Research Catalogue

This study examines the relationship between the narratives in audio-visual artwork and the temporality of historical preservation within sociocultural contexts of destruction and re-construction, and rusting, through the concept of Sankofa. The series of photographic artworks titled “Patches of Time” delves into the socio-cultural fabric of memory, historical sites, forest, and the contemporary reconstruction of the past. Together with the written content, I show various forms of media such as photos, sound files and videos that reveal different aspects of the audio-visual practice. The photos and sound compositions are discussed here as ways of doing and making, exposing the experiences that hold aesthetic qualities and a sense of the sublime. The materiality of the photos and soundscapes mirrors an archaeological process, where remnants of the past are not only recovered but also recontextualized within contemporary sociocultural frameworks. Specifically, I investigate the integration of destruction and re-construction which aligns with Walter Benjamin’s notion that reproduction destabilizes traditional narratives, offering opportunities for reimagining history, and reshapes the aura of cultural artifacts. The destruction and re-construction of these photos impacts the narrative gestures of going back and starting anew (Sankofa). The study aims to observe the interconnectedness of art, memory and the mind as historical sites and explore the potential for re-imaging the nature of audio-photographic art.

It is a foundational human trait to long for miracles. We yearn for the unexpected, something new to transcend our everyday life. As anyone who has planted a seed might know, the world is already brimming with wonders. Why, then, is this not enough? Why does it sometimes feel like we have lost the connection to something larger than ourselves, something supernatural or more-than-human? In this text I am exploring the human need for miracles through a queer lens. Through my live performance “The Weeping Madonna” (2025) I am investigating alchemy as a method to acquire knowledge about the world, and whether it is possible to use our imagination as a starting point for collective rituals in order to call forth a new reality; a futurity.

Initiated in 2020, Dorsal Practices is a collaboration between choreographer Katrina Brown and writer-artist Emma Cocker, for exploring the notion of dorsality in relation to how we as moving bodies orient to self, others, world. How does the cultivation of a back-oriented awareness and attitude shape and inform our experience of being-in-the-world? A dorsal orientation foregrounds an active letting go, releasing, even de-privileging, of predominant social habits of uprightness and frontality — the head-oriented, sight-oriented, forward-facing, future-leaning tendencies of a culture intent on grasping a sense of the world through naming and control. Rather than a mode of withdrawal, of turning one’s back, how might a back-leaning orientation support a more open and receptive ethics of relation? How are experiences of listening, voicing, thinking, shaped differently through this tilt of awareness and attention towards the back?

A work that explores the possibilities of creating hybrid genres on the drum kit to achieve a personal artistic expression. From experimenting with different groove combinations and rhythmical structures to developing concrete practice methods for limb independence, Fred establishes a way to mix electronic and Brazilian rhythms on the drum set. As the work deepens, he continues to explore the hybrid expressions through improvisation, composing and ensemble playing. With the purpose of connecting the otherwise loose threads of a peculiar musical background, he seeks new ways to approach the drum kit to create a united sound that reflects his earlier musical journeys within the electronic and Brazilian traditions.


Denne nettsiden dokumenterer refleksjonsarbeid fra det kunstneriske utviklingsprosjektet Improvisasjon som møtepunkt i en intermedial kontekst (INTERIMP) – et samarbeidsprosjekt mellom Norges musikkhøgskole (NMH) og Balletthøgskolen ved Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo (KHiO), med ekstern finansiering fra det nasjonale Program for kunstnerisk utviklingsarbeid/Prosjektprogrammet (2012–2015). Prosjektdeltakere har vært musikerne Lisa Dillan, Sidsel Endresen (2012–2014) og Ivar Grydeland (alle NMH), og danserne Siri Jøntvedt, Cecilie Lindeman Steen og Ingunn Rimestad (alle KHiO). Formålet med prosjektet har vært å undersøke og øke bevisstheten rundt prosesser og problemstillinger som oppstår når improviserende dansere og musikere møtes på gulvet. Aktiviteten i prosjektet har bestått av arbeid på gulvet og arbeid på møterommet, og det har vært en gjensidig og kontinuerlig veksling mellom disse fasene. Utprøvinger og tester på gulvet har informert diskusjonene på møterommet, som igjen har generert nye utprøvinger og tester på gulvet.

---

Dokumentasjonen av prosjektet ble opprinnelig gjort på en dedikert nettside. Den er nå flyttet til Research Catalogue for å bedre sikkerhet og distribusjon.

Research Through Art & Design course introduces a variety of approaches, methodologies, issues and concerns in research through practice. In this course, research through practice refers to a broad continuum of artistic research approaches, arts-based, practice-led and -based research approaches, including also constructive design research approaches that are relevant across practices in Aalto University ARTS School of Arts, Design and Architecture. This exposition was created within an Artistic Practice Workshop offered as an additional part of the main course. During this part of the course, the students are familiarised with the Research Catalogue. During the workshop, participants work on their page within a group exposition, drawing connections between the creative and the given or discussed literature from the course and their creative practice.