Research Catalogue

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.

This thesis is based on the integration of three complementary components: Giusirames's Treatise, the artistic and scientific research conducted through processes of material solidification, and the visual portfolio documenting the resulting works. These three elements form a coherent system, in which theory does not precede practice, nor does practice illustrate theory, but both emerge from a common conceptual core: the desire to interrogate matter as an active subject and not as a mere support.

This exposition gathers all the essential information needed to get started with the Research Catalogue (RC) platform at the Iceland University of the Arts (IUA). It offers a clear overview of how to create a profile, start an exposition, and navigate the basic functions of the platform. The goal is to provide staff with a central reference point for working with RC in the context of artistic research and institutional use.

It Is Indeed a Dance is a project exploring the emotional, psychological, and cultural shifts within contemporary romantic discourse. Using the metaphor of dance as a dynamic, often asymmetrical interplay between self and other, the project investigates love and post-love conditions marked by ambivalence, hyper-awareness, and emotional fatigue. Drawing on concepts such as limerence, attachment theory, fantasy bonding, and “situationships,” it examines how psychological language has entered everyday dating vocabulary—shaping not only how we talk about love, but how we experience it. Through autotheoretical writing, visual media and spatial compositions, the project seeks to map and mediate intimate dynamics in an era where connection feels both over-analyzed and elusive. It reflects on the contradictions of contemporary intimacy, where vulnerability is praised but rarely safe, and communication is vital yet often ineffective in post-romantic conditions.

The Arrangement of Objects examines the intersection of functionality, aesthetics, and artistic practice through experiments with glass and metal. Central to the project is the notion of burden, understood both physically, as pressure or weight, and metaphorically, as imprint, deformation, or trace. This theme is expressed in layers, grooves, and perforations that evoke landscapes or the life cycles of objects. The work situates itself between design and fine art, emphasizing material research as a driver of innovation and interdisciplinarity. It also highlights the role of conceptual thinking and autoethnographic reflection, integrating personal experience into the creative process. Through layering and transformation, the project questions the porous boundary between utilitarian and artistic objects while expanding the expressive vocabulary of glass and metal.

Through drawing, installation, and handmade objects, the exposition explores popular culture, spectacle, and visual symbolism. It uses the duality between physical materiality and virtual environments as a framework to construct and analyze fictional realities, often reflecting states of exhaustion, overload, and alienation as symbols of contemporary culture. The low-budget materials and do-it-yourself methods create tension between craftsmanship and intentional “amateurism,” subverting capitalist logics through the recontextualization of its visual language, and referring not only to an aesthetic experience but also to a critical lens on everyday consumer routines, media-shaped reality, and processes of personal self-reflection.