arts research conference may 2008: the state of play

 

 

Alessandro Cervino of DOCartes/ORCim Belgium speaking at the Performative Research Panel - flanked by Luke Clancy and Dr. Jools Gilson-Ellis at the recent 'Arts Research: State of Play' conference. We would like to thank the 40 speakers, local and international, as well as the 150+ delegates from Ireland, Europe and further afield who made the recent two day 'Arts Research: The State of Play' conference such an enjoyable and stimulating event. Designers, architects, musicians, composers, visual artists, curators, researchers theorists and educators across a range of disciplines gathered in Dublin for two days to debate a range of issues pertaining to creative arts research. (To see more images from the conference go to here.)

 

Dr. Jonathan Lahey Dronsfield (University of Reading) delivering a paper 'Theory and philosophy as art practice' which examined the use of theory and philosophy as material in and by contemporary art practice. The paper explored the sorts of questions the use or construal of theory as material poses to disciplinary distinctions and discipline-specific definitions, and the implications these questions have for theoretically understanding the theory/practice distinction itself.

 

conference programme (download pdf)

 

Thursday 8th & Friday 9th May 2008

Project Arts Centre, Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland

This conference was constructed recognising that much of the discussion of research and arts practices has tended toward a debate about essence and epistemology. In place of these kinds of discussion this conference sought to ask: what are people actually doing? Where are the excitement and engagement of artists, musicians, designers, architects, performers and curators being actualized and demonstrated? What is the state of play among arts researchers? More conference information here...

 

This conference sought to review the state of play in arts research by looking at concrete examples of work-in-progress and work-completed. It also worked to examine the fit between actual practice and policy. It attempted to establish the points at which the debate has moved forward in the last five years.

 

The conference also provided an opportunity to respond to emergent guidelines in respect of doctoral research in and through the arts. The goal here was to use concrete case-studies of arts research to inform a wider debate that could progress beyond the first hurdles of epistemic anxiety. More conference information here...

 

The Graduate School of Creative Arts & Media and the HETAC Working Group on Practice Based Research (www.hetac.ie) were pleased to announce this major international conference which examined practice-based doctoral research across - performing arts, visual arts, design, architecture and media - drawing on case-study examples to help frame key issues and questions in both policy and practice. This conference sought to differentiate itself from previous initiatives in this area by focussing on a case-study approach to actually existing research practices. The conference also provided an opportunity to consider the interim report of the working group on practice-based research which was formally launched during the conference. Booking Information.

 

 

Conference Collaborators

 

 

The Conference is a collaborative initiative realised by the HETAC Working Group on Practice-Based Research (Ireland) and the Graduate School of Creative Arts & Media (DIT, IADT, NCAD, UU).

Steering Group

Peter Cullen, HETAC.

Sean Larkin, IADT.

Dr. Mick Wilson, GradCAM.

Dr. Gerard.Gillen, NUIM.

Kieran Corcoran, DIT.

Prof. Loughlin Kealy, UCD.

Prof. Ian Montgomery, UU.

Prof. Fiona Palmer, NUIM.


Programme Committee

Dr. Elaine Sisson, IADT.

Martin McCabe, DIT.

Dr. Mick Wilson, GradCAM.

Nollaig O Fionghaile, GradCAM.

Tessa Giblin, Project Arts Centre.

 

Conference Administration

Aidan McElwaine, GradCAM.

 

For additional information on the collaborating institutions consult www.dit.ie, www.ncad.ie, www.iadt.ie and www.ulster.ac.uk.