To reach the world outside – a basic dilemma in artistic research?

There are two basic different perspectives on artistic research; on one hand the development of foundations and methodologies of art and design itself and on the other hand artistic work as research methodology. In the latter case we so to speak introduce artistic, i.e. non scientific, methods in various more or less well established areas of research, typically we use artistic ways of working to introduce forms of critical reflection.

The development of foundations and methodologies of art and design itself builds on a long and well-established tradition of improving and changing the techniques and methods of art as well as the programmatic foundations of art practice. The way we address and engage with what we see around us is indirect in this case.

The idea of artistic research as research methodology clearly answers in a more direct sense to the challenge as to how we as artistic researchers, through critical reflection, address and engage with what we see around us. The very idea is somehow to use artistic ways of working to engage in areas outside art itself.

How can artistic research make a meaningful and relevant contribution outside of itself? Is this a question on how to reach outside research itself?

All forms of research have to answer to this challenge by results that make a difference. Physics gave us the atom bomb, but also efficient systems for electrical power distribution. Seemingly esoteric mathematics, highly abstract and immensely difficult to understand, makes a difference everywhere in our lives. Art and design make a difference in our lives.

But where is the borderline between art, artistic work and research in artistic research?

-    If we focus on research is this in any meaningful sense anything else than what has always being going on in research, where critical aesthetics and artistic insight always have played a central role?

I would, for instance, argue that foundational work in science in a certain sense is a form of artistic research and that this is artistic critical reflection that address and engage with what we see around us. Foundational work depends on abilities to express foundational insights.

-    If we, on the other hand, focus on artistic expression is this in any meaningful way anything else than just artistic work?

There is a basic dilemma here:

-    If artistic research means development of the foundations for artistic work, then we leave the outside world to dwell on art itself,
-    If artistic research means using artistic ways of working in research, then we leave art for the outside world, i.e. for other areas of investigations.

Starting with the main conference questions

-    How do we as artistic researchers, through critical reflection, address and engage with what we see around us?
-    How can artistic research make a meaningful and relevant contribution outside of itself? And how can it acknowledge the responsibility of art and research towards the world outside the academy?

I would like to present the dilemma of artistic research, as I see it, by discussing four typical example categories of artistic research. As a starting point, and provocation, for the discussion I will argue that a strong focus on the systematics of the research result is the only reasonable way out of the dilemma.

The examples I will discuss are:

-    Artistic interventions. When is this art and when is it a form of action research?
-    Reflections on artistic processes. When is this art theory and when is it artistic development work?
-    Critical design. When is this artistic research and when is it cultural studies research?
-    The research-studies-art-projects. When is this art and when is it research?

Lars Hallnäs, Professor

The Swedish School of Textiles
University of Borås

Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Division Interaction Design
Chalmers University of Technology