Inventing Futures: Artistic Research with/in Educational Institutions | Open Call for Proposals

[Marlon Barrios Solano]

Proposal Deadline: 1st October 2013

The ArtEZ Master of Choreography celebrates its 10 years with the publicationInventing Futures, which we see as one ‘object’ of artistic research. 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.

On 2nd December a Roundtable Discussion with guests from Holland and abroad will take place, addressing and problematizing Artistic Research. The launching of the book and a reception in the evening will follow the discussion. Precise times to be announced later.

On 3rd December working sessions and seminars proposed and led by artists and theorists will take place.

Theme and Context:

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?

More info and application online