple) moment for people to step out of existing structures.”

Bram Vreeswijk

“SOMETIMES IT’S EASIER DONE THAN SAID.”

“The gap between the perceived and the verbally articulated is a multilayered and ambiguous space that is crucial for the working process, both with movement and with thought.

We presented different perspectives on the questions at issue, but also cross and intersect with one another, being the outcome of an at times quite intimate exchange of experiences and ideas.

movement and exposure to each other created trust within the group that permitted exchange. It’s hard to explain, it’s an undercurrent. The suspicion of us as philosophers dancing and strong reactions to this was surprising to us. The informal claim seemed to be a unspoken compartmentalization. In our way of working the research was never detached from the artistic process.

A landscape of movements and words was the most interesting part of the research. Different perspectives and approaches worked quite intensely together, which created a specific atmosphere as opposed to working in parallel. The common and joined experiences of reading,

The research has helped me to see the importance of my work process, and stimulates me to be more ambiguous at times, and more multilayered.”

Cecilia Roos & Anna Petronella Foultier

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U S N E P O T I “ Y R O S N SE

A L LIK S I T A TH A

R E V E F

G R U T I D N A O T WOR Y M

Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

UP

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“BRINGING INSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITION TO THOSE THAT DID SUCH IMPORTANT WORK IS A MOTOR TO MY RESEARCH.”

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“Today, confronted with many options, researching artists are criticized to lack ideals of resistance, relevance, or individual interest – in short, to follow to much the paths of institutionalization and not of engagement.

Most of these critiques could be

refuted, and Serge Stauffers contribution could still be of great help, as he formulated his ideas working at the F+F, a small laboratory with very limited means but great enthusiasm.”

Michael Hiltbrunner

Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

“INVENTING FUTURES PROVIDES SERIOUS ATTENTION FOR AN IMPORTANT FIELD OF WORK.”

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“The book Inventing Futures makes a clear statement. It formulates and fosters basics principles that can help guide artist-research.

The workshops and presentations challenge participants to actively and intently, reflect and act upon their own positions and they strengthen their involvement.

I’ve noticed a strong and healthy eagerness to seek out new ways to further dance and the performative arts. There is a better and deepening

understanding of the fact that our own process and research is embedded within the institutions and the industries. It’s also possible to fully place our frame of reference outside of the performing arts, which has been exemplified by several of the researchers in their presentations .

We aim to design these events to be a dialogue, with participation and interaction between all participants.”

Peter Sonderen

Mapping the landscape: The identity of artist-scholars working in institutions and the industry.

PH

FIND A

DESIRE TO ASSERT KNOWLEDGE MANY NAMES DO VS IDENTIFY EXPERIMENTAL CURATOR

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TTT FACETS

B

EVOLVING

WHY

POSITIONS WITHIN COMPLEXITY JUDGEMENT ADDRESSING PERCEPTIONS ACCEPTANCE PUTTING MOVEMENT TOGETHER

COPY

SPACE TO FAIL AND UNDERSTA

PUT FORWARD

PERSONAL AND PRACTICAL

SYNERGIES

SUSTAIN

HATS OR MASKS

DIVISION

RESPONSIBILITIES

DANCERS TO DANCERS

GENERIC

TOUCH OF REALITY NORMAL CONTRAST

HILOSOPHY

APPROACH

A SPACE

VISIBLE

O CHANGE

SELECTIVE RADICALLY DIFFERENT INCLUSION / EXCLUSION REVERSAL OF LINES BEING DRAWN AVOIDING TRAPS

QUESTIONING THE WAY OF LABELING IMAGES / DEMANDS WHOLE ARTIST

BE PROUD

Y DO WE INSIST ON DIFFERENTIATING

Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

CURIOUS

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“WHY DO WE INSIST ON DIFFERENTIAT

Mapping the landscape: The identity of artist-scholars working in institutions and the industry.

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Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

THE ECLECTIC BODY

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AT THE STAGE OF FOOT(NOTE)ING Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

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Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

“I WAS PLEASED THAT MY MAIN RESULT WAS THAT I FAILED. TRICKY BUSINESS.”

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I aim to initiate further thoughts towards evaluating existing definitions and models of artistic research and artistic creation.

It’s possible that there are opportunities embedded in the “uncertainty” for developing artistic clarity and how they are relevant for the interaction between choreographer, performer, dramaturg, producer, distributor,

venue, audience/viewer, cultural consumer, critic and scholar.

How does the current situation of artistic research compare to those of design and scientific research: what can be learned from various research conditions currently practiced in other disciplines?

Thomas Körtvélyessy

It’s based on combinations of dance, drawing and verbal thinking. Its process relies on scores that trigger the dynamic interplay between interiority and collectivity.

The three angles I use in analyzing my work and research are first my aims, desires and expectations setting up the research. The second one is about the practices, methodology and poetics it involves. Finally, the third aspect reflects on how it is addressed (or not) to peers, audience and institution.

To follow this trajectory it starts in a willfully “reclusive” and condensed situation where for nine months a sole spectator and collaborator was a philosopher quite foreign to contemporary dance.

The second period involved several residencies and a sustained collaboration with four dancers and the creation of pieces: a performance, a dance piece and exhibitions.

The last part brings us to the institutions of the Amsterdam Master and Sarma, The research appears to be proliferating throughout a web of collaborations and formats, diversifying its modes of articulation between the “private” studio and the “public” occurrences.”

Julien Bruneau

Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

“A SPECTATOR USES SPECIFIC STRATEGIES TO CREATE HIS OR HER OWN EXPERIENCE.”

“The heart of the last past five years of my work as a dancer, a choreographer and a visual artist is the on-going project ‘Phréatiques’ (aquifers).

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“(UN)OCCUPY THE BODY: TOWARDS A DISPOSSESSED LIVE PRESENCE ON STAGE”

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“What I wanted was a texture of ‘the now’, not the quantity that is so pervasive in our lives. I wanted to explore the connection we have with ‘the now’. What does it mean to be alive on stage? What happens when a body is occupied and taken over by an object? I am fascinated with exploring and playing with expectations and our desire and obsession of wanting to understand, control, fixate and archive ‘the now’.”

Objects or experiences can make themselves visible through its absence.

We can shift our attention from where it is supposed to be to other locations. I like to work with excess and taking away excess. Revealing the sounds that are behind things, sounds and spaces that are unknown. Powerlessness and apathy: What happens to the spaces that we have no desire or ability to fill in?

The research considers a number of key questions: What is the significance of disembodiment as a presence on stage? What are the deeper implications for choreography and dance conventio-nally constructed around the dominant ideas of embodiment, constant motility and spectatorship?

These questions will be addressed by analyzing the performance, process and concepts that created the archive and the show entitled “Invited Guests“.

The research draws on the visual arts, philosophy, science, cultural studies, dance and performance theory.

Invited Guests is a choreographic project about apathy.

The “act of disembodiment” or of removal of “occupied forces” that transverse the body became one of the central points from which more complex compositional ideas irradiated. Consequentially, the body explored in Invited Guests is a less inhabited body from which particular intensities have been removed or a body which has been transversed by such sudden, instant speed by external forces leaving the traces of this instantaneous occupation. Franco Berardi’s concept of exhaustion and its depiction of our present times can be helpful to locate and to identify other idiosyncrasies that characterize this new subjectivity leading to a distinct presence on stage.

Vânia Gala

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Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

“WE WANT TO INVOLVE YOU IN OUR RESEARCH AND WE WANT YOU TO ACTIVELY BECOME A PART OF OUR RESEARCH.”

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“UP# is researching forms en methods to understand what and how transformation and deepening of knowledge and clear insights take place. Sharing and building knowledge through experiences is an integral part of our performativity research. Within our re-enactment and performance-reading, we go back to the source. The performance has several layers: performers, inner circle, extended circle and the audience. As the informed audience participates, the uninformed audience is invited to reflect. What did they see, what did they feel, what did they experience. Through this dialogue we gain clear insights in perceptions and experiences that differ within these layers in different spaces.

With our method the informed audience embodies the experience and gains a deeper sense of how a performative moment feels. By writing and analyzing the performance we, in part, undo the performance. The performance-reading of a written document of a performance is in that sense a re-doing of the undoing of the doing. >

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“ KNOWMADIC TOURING: PERFORMANCE. REFLECTION. TRAVEL.” Part of acquiring and sharing knowledge requires participation, embodiment and active doing, as well as an aesthetic experience: performativity. Sometimes the audience will finish or complete a performance, by applauding.

Unpacking Performativity researches dance, performativity and public space. What can the modes of learning, creation and exchange within urban dance, offer to contemporary dance education? How do we bring artistic research to the public

space? The first part tells about the fascinating artistic journey we undertake with B Boy Niels Robitzky alias ‘Storm’. Through field research and collaboration with extended audiences and participants, using urban dance forms of learning and exchange such as explorative playing and improvisation in (semi) public spaces, we develop an understanding of “circling” as underlying principle of our method. What sort of data does this generate? How do we go about documenting and dissemination?

The second part elaborates on the concept of ‘art as play’ in a cultural philosophical sense. We follow the line of thought started by Johan Huizinga in Homo ludens (1938) and fundamentally deepened by Gadamer in Wahrheit unde Methode (1960).

We will illuminate this line of thought as a strong source underpinning the concept of ‘artistic research’.

The third part will be performed in an artistic and playful mode based on concepts like ‘circling’ and ‘battle’ in urban dance. ‘Doing the book’ with the participants of the seminar, in the form of a short collective pverformative reading, to experience the method of exploration of our research group.

Gaby Allard

Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

By experiencing the whole play, the audience can become a player. The work takes form, becomes a work, by being experienced. Taking part transforms.

The shared truth of the moment and the transformation creates a larger connection. It is our belief that performativity contributes to our understanding and appreciation of art and that it creates new social structures.

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Inspirational. Participative sessions are wonderful chances to learn more about movement and to have a profound experience.

Communication in multidisciplinary projects centers around the arts. With actual experiences and exchange. we familiarize ourselves with the internalized knowledge of ourselves and others.”

“IT’S ESSENTIAL TO FEEL AND DO WHAT I TEACH MYSELF.”

Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

Maeve O’Brien

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INVENTING INDEPENDENT INSTITUTES – THE YOUNG INSTITUTE OF FUTUROLOGY

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Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

Inventing independent institutes – the young institute of futurology

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There is a perceived affirmation by institutionalization. What kind of impact does the notion of an institute (department, think-tank) promise and provide? Historical examples that discuss ideas about artistic institutes or avant-garde think-tanks are Allan Kaprow, Asger Jorn and others.

What kind of independent or even fake institutes have been invented by artists themselves to frame, or name their artistic activities and research in a certain way?

As an example I offer: The “Junges Institut für Zukunftsforschung” (Young Institute for Futurology), that was founded together with kids/ scholars from Hamburg.

This institute can act as an enabler for transdisciplinary research and collaboration and the participation of kids in future discourses, through scenario’s and performances. Different players

from the city of Hamburg can give research assignments to the institute.

The project is part of the research within the artistic-academic postgraduate program “Assemblies and Participation: Urban Publics and Performance”.

This research program questions the role of artistic research in processes of democratization.

In this presentation we collectively reflect upon what an institute is and what kind of institute we might envision. An independent artistic institute? A performative Institute?

Together with this thought experiment we use scenarios from futurology, about future institutes of artistic research.

Eva Plischke

Location ArtEZ School of Dance Onderlangs 9 6812 CE Arnhem

Special thanks Fransien van der Putt and her minor maker bachelor students Clare Dowling for managing the event

Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with(in) Educational Institutions

INVENTING FUTURES WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY:

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Visual Notes Diederik Vrijhoef - Teamcaptain Hilmer Thijs (Studio Hands) - Magazine Design Sjoerd Verbeek (Studio Hands) - Illustraties Mirjam Tonnaer - Fotografie Wim Kuper - Teksten www.visuelenotulen.nl +31 6 30 07 76 75 / info@visuelenotulen.nl