Peter Ullmark

Professor
School of Design and Crafts, Göteborg University

Artistic research a duck-hare

Abstract

In the discussion about artistic research, art and research have become two puzzle pictures as in the well-known example of the duck and the hare used by e.g. Wittgenstein. It is only possible to see one at the time. A third picture with features of both and something specific and unique does not appear. But everything that is fundamentally new is a duck-hare. To be able to catch sight of that the attributes of the two practices must be deconstructed so that more fundamental perspectives on different kinds of knowledge appear.

But is it possible to deconstruct two practices that are so established? Just to look at the variations within both of them is deterrent. Anyhow, it is necessary to find another way in. Are we able to identify a third practice in which the two others could be mirrored? I have not found any but I have discovered that a deeper investigation into more basic human experiences can be of help. What different strategies are there to develop a conduct in situations that are fundamentally new and unknown which both scientific research and art try to do?

I have found two basic strategies. The first one goes from the parts to the whole and the second from the whole to the parts. In most situations they are combined even if we do not think of it. But I also found that scientific research and art as practices are linked to the two strategies in a very specific way. They could in fact be regarded as idealtypical representations of the two.

My conclusion of this analysis is that artistic entries by its holistic power could be developed into a new kind of institutionalized knowledge strategy. This could be a complement to scientific research that by its tendency to get control by dividing reality into small specified parts often misses the whole. By that artistic research could become something much more fundamental than investigations into the practice of art (which seems to be a common understanding of artistic research). But in order to be able to develop such a strategy it is necessary to get a much deeper understanding of how we construct, and by reflection-on-action critically investigate, holistic understandings and concepts. This is in itself difficult because we have to use the abilities that we want to investigate.