Beyond the Border Colonialism, Diaspora and Displacement: Artistic Narratives between Memory and Identity
(2025)
author(s): Gabriela Alessandra Queija Du Bois
published in: Research Catalogue
This thesis explores the link between colonialism, diaspora and displacement, analysing how these themes are addressed in contemporary art through the works of artists such as Belkis Ayón, Tania Bruguera, Coco Fusco, Binta Diaw and Dominique White. My research is developed around the concept of non-place (Marc Augé) and the space in-between (Homi Bhabha), understood as fluid territories in which identity is broken down and recomposed, suspended between memory and oblivion, between roots and transit. The analysis examines artistic practices that reinterpret the collective memory of diasporic communities, with a focus on processes of cultural and identity re-appropriation. Belkis Ayón's work reinterprets the Afro-Cuban mythology of the Abakuá as a metaphor for diaspora and marginality, while Tania Bruguera and Coco Fusco deconstruct the colonial gaze through performance and denunciation of power. Binta Diaw and Dominique White use the body, the sea and shipwreck as symbols of identity fragmentation and the construction of new spaces of belonging. The thesis integrates references to Paul Gilroy, Aníbal Quijano, Frantz Fanon and Enrique Dussel, highlighting how art can function as an archive of memories and an instrument of political resistance. Parallel to the theoretical research, my artistic project proposes a series of installations that evoke the non-place of dislocation, a space of transition and rewriting, where matter - sound, sculpture, performance - become bearers of forgotten histories and new possibilities of belonging.
Mapping the Shift: From Anti-Immigration to Anti-Islam Discourse
(2025)
author(s): Isa Thulin
published in: Research Catalogue
Through layers of legislation, political movements, wars, key events, and shifting migration patterns, my map uncovers how ‘the immigrant’ became synonymous with ‘the Muslim’ in Danish politics starting from the 1960s—tracing the contours of exclusion as they were drawn, redrawn, and hardened over time. To the right, it is traced how the anti-Muslim discourse paved the way for the legitimisation of demolishing multiple racialised neighbourhoods across Denmark and thereby displacing large groups of racialised individuals. The cartoons work to show questions, discomforts, and realisations that emerged as I confronted urban racism in Denmark through a white lens.
The musical environment of the duet Zurna-Davul to Laouto
(2025)
author(s): Asterios Varveris
published in: Codarts
This research is about the implementation of elements derived by the musical environment of the
Zurna-Davul duet into a stringed instrument named Laouto.
Although, in Greece, Laouto is mainly used
for accompaniment roles close to violins, clarinets, singers and lyras, the potential and the possibilities of
this instrument seems to have changed given that enough musicians use it to perform even complicated
and demanding melodies. In any case, I am really glad that I dived in the process of revealing and
formulating the solo aspect of the Laouto in association with this distinct musical environment.
During this research, I experimented and tried to find ways to utilize elements of this duet on Laouto;
those elements were the Zurna phrasing, including ornaments, Davul phrasing, the songs’ structure and
rhythm flexibility - rhythm plasticity. Furthermore, practicing the idioms’ repertoire, playing, improvising as
well as composing over odd rhythms such as 7/8, 9/8 and 11/8 while using the above mentioned elements
was part of that research. As my main reference about this style and idiom I used recordings conducted
by the Ethnography process in the city of Naousa. Last but not least, in this musical environment dance constitutes an indivisible aspect.
Transcultural collaboration within the context of West African griot music: Exploring the role of the drummer and the case of the band Faso Kan
(2025)
author(s): Ossi Raippalinna
published in: Research Catalogue
The purpose of this text is to reflect on my experiences as an active member of a culturally diverse ensemble called Faso Kan. The primary source is the artistic work of Faso Kan during the years 2006-2020. The ensemble worked intensively during 2020-21, resulting in an album completed in September 2021. My main contribution to the album was adapting and arranging traditional West African rhythms for the drum kit and performing them in the studio. This study attends to cover different aspects of that process, particularly the drummer’s point of view. I will also cover the collaboration-based music-making approaches that I encountered while working with Faso Kan. Although Faso Kan´s repertoire consists mainly of traditional pieces from Burkina Faso, the working methods resulted in music representing several musical cultures. The study is primarily based on artistic work, but I will also reflect on the related experiences of other researchers and musicians.
Editorial: Sounding the Contradictions in and of the (Post-)Soviet Realm
(2025)
author(s): Vadim Keylin
published in: Journal of Sonic Studies
Editorial: Sounding the Contradictions in and of the (Post-)Soviet Realm
Manifesto
(2025)
author(s): Tereza Strmisková, Silvia Diveky
connected to: Janáček Academy of Performing Arts (JAMU)
published in: Research Catalogue
A project of three countries working with youngsters to bring an artivistic theatre to life.
