1st Conference on Arts-Based and Artistic Research: Critical reflections on the intersection between art and research

Call for Papers & Projects

 

This conference on arts-based and artistic research hosted by the Postgraduate Program in Arts and Education, at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Barcelona, is the result of a growing interest in the relationship between artistic research and practice. By organizing this conference, our aim is to share and debate emergent fractures in the field.

Undeniably, in recent years the art world has taken seriously the question regarding what type of contribution
art practice can make in the wider research community. On one hand, the growth in the number of PhD practice-based programs is a concrete example of how how art and research have converged within an academic context.More broadly, certain tendencies in the art world reveal an increased interest in assigning a social value to art production. The focus on knowledge production in artistic practices blurs the lines between art and research.

 

On the other side of this argument, we can observe a shif in qualitative paradigms from within academia that
has carved out space for the inclusion of artistic methodologies. The presence of art practice in academic
research, both as “hybrid forms” and “art for scholarship’s sake” (Cahnmann-Taylor, 2008), has been growing. From the social sciences and education, there has been an increase in literature addressing arts-based research. With the publication in recent years of a number of comprehensive volumes that categorize and document arts-based research, there is an increasing amount of theoretical and practical resources that bring together and define this body of work (Cahnmann-Taylor & Siegesmund, 2008; Leavy, 2008; Springgay, Irwin, et al, 2008; Sullivan, 2009; Barone & Eisner, 2012). The majority of these titles unite the work of educators, social scientists and artists who introduce artistic methods into their research, drawing on the afective, aesthetic, fictive and creative qualities of art in order to beter capture and communicate elements of a research process and its conclusions.

 

By approaching art through research, and research through art, this conference hopes to cast a multidisciplinary gaze on each field. The event hopes to create a space for critical refection that will generate new, expanded notions of both art and research.

 

The main objectives of this conference are:

• to explore, debate and refect on the methodological, epistemological and theoretical diferences
  between, and within, art-based and artistic research;
• to enhance our critical understanding of where, how and why art is introduced as research, paying
  special atention to justifications of how art produces knowledge;
• to identify tensions and problems that emerge when collapsing the boundaries between our
  understanding of art and research;
• to disseminate local tendencies to an international audience;
• to experiment with new ways of sharing our work processes and results, drawing from both academic
  and artistic expository formats;
• to build a community of ‘critical friends’ that can inspire, challenge and validate our practices.

In order to transfer knowledge and generate new perspectives in the field, this conference encourages graduate students, scholars and professionals from the arts and cultural sectors to submit their research. The conference welcomes submissions that discuss completed studies or projects, field work, or work in progress.

 

Submissions
Due to the interdisciplinary interests of the conference, submissions can be either ‘papers’ or ‘projects’.

For both formats, authors should submit an abstract that does not exceed 400 words. Abstracts may be
sent to: rachel.fendler@ub.edu, together with contact details for the author(s) and a brief mention of the
author’s affiliation.

Once approved, authors submitng papers must send a short paper with a minimum of 2000 words.
Authors submitng projects must send documentation of the project including a writen element that
contextualizes the project and specifies how the project relates to the conference theme. These
papers/projects will be shared with all delegates prior to the conference, in order to reduce the time spent
on presentations and increase the time for engaging in debate and discussion during the meeting.

 

Abstract
The abstract should clearly communicate the key points and conclusions of the paper or project, indicating
the methodological framework and the relationship to the call. (400 words max.) A short list of keywords
should be provided with the abstract (no more than five).

 

Language
The general language of the conference (including all submissions and presentations) is English.

 

Conference timetable	Important dates
Abstract submission deadline	December 1st, 2012
Authors notified of acceptance	December 15th, 2012
Registration	Until January 15th, 2013
Submission of full papers	January 21st, 2013

 

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https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_v3lnS7m0YxV0hFWUpzdGRRVFk