Research Catalogue

an international database for artistic research

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  The House As An Ecosystem (2025) author(s): Wies Mobach published in: Royal Academy of Art, The Hague
  Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2022 BA Interactive Media Design Absorbed by squares and straight lines, I am separated from my nature. By producing and consuming, we waste natural sources, till the point that the Earth can’t keep up any longer. What can we learn from the billion-year-old underground network of nature? Fungi might be mostly invisible but ever-present to feed, defend and break down all we ever are and will be. In the house as an ecosystem, I image a space for harmonious orchestrated chaos, connecting life and mediating resources embracing all streams by collaborating with fungi to understand that we are more than one.
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  Stranger Danger (2025) author(s): Mariela Popova published in: Royal Academy of Art, The Hague
  Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2022 BA Interactive Media Design
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  Player versus Industry; Gaming, women and storytelling (2025) author(s): Melisa Hadimoglu published in: Royal Academy of Art, The Hague
  Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2022 BA Interactive Media Design After four years of studying art and technology in The Netherlands and having my own experience in search of an internship within the gaming industry, I came to realize problems that I saw in my earlier years with my mother were not limited to Turkey, and that it is a much bigger problem which spans worldwide. In this light of realizations, I decided to put together this thesis which will explore women’s role in the gaming industry with a focus on my own passion in story driven games.
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  Non-Binary Binary Pixels (2025) author(s): Roberto Romano published in: Royal Academy of Art, The Hague
  Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2022 BA Interactive Media Design This thesis investigates the techno-cultural implications of the internet, through the socio economic and philosophical consequences of the digitally mediated self. The human condition is destined to be transformed. This essay is a fictional presentation of the journey of the self into the different shapes and forms of simulation. What could possibly signify for a body to transcent its shapes and forms? Would it become something more of a human?Or maybe less?
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  Lost in Translation: Navigating through Individual and Cultural Differences of Communication & Building Mutual Understanding beyond Language (2025) author(s): Xiaoyao Ma published in: Royal Academy of Art, The Hague
  Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2022 BA Interactive Media Design We express ourselves primarily through language. Somehow for me, these precious moments like sharing a box of chicken nuggets convey more than saying, “I’d like to spend some time with you.” I always feel understood in those situations. There are so many qualities that embed into senses rather than words. Through the course of the thesis, I took examples from my experiences to explore the contrasting worldviews generated by speaking different languages. I then looked into numerous literary and philosophical texts to investigate the reasons behind the differences, including discussing variations in translating poems and expressing emotions in Chinese and English languages. Extracts from fictional literature about language are also listed to help expand the panel to the nature of communication and variation of individual perceptions. An experiment with my friend to have a conversation in our different mother tongues also gave me the insight that the first step of understanding is the desire to understand. I choose to present these examples because they are all tied together by experiencing loss, contradiction, and transformation. By threading these pieces together, I finally gathered the floating pixels in my brain and curated them into a tangible image to make myself understood to others.
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  Like, So Totally (Arche)Typical : A Look Into Malaysia’s (Unfair)ytales (2025) author(s): Isabelle Nair-Lacheta published in: Royal Academy of Art, The Hague
  Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2022 BA Interactive Media Design This paper examines the question: What impact have archetypes in Malaysian folklore had on the idealisation of women and their socio-cultural expectations of gender and sexuality? To answer this question, I conducted a systematic review of common Malaysian folktales, folk comics, folk epics and mythology, examining their use of female characters and language to ascertain what common archetypes emerge from these forms of storytelling. From this systematic review, it is clear that archetypes in Malaysian folklore attempt to subjugate, stigmatise and objectify Malaysian women. While it is impossible to quantify the exact effect this has had on Malaysian society; I submit that there is a causal sequence in place in which we see the same lessons being propagated by the archetypes in Malaysian folklore being mirrored at every level of Malaysian society, ranging from the beauty industry to the political sphere.
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  In the air we exist : on using play to survive (2025) author(s): Gaetan Langlois-Meurinne published in: Royal Academy of Art, The Hague
  Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2022 BA Interactive Media Design In The Air We Exist is an exploration that questions if play can help us to survive better in the world we live in. Playing is often associated being being childish and a waste of time for adults, right? Entering adulthood, don’t we have no other choice than to stop playing? In any case, responsibilities and routines take away the last bit of free time we had. This thesis researches the universal phenomenon of play. More specifically on an activity that everyone has experienced as a child and that usually disappears in adulthood and which refers to an activity that is free, uncertain, without specific goal and leaves space for imaginaLon. I wonder if play can have a positive influence no matter the age of the person, as it comes along with essential benefits to the personal development. Instead of restricting it to a limited group of young people, I strongly believe in the positive impact it could have if we allowed it to expand to adults. Whichever age group, it can have a beneficial impact, maintaining human relationships and fuelling hope, as well as helping us when we face difficult and often complex situations. I honestly wonder about the reason for its absence and neglect in western society, as I believe it could partly be a solution for some contemporary problems. The thesis addresses the complex world, we live in. Being constantly confronted with productivity, progress and the desire to seek for control there is not much space for play. Further I research the origin, values and the psychological and sociological impact play can have on a person. The importance of play in childhood alongside its benefits and influence on a person growing older is being presented. Next to that, a selection of artists, all connected by play, demonstrate the fruitful addition it brings to their work. All these segments are inspirational elements for my graduation project where I intend to create a tool to reconnect us to play. The tool aims for a playful experience that simultaneously invites to reconsider the role of play in everyday life. Finally, it is an attempt to keep us young and in a state of constant curiosity and openness by learning how to improvise and accept failures as part of the game of life. And then to consider if playfulness can help us survive better in the world we live in.
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  Extended Umwelt: a thesis on losing control and connecting to chaos (2025) author(s): Sarah Hoogman published in: Royal Academy of Art, The Hague
  Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2022 BA Interactive Media Design The complexity of nature is everywhere around us, from the microscopic, indeed invisible elements in the world, to the macroscopic, to the transhuman, to the supernatural. Sometimes it goes beyond our human perceptions, which for me, is a gateway to the realisation that there are so many more systems besides our intelligent human-controlled systems that are elusive to us. Imagine if we could perceive the world with a different perception. What if we could also sense the microscopic scale with our naked eye, or if we could receive light or sound outside our spectrum? Suppose we become aware that everything around us is in constant motion of vibrations. Perhaps we would see that we as human beings are only one element of so many more elements in nature. In this way, could we let go of our control over the systems in Gaia and leave more room for nature’s chaos? The experience of receiving vibrations beyond our senses will help us to create a new perception of our human-centred perspective of the Anthropocene.
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