Research Catalogue

This exposition documents my explorations of pondering with pine trees. Tämä ekspositio dokumentoi yritykseni miettiä mäntyjen kanssa. Den här ekspositionen dokumenterar mina försök att fundera med furor.

This thesis is an autoethnographic exploration into the nature of artistic identity, resilience, and cultural memory informed by my journey as a Palestinian musician and artist navigating the interplay of music-making, identity, and political turmoil. Through collaborations with artists across cultures, improvisational methods, and engaging with diverse musical practices, I draw on the approaches of artistic research to investigate the emotional and cultural dynamics of an identity that both endures and transforms inherited struggles. The heart of this work lies in a continuous dialogue between the self, the collective, and sound—a triad that reveals layers of creativity and survival intertwined within my identity. This research comprises original compositions, interviews, and collaborations with Palestinian and international artists, resulting in a diverse soundscape where tradition and innovation coexist. Working with the qanun and other instruments, I aim to reflect on my own experiences and the collective history of the Palestinian people. The research culminates in performances that offer glimpses of hope, humanity, and connection, framed within the broader context of Palestinian artistry in a world that frequently dismisses or deliberately denies its existence. Ultimately, this thesis questions and redefines what it means to be a creator in a world marked by systematic erasure. It proposes that artistic expression can be a means of reclaiming one's voice, a way of confronting the fragmentation imposed upon an identity. In exploring how music becomes a pathway to the inner self, a bridge to ancestral memory, and a gesture of solidarity, I hope to illuminate the essential human drive for expression and the enduring will to survive.

50 A3 drawings black and coloured markers, including: 3 A3 collages on paper with newspaper cutouts and printed photos. 12 A3 drawings on paper with coloured markers + 1 A3 with black ballpoint pen and markers. 13 A3 drawings on paper with black marker, and red, pale blue, gold, pink and orange markers +1 A3 wo-sided. 17 A3 drawings on paper with coloured markers. 1 drawing on sketchbook cover with red nail polish. 1 text drawing on sketchbook cover inside. 1 drawing on sketchbook cover back inside with black, orange and gold markers. Some of the above is preparatory work for 4 large prints and 13 paintings. 22 A4 drawings with ballpoint pen. I did the art between 2023-2024. I adopted the visual vocabulary of the graphic novel, which I partly studied and read a lot about looking at different graphic artists' work, when I was attending classes at the University of Malmo, Sweden, in 2012. I mixed this with stylistic elements of the architectural sketch, using heavily the black marker and stick figures. Much of this work is, amongst other, about children. I wanted to emphasise that, by intentionally applying stylistic elements from children's drawings, too, in a naive architectural composition. Using this visual approach, I wanted to give a comically sharp twist to the otherwise dark subject matter. "Pop and Politics" (Pop Og Politikk) Where does the boundary run between art and popular culture? Pop art embraces the iconography of mass culture. Themes are taken from advertising comics, cinema and TV. The slick, impersonal style is a deliberate provocation. In Norway, pop art is part of a broader left-wing protest movement. Everything from capitalism and imperialism to environmental and gender politics is subjected to critical scrutiny. The exclusive, unique artwork is replaced by mass-produced prints and posters, well suited to spreading a political message." From the National Museum, Oslo, Norway. For Nikos, Filip and "Brandon". See exposition in connection with "The (Origins of) The Game", "Debris", and "The Loot".

This exposition presents the PhD Artistic Research project environment embodiment - towards poetic narratives by Fernanda Branco at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (2020-2024). This artistic research explores experiential agency in encounters between body and environment. It draws from uncanny, embodied, and poetic perspectives and unfolds as a constellation of sympoietic practices. PhD Supervisors: Rebecca Hilton - Stockholm University of the Arts (2021-2024) Gunhild Mathea Olaussen - KHiO (2021-2022) Dora Garcia - KHiO (2023-2024) Fernanda Branco has designed this exposition in collaboration with web designer Ellen Palmeira. Illustrations by Aza Drawings by Francisco Blixt Cards and booklets designed by Amanda Costa

"Heaven on Earth: As Above, So Below" introduces the novel idea that features on the seafloor mirror the constellations in our night sky; challenging the long-held belief that ancient people simply imagined such unusual creatures amongst the stars. Visual evidence is produced by exploring the topography of Earth to make connections with constellation myths. The results are highlighted on a digital map and surprisingly follow the same meticulous order as defined by ancient narratives. This research should resonate with individuals in various fields, including: Art, History, Religious Studies, Astrology, Archaeology, Environmental Studies, Sociology, Linguistics, Folklore, Anthropology, Geography, Humanities, Cognitive Science, Psychology, Classical Literature, Astrophysics and Cultural Anthropology. WARNING: Contents may cause a permanent change to your worldview.

The artistic research pilot project Challenging the Theater of Memory: Yiddish Song beyond Kitsch and Stereotype attempts to explore and deconstruct the ways that Jewishness is portrayed and embodied in the performance of Yiddish song through ethnographic research and musical performance. Sociologist Michal Y. Bodemann’s concept of the “Theater of Memory” (1996) articulates how Jewish participation in public life is co-opted into the German national narrative to affirm a post-Nazi multiculturalism [^1]. This framework suggests that the diversity and complexity of Jewish life are often instrumentalized, serving merely as a backdrop in the German or Austrian national narratives. As a result of these dynamics, Yiddish culture and music are frequently presented through nostalgic tropes, stereotypical representations and in conjunction with the massive loss of the Shoah. Such representations often bolster hegemonic narratives instead of empowering Jewish minorities. Consequently, Yiddish singers become instrumental in either reinforcing or contesting the theater of memory through their artistic choices and performances. Our central question as artist-researchers was: How can we, artistically and through scholarly reflection, challenge and subvert the Theater of Memory as Yiddish performers on stage? In our project we use the frame of a lecture / concert to reflect on how we encounter the Theater of Memory in our artistic practice. Drawing from our experiences of past performances, theory from both performance and Jewish studies as well as ethnomusicology, we developed a performance which weaves together music, our own writings and visuals. We presented this lecture-concert in multiple settings and documented it through auto-ethnographic research methods and audio/visual recordings. Project supported by the: -Music and Minorities Research Center -Austrian Science Fund (FWF): Z 352-G26 -Artistic Research Pilot Grant (2022) university of music and performing arts vienna (mdw)