The Research Catalogue (RC) is a non-commercial, collaboration and publishing platform for artistic research provided by the
Society for Artistic Research. The RC is free to use for artists and
researchers. It
serves also as a backbone for teaching purposes, student assessment, peer review workflows and research funding administration. It strives to be
an open space for experimentation and exchange.
recent activities
Untitled (What's the last word You never heard?)
(2025)
Gianluca Di Francesco, FRANCO RIPA DI MEANA, MengYao Zhu, Xueying Wang, Mauro Palatucci, Maria Cristina Reggio, Alessia Tessitore, Elena Giulia Rossi, Claudia Digrandi, Veronica Di Geronimo, Teodora Ricci, Eleonora Scarponi, Gauri Abbattista, Ahzi Gaytan Monzani, Xaioxi Wang, Andrea Guidi, Livia Viola, Ming Lu, Valentina Saggio, Francesca Paganelli, Devrim Kadirbeyoglu, Veronica Lilli, Giulia Tucciarelli, Caiyi Li, XiaoQi Wei, ZeHao Li, Jiayi Guo
A silence lingers where words once stood, a fragile pause between what was said and what remains forever untold.
I’m gonna build the cemetery of echoes, words suspended in time, each gaze a question, each absence a weight.
Fragments of lives held in stillness, unfinished moments longing for release. Across the space, words rise like shadows.
Memory dances with loss, the tangible and the fleeting entwined. It is not closure we seek, but the tender acknowledgment of incompleteness.
Transmutations: a staged concert / Transmutações: um concerto cênico
(2025)
Pedro Pablo Cámara Toldos
Transmutations seeks to redefine the term transformation through a staged concert — a concert conceived as a work of art in itself.
The traditional concert format and conventional performance practices are showing signs of stagnation, thus calling for the emergence of a voice adapted to this transformation.
The boundaries of music, especially within the classical realm, have gradually blurred in recent times. Increasingly, artists are exploring the concert as a form of expression that not only integrates other artistic disciplines but also embraces technological advancements. This approach challenges traditional aesthetic conventions and the notion of genre and musical style. The omnipresence of technology in contemporary society underlines the need for research that explores the many possibilities of the concert format.
This staged concert aims to redefine the concept of transformation by avoiding any stylistic boundaries. The works of Richard Strauss, John Cage, and Alexander Schubert are included not only for their artistic value but also for their contribution to the very notion of transformation.
recent publications
Spirit and the Machine, the Curious Case of Spider's Transformation into a Digital Ghost*
(2025)
Jeroen Zwaap
*Thesis is written in Dutch!
"Spirit and the Machine, the Curious Case of Spider's Transformation into a Digital Ghost" is a research paper that explores themes of technology, voyeurism, and identity through the experiences of the characters
Spider and Nachtdonker.
Using a fictional story as its medium, the paper follows the journey of the voyeur Spider, who becomes trapped in their own desires and seeks the help of retired psychoanalyst Nachtdonker. Through a dialogue of monologues between the two, the paper explores the
impact of technology on human consciousness and relations, the system of networked cameras as an extension of the Self, the power dynamics of voyeurism between observer / observed, and the desire to look without being seen in the 'face of ubiquitous surveillance and control.
The paper's experimental structure employs fragmented timelines and various text types to convey Spider's and Nachtdonker's experiences and perspectives. The nonlinear stream of consciousness and poetic language invites readers to engage with the text on multiple levels,
allowing a more nuanced exploration of the themes.
Through its approach, "Spirit and Machine" challenges blurs the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction. It offers a fresh perspective on the complex interconnectedness between desire, intimacy, technology, power dynamics between observer / observed,
surveillance, and voyeurism.
This adds a layer of depth and complexity to the exploration of the themes, highlighting the psychological and emotional aspects of technology use that are often overlooked in discussions of surveillance
and voyeurism.
Sensing Electricity: Electricity in architectural space
(2025)
Tom Šebestíková
Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2022
Master Interior Architecture (INSIDE)
From my own experience, I use electricity every day. Energy prices are rising and the need for more sustainable electricity is rising. As an architect, I'm questioning, how is it possible that I as a user of electricity can't sense further than a switch. The usage of electricity in architectural space is lacking sensation and understanding.
In my research I'm taking a journey through the history of electricity, trying to understand the principles of electric power. With this, I'm recreating multiple simple models demonstrating the presence of electricity. These models would eventually help me in designing architectural interventions I've placed at Maasvlakte as a location for electricity generation and innovation.
Rubberneckers
(2025)
Joana Dos Santos Almeida
Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2023
BA Fine Arts
This Thesis is comprised of a series of chapters, which combine personal observations and analysis of existing theory and literature regarding the concept of trauma within the artistic context.
Throughout the text, I explore the choices and intuitive origins of the artistic practice with reference to my own experiences and connect them to my interest in the
traumatic.
Using Griselda Pollock’s writings on Trauma and art as a foundation, I explore the theoretical sides of trauma and how it operates, specifically that of psychoanalytical, scientific and philosophical texts. I aim to weave connections between the act of observation inherent to the artistic practice and the same spectacle associated with violent subject matter. This becomes the basis for the development of what I call, the ‘traumatic method’, which involves my ongoing research into this relationship.
Questions of affect and embodiment become key components of this thesis in regards to the function of using trauma as a conceptual starting point during the artistic process. Specifically the importance of re-enactment and treating the traumatic as a medium within itself rather than simply
subject matter.