What do we mean when we speak about methods in artistic research? And how does the methods employed in artistic practices differ from the methods employed in research? Henk Borgdorff speaks of methodological pluralism; Darla Crispin explores methods as a way of unfolding, and Annette Alander talk about methods in relation to turbulent research processes: What is common for artistic research methods, if anything? And what kind of methodological transformations occur as artistic practise is reformulated into artistic research, to be shared with the wider community and the field?
Methodological Plurism
In his widely quoted paper “The debate on research in the arts”, Henk Borgdorff states that “art practice qualifies as research when its purpose is to broaden our knowledge and understanding through an original investigation. It begins with questions that are pertinent to the research context and the art world, and employs methods that are appropriate to the study. The process and outcomes of the research are appropriately documented and disseminated to the research community and to the wider public.” (2006, p.10) And he follows up with the urgent question: "How do we know in our research (...) what methods are ‘appropriate to the study’, and what ‘appropriately documented’ entails?" (2006, p.10)
Deliberating over the relationship between artistic research and the academic world, Henk Borgdorff argues that artistic research has no single distinct or exclusive methodology, and it would therefore seem logical to argue for methodological pluralism, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of artistic research and the way in which artistic researchers steal and borrow methods from all disciplines and fields. “But there is one qualifying condition”, Borgdorf argues, “artistic research centres on the practice of making and playing. Practising the arts (creating, designing, performing) is intrinsic to the research process. And artworks and art practices are partly the material outcomes of the research. That is what ‘material thinking’ means.” (2010, p. 29) Emphasising that making and creating are central to artistic research, Borgdorff points out that “artistic practices are reflective practices, and that is what motivates artistic research in the first place.” (2008, p. 95) Or expressed in a different way: “We should not say ‘Here is a theory that sheds light on artistic practice’, but ‘Here is art that invites us to think’.” (2008, p. 96)
Not much, but perhaps something
In her text On Methods of Artistic Research, pioneer to the field and recurrent seminar leader at The Norwegian Research School, Annette Arlander, asks whether it is possible at all to talk about common research methods for artistic areas as diverse as music, theatre, literature, visual art, dance, film and architecture: "In principle, each art form ought to develop its own methods, based on the working methods employed" (2014. p. 27-28). She argues - and indirectly answers Borgdorf’s question about the appropriateness of methods - that research already plays a central part in artistic work in many areas and that research methods should preferably be developed from the artist’s working methods, "not imposed on an emerging field from the outside" (2014. p. 27). Artistic work in many areas of contemporary art is by nature research, in the form of, for example, exploration, investigation, trial and error, but as she points out, “only rarely developed into a formal research inquiry" (2014. p. 20).
What then sets apart artistic practice and artistic research? Not always that much, according to Arlander. She uses her artistic practice as an example:
"...over the past ten years I have been working with the question: “How to perform landscape today?” This is far too general a question to be really useful as a research question, but it gives me a starting point, something I can try to answer with the help of artistic practice. And the answer I come up with is actually a demonstration: “Like this, perhaps?” But how then are my works artistic research rather than ordinary art making? What makes them a means of creating new knowledge and understanding, rather than simply tools for creating experiences and insights for a potential spectator? Not much, necessarily, but perhaps something: my willingness to place them in relation to earlier research, to use them as an example in conceptual discussions, to openly document and reflect on the working process and, last but not least, my desire to write about them". (2014. p. 36)
Arlander adds a minor caveat here: "For an artistic researcher with a project that is to be reported or reviewed as a thesis, I do not recommend this method. Making art first and contextualising it as research afterwards probably creates more problems than planning a research project that includes art making interlaced with contextualising and reflection”. (2014. p. 36-37)
Although the question of methods is significant, because the methods distinguish different disciplines, Arlander argues that it is most of all comes down to a practical question: "If we agree with [Paul] Feyerabend, that all methods that lead to knowledge are allowed, it is clear that artistic working methods can be as good as any other methods, as long as they are articulated sufficiently clearly. And then the crucial question concerns the purpose. Do I apply these methods to create an artwork, an ambiguous and paradoxical entity, or do I do it to create some form of knowledge, understanding or insight that I can share with others and let others build on? I believe the majority of artistic researchers would choose to answer: Both". (2014. p. 39)
Method and Methodology
According to the Cambridge dictionary a method is simply a particular way of doing something. Often a method includes a tool, for example writing with a pen or a pencil or archiving with a computer software.
A methodology is described as a system of ways of doing, teaching, or studying something; a set of methods used in a particular area of study or activity.
Methods as a way of being
In his doctoral thesis, “You told me”, Magnus Bärtås describes methods as a way of being in the world. He points out that within a work of art, all methods hold their own aesthetics and carry their own gestures, discourse, and history and that methods “manifest their cognitions (…) in the work as well as representing a model of being and acting in society.” (2010, p.43) He argues that “methodology situates an individual at the same time as it suggests a way to relate to and act in the world. (…) A diverse methodology means to try and experiment with different roles, and by extension the interrogation of the functions of different roles.” (2010, p.43) As an example of this he mentions the field of drawing, in which the different methods of creating a line, also produces the image of the person working; be it a teenager, a child, an amateur, a renaissance artist. In this way drawings stages scenes of people working; non-linear narratives that run parallel with and are embedded in the overall story, the motif of the work. With this Bärtås calls for a focus-shift from the methodology of aesthetics to the aesthetics of methodology.
In his thesis Bärtås builds an understanding of “the ideas performed by methodology” (2010, p.45) from a narratological perspective. From this narratological perspective an artwork constitutes a composed sequence of action that can result in a physical object, a time-based work or an event which most often is documented. This sequence of actions is fundamental to the understanding of the work and can be reproduced or retold. Bärtås calls the account of these actions a “work story”. More than just being an account of actions and series of makings, the work story also contain accounts of considerations and relational moments. The work story, as meta-activity, thus has elements of self-interpretation and self-reflection. Bärtås’ reflection of methods as a way of being in the world brings perspective to the role of narrative in art and offers insights into the ways artists can utilise narrative techniques to enhance the impact and meaning of their visual creations.
A topological approach
This moving back and forth between atistic practice and artistic research challenges what language to use and how to move between types of languages. One must consider what language to use when and to what degree the intensity of different language categories should be amplified or reduced. Aslaug Nyrnes suggests, in her text "Lighting from the Side – Rhetoric and Artistic Research", that a reflection in an artistic research project most often exists with varying intensity in-between the researchers "own language, the language of theory and the language of the artistic expression". (2006) In her identification of these three main languages (or topoi as she describes them) Nyrnes highlights not only the existing wide register of one’s own language, the systematic quality of theory and how the artistic expression is "at the heart of the artistic research process" (2006), but also how the correlation between these three languages shed light on "how the researcher moves between the topoi" (2006) and how "this how can be identified as method." (2006) Method in this way "means finding a path that is reliable [..] a way of moving in the language". (2006)
→ Dive deeper: Nyrnes, A. (2006): Lighting from the side. Rhetoric and artistic research. Bergen: KHiB.
→ Dive deeper: Howell, K. E. (2013). An introduction to the philosophy of methodology. SAGE Publications Ltd, https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473957633
Reclaiming artistic research
In Reclaiming Artistc Research (2019), writer and curator Lucy Cotter explores the field of Artistic Research with artists worldwide, foregrounding art's unique ways of knowing and unknowing and its dynamic engagement with other fields. Through conversations with artists and thinkers covering broad and very varied approaches to artistic research, Cotter's book uncover the importance of the methods already embedded in the artist's practice.
In the foreword to the first edition of Reclaiming Artistic Research, Cotter argues that standard writing conventions already presents a problem in relation to the forms of knowledge and un-knowledge that artistic research unfolds. She writes:
"(...) I am aware that all these structural choices reflect assumptions about how art relates to other forms of knowledge. They declare the status of the visual and the material relative to the linguistic and demonstrate how under-acknowledged hierarchies suppress other registers of knowledge, both material and sensory. In fact, the apparent unimportance of these things bring us to the core of a power struggle within much of the discourse surrounding artistic research until now. Namely, that academic-led protocols often drown out art's sensibilities, even on those occasions when academic and other non-artistic institutions claim to be interested in art's potential to research or create knowledge in other ways. The paradox here is that art's epistemologies open up precisely at the site of representation. They open up through attention to form, through play and through the ability and desire to question the terms of the discourse, rather than provide supplementary knowledge." (2019)
→ Dive deeper: Cotter, L. et al. (ed.), (2019). Reclaiming Artistc Research. Hatje Cantz Verlag, Berlin
The messiness of research
In his conference presentation at Uniarts Helsinki, Against Method? Common Ground? Falk Hübner builds on Henk Borgdorff’s notion of “methodological pluralism” and advocates for a flexible and emergent approach to methods. Like Arlander, he emphasizes that research methods should be considered "as being crafted from inside out, from the very experience and reality of playing and making." (Hübner, 2020).
In his open source book Method, Methodology and Research Design in Artistic Research, Falk Hübner also suggests a flexible approach for the overall research design and a from-scratch design of distinct methods: "This means in particular to provide space for the unknown, and for the occasional messiness of research in and through the arts". (2024).
→ Dive deeper: Hübner, F. (2024). Method, Methodology and Research Design in Artistic Research: Between Solid Routes and Emergent Pathways (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003188841
Unfolding?
In Artistic Research as a Process of Unfolding (2019), Darla Crispin argues that artistic research involves a continuous process of unfolding, where new knowledge and insights emerge through the creative process. Like Borgdorff, Hûbner and more, Crispin emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinarity in artistic research, and she argues that integrating perspectives and methodologies from various fields can enrich the research process and lead to more comprehensive and nuanced insights.
Like many other artistic researchers and writers in the field, Crispin also stresses the importance of thorough documentation and reflective analysis. This practice is essential for communicating the outcomes of artistic research to both academic and artistic communities. At the same time, Crispin acknowledges the often unpredictable nature of artistic practice. She advocates for a flexible and adaptable approach to the research process, allowing for the creative freedom and innovation inherent in artistic practice. A flexible approach that allows for the type of unfolding and uncovering that expands rather than advances. She writes:
"Art is, in part, about making us see more clearly things that lie around us all the time but which we all too often fail to attend to as we should. It is a call to attention that reminds us to work actively, and with all our senses, so as to apprehend life in all its richness and detail. Rather than relating to knowledge as it has generally been perceived in post-Enlightenment Western thought - as a relentlessly advancing vector - if anything, it bears greater resemblances to Eastern traditions of knowledge as the expansion of wisdom through the practice of contemplation. This is a concept that chimes well with ideas of uncovering, expansion and a gradual, narrative-oriented exegesis - and with artistic research as making its contributions to knowledge and understanding in these terms." (2019)
→ Dive deeper: Crispin, D. (2019). Artistic Research as a Process of Unfolding. Norwegian Academy of Music, 3. (https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/503395/503396)
Research is ceremony
Shawn Wilson is a community psychologist, researcher and educated Opaskwayak Cree that spent much of his life straddling the Indigenous and mainstream worlds. In addition to articulating Indigenous philosophies and research paradigms, Wilson's research focuses on the inter-related concepts of identity, health and healing, culture and wellbeing. In his seminal book Research is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods he describes a research paradigm shared by Indigenous scholars in Canada and Australia, and demonstrates how this paradigm can be put into practice. In the book he characterises Indigenous researchers as knowledge seekers who work to progress Indigenous ways of being, knowing and doing in a modern and constantly evolving context and describes the way in which relationships don't just shape Indigenous reality, but constitutes that very reality. The book explores the way "Indigenous researchers develop relationships with ideas in order to achieve enlightenment in the ceremony that is Indigenous research. Indigenous research is the ceremony of maintaining accountability to these relationships. For researchers to be accountable to all [their] relations, [they] must make careful choices in [their] selection of topics, methods of data collection, forms of analysis and finally in the way [they] present information." (Wilson, 2008) Research is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods explores Indigenous ontology, epistemology, axiology and methodology. Through working with Indigenous people internationally, Wilson applies Indigenist philosophy within the contexts of Indigenous education, health and counselor education, focusing on the inter-related concepts of identity, health and healing, and culture and wellbeing.
→ Dive deeper: Wilson, S. (2008). Research Is Ceremony - Indigenous Research Methods, Fernwood Publishing. See also "Research is Ceremony: Researching within an Indigenous Paradigm", a presentation by Shawn Wilsonat CTET, Centre for Teaching and Educational Technologies at Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia.
→ Dive deeper: The film (above) offers an insight into Studio Conversations, a research project focused on ways of asking contemporary dance artists about the practices, working and knowing happening in their dancing. Conversation between Gunhild Mathea Husvik-Olaussen, Andrew Hardwidge, Chrysa Parkinson, and Frank Bock.
Where to start?
A good starting point might be to identify and clarify methods already existing in your artistic practise. Whether you are a musician, a designer, a performens artist, a dancer, or a fimmaker, you already have certain things you do and ways of doing this. You may not always have built a clear vocabulary for these methods that run through your artistic practice, but chances are that as methods these are already quite developed. Pinpointing some of the things you do and clarifying the process around this doing will give you a great starting point for thinking about and developing your artistic research methods. Another way to identify methods is by focussing on the tools you use in your practice. The ways in which tools are chosen and employed speaks to the methods of a practice. And these tools, and a further development of them, will often play a big part in an artistic research project and the methodology devised here.
→ Dive deeper: Transrealism
In ), Søren Thilo Funder brings together video, installation, and performance art, in an artistic research project employing storytelling techniques to challenge and reflect on various social and political issue. In his reflection, he goes into depth to not only describe his methods but also identify these where they may not be that obvious. He labels one of these methods "Transrealism": "I [make] use of transrealist fiction writing to create a certain way of engaging with a political reality in my work, but allowing for this reality to transform and open up onto new narratives and ways of engagement. (...) The way that transrealism moves beyond reality in an unrehearsed manner, also allows me to think of this methodology to create a certain openness in the final results, giving leave for an audience to co-narrate, make up own conclusions or ask new questions. (...) [T]ransrealism allows for a certain way of treating research as a fluid material, existing in the strange membrane between fiction and reality, and in this raising questions about truth regimes, knowledge hierarchies, ethics and the role of artistic research." (2024)
Thilo Funder lifts the concept of Transrealism from the field of fiction writing, especially involved with the genre of weird fiction. As a visual artist he recognises the basic principals of this methodology, but sets out to reformulate and reactivate these principals to become relevant to a time-based artistic practice, as well as the field of artistic research. He writes:
"In the way I have used transrealism as a methodology, it moves away from being merely a narrative tool and rather becomes a process of letting the narratively speculative merge with a speculative approach to materiality and aesthetics, ie. the treatment of temporality and time, as well as the forming of aesthetic audio visual formations. There is a certain performativity connected to this form of practice, wherein the speculative process of getting to a certain result is performed in the result itself and in its dialogue with a potential viewer. (...) The transrealist approach is used as a methodology for this research project, not only in the development of new artistic work but also in its reflective work. As methodology the transrealist approach has allowed for a certain fluidness in the way that reflections have unfolded parallel to practice." (2024)
→ Dive deeper: re-radio
In her artistic research project re-radio, Karen Werner explores how radio can be used as a medium for artistic expression, community engagement, and social change. The project emphasize the potential of radio as a dynamic and transformative medium, capable of fostering dialogue, reflection, social reorganisation and new collective narratives. A key aspect of her methods in re-radio is participatory practices. The project initiates and reflects upon multiple workshops and happenings involving community members in the creation and production of radio content. Working closely with specific local communities, in participatory and colaboratory processes, Werner ensures the representation of diverse voices and perspectives. She writes:
"A third aspect of my methodology has been sociality, specifically thinking and talking with others on-air, including interlocuters at a radio station as well as imagined radio listeners. At times these interlocuters are friends; other times they are people excited by the idea of a neighborhood or community radio station. Sometimes we are similar demographically; sometimes we come from different cultures, languages and generations. Sometimes I lead; sometimes I follow. The radio station as an artistic form emerged organically from this longing for sociality. In the ways I approach the radio station, relationality is both a method and an artistic material in the form of conversation." (2025)
In the project she is also utilizing non-traditional formats and structures to push the boundaries of conventional radio, creating both unique and immersive listening experiences, as well as disruptive broadcasts questioning our means of communication. Here she also employs storytelling techniques that blend fiction and reality, (similar to transrealism), to engage listeners and unfold new perspectives.
Finally she also addresses the ethical implications of radio production, including issues of representation, consent, and the impact of the content on audiences.
→ Dive deeper: Playing in the Manner of Ricardo Vinês
Håkon Magnar Skogstad talks about and demonstrate his research methods in Forsker Grand Prix (language: Norwegian).
Playing in the Manner of Ricardo Viñes is an Artistic PhD project by Håkon Magnar Skogstad (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU). From the abstract: "The project’s reflection work takes the form of an exposition, which includes texts, videos, annotated scores and the artistic results. In this artistic research project, Håkon Magnar Skogstad uses an extreme form of imitation to embody and recreate the historical recordings of Catalan-Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes (1875-1943) with the aim of evoking a romantic performance tradition in classical music. (...).
In the film Playing in the Manner of Ricardo Viñes, which is one of the artistic results of the research, Skogstad records five of Ricardo Viñes’s original recordings in a “historical recording environment”, approaching that which Viñes encountered in 1930. The aim of this is for Skogstad to expose himself to a similar recording environment to what Viñes experienced – including recording one-off takes without any possibility of editing. The performances are rough, imperfect and on-the-fly - played in a “high-risk” manner just like Viñes's – in contrast to the perfectionism of music production standards today."
Sharing archive
Several artistic research project works with the archive as resource or as site for the research. In some cases an archive is the very outcome of the research project. The ‘re-’ in research can in this sense refer to a reinvestigation - a going back into what has been manifested as official account and search again; for what might possibly have happened; what might possibly have been forgotten; have been omitted; overlooked. And from here explore how this re-search resonates, reformulates or renegotiates the archive as site of knowledge. In this re-search, perspectives that has formerly not been taken into consideration may be unfolded or re-imaginations that enable completely new perspectives can emerge. The building of an archive or the re-archiving of histories, situations, material, methods, is a powerful form of sharing, that not only engage in a dialogue with one's field but with a surrounding political reality and the power-relations involved in the question of who gets to narrate history.
→ Dive deeper (project example): Reimagining Tragedy from African and the Global South (RETAGS)
This performance-as-research project is being led by Prof. Mark Fleishman with Mandla Mbothwe in the Centre for Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies at University of Cape Town. The project seeks to create space for an extended interrogation of the vast body of tragic works produced in the theatres of Africa, using performance methodologies as analytical tools to gain purchase on the complex realities of the colonial aftermath. It does this by investigating current events in the postcolony beyond the theatre, through the “prism of tragedy”.
→ Dive deeper: Jayne Batzofin & RETAGS - the challenges of archiving performance-as-research - ARA Podcast, Arts Research Africa Arts, Research Africa Dialogues
Hold on to the question, the method or the material?
Annette Arlander ends her article On Methods of Artistic Research with a recommendation (Arlander, 2014. p. 38-39):
"On the basis of the dilemmas faced by the doctoral students I have followed over the years, I recommend that an artistic researcher, whether a post-graduate or a veteran, holds on to at least one of the following in the turbulence of the research process – the question, the method or the material. (...):
- If one sticks to one’s original question, all means and methods for trying to answer that question are allowable. One can change the methods, the theoretical frame of reference, let the process lead, seek new data, without going off course and losing sight of what one is actually doing. (This attitude is supported by Feyerabend and comes close to common sense – at least in my opinion.)
- If one sticks to a chosen method, and if that method is accepted within the tradition in which one is working, some form of research outcome will be produced even if one abandons the original question and all the assumptions and goals one started with. A method produces some form of outcome. (This attitude resembles a kind of “normal science” tradition, and is one of the reasons why methods are so talked about. The method is considered to guarantee results or scientific credentials.)
- And finally, if one sticks to the material, one can change the questions being asked about it or the methods used to analyse it, and let the material take the lead or speak. (This attitude resembles the way the importance of the material is idealised within qualitative research, and in the humanities in certain contexts.)
Attempting to formulate and fix all of them – question, method and material – in advance and keep to the research plan throughout the process is often pure idealism (and sometimes even damaging) in an artistic research process where every aspect can be in a state of flux" (Arlander, 2014. p. 38-39).
→ Dive deeper: KEM Artistic Methods by Erik Viskil, Falk Hübner, Michel van Dartel, with advice from Liesbet van Zoonen, Anke Coumans and Marcel Cobussen.
→ Dive deeper: What Methods Do - Exploring the transformative potential of artistic research
Documentation of the International Symposium organized April 9th 20024 in Tilburg by Leiden University’s Academy of Creative and Performing Arts (ACPA) and the Platform for Arts Research in Collaboration, in coordination with Fontys Tilburg and the Society for Artistic Research (SAR).
The symposium was an initiative of Route Kunst – Art Route, one of the 25 Routes of the Dutch National Research Agenda (NWA).
The artist as a research tool
Artistic research is characterized by its emphasis on the creative process as both a method and an outcome of research. One of the key aspects of artistic research is its reflexive nature. Artists-researchers are often deeply engaged with their own creative processes, constantly reflecting on their work and its implications. This reflexivity allows them to critically examine their assumptions, methodologies, and outcomes, leading to a deeper understanding of their practice and its broader cultural and social contexts. Unlike scientific research, which often prioritizes objective analysis and empirical data, artistic research also values subjective experience, intuition, and the embodied knowledge of the artist. This approach recognizes that artistic practice can produce unique forms of understanding that are not easily captured by conventional academic methods.
Annette Arlander refers to the book Artistic Research – Theories, Methods and Practices from 2005 by Mika Hannula, Juha Suoranta and Tere Vadén, where they note that “the starting point for artistic research is the open subjectivity of the researcher and her admission that she is the central research tool.” (Arlander, 2014. p. 28).
In tune with Arlander´s idea of the artist as tool, Borgdorff discusses the concept of embodied knowledge, which refers to the tacit, experiential understanding that artists gain through their practice. This type of knowledge is often difficult to articulate through traditional academic means but is crucial to the insights produced by artistic research. In The Production of Knowledge in Artistic Research Borgdorff writes:
"[T]he experiences and insights that artistic research delivers are embodied in the resulting art practices and products. In part, these material outcomes are non-conceptual and non-discursive, and their persuasive quality lies in the performative power through which they broaden our aesthetic experience, invite us to fundamentally unfinished thinking, and prompt us towards a critical perspective on what there is.m (Borgdorff, 2006. p.47)
(...) Just as the contribution made by other academic research consists in uncovering new facts or relationships, or shedding new light on existing facts or relationships, artistic research likewise helps expand the frontiers of the discipline by developing cutting-edge artistic practices, products and insights." (Borgdorff, 2006. p.54)
Artistic research always involves the creation of new artworks as a primary means of inquiry. The process of making art is documented and reflected on to uncover insights about techniques, materials, concepts and artistic research methods. Commonly used methods include: Autoethnography - the artistic researcher using their own experiences as a primary source of data; Collaborative Research - projects involving collaboration between artists and researchers from other disciplines; Archival Research - artists engaging with historical materials, such as documents, photographs, and recordings, to inform their practice. Archival research can thus uncover forgotten or overlooked aspects of artistic and socio-political history.
Artistic research faces several challenges, including the need to balance creative freedom with academic rigor, the difficulty of articulating tacit knowledge, and the often ambiguous nature of artistic outcomes. However, these challenges also present opportunities for innovation and experimentation. By embracing the unique qualities of artistic practice, researchers push the boundaries of knowledge and the understanding of the arts and their role in society.
Sharing gives others access to your working methods and the insight that the artistic research generates. It is also a way to foster dialogue with one's field and to initiate new interesting conversations, not only on the research and the artistic methods and outcomes, but also on the role of artistic research in general.
Annett Busch, ‘Electronic Textures‘, Research Catalogue (2024)
→ Dive deeper (project example): Electronic Textures by David Rych and Annett Busch, Research Catalogue (2024).
David Rych and Annett Busch's artistic research project Electronic Textures, realised at Trondheim Academy of Fine Art/NTNU (2016-2018), "reads, revisits, curates concepts of history through an encounter with pan-African, tricontinental magazines published from the mid-1950s to the mid-1980s". The exposition presents a collaborative research practice, which doesn't seek to construct one narrative alone, and which preserves the need and the framework for many, sometimes contradictory storylines. In this project the sharing aspect is of vital importance. See also video lecture from NTNU Artistic Research Week 2020.
The importance of sharing
In The Debate on Research in the Arts, Henk Borgdorff states that if an art practice should qualifiy as research, the process and the outcomes must be "appropriately documented and disseminated to the research community and to the wider public". (Borgdorff, 2006. p.10) He also reminds us of the reflexive nature of the art practice, and how this reflexiveness moves in both directions: "After all, there are no art practices that are not saturated with experiences, histories and beliefs; and conversely there is no theoretical access to, or interpretation of, art practice that does not partially shape that practice into what it is. Concepts and theories, experiences and understandings are interwoven with art practices and, partly for this reason, art is always reflexive. Research in the arts hence seeks to articulate some of this embodied knowledge throughout the creative process and in the art object." (Borgdorff, 2006. p.7)
In the assessing of artistic research, it makes a difference whether the result, the concrete art object, is exclusively examined, or whether the documentation of the process that has led to that result, as well as the context influencing both process and art object, is also included in the assesment. The sharing aspect becomes important here, since both process and result must be conveyed for the further enrichment of ones field and the wider public.
When the Norwegian Ministry of Education established the PhD degree in Artistic Research, it underlined the importace of sharing: "The art practice must be at the center of the doctoral work. At the same time, the art practice must be followed by an explicit reflection which, when presenting the project, makes it possible for others to take part in the way of working and the insight that the artistic research generates" (letter from the Ministry, dated 04.01.2018).
The PhD institutions local regulations also make it clear that the PhD result, which includes both the artistic result/practice and the reflection component, must be publicly presented. In the Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) in Artistic Research at the University of Bergen, to give an example, it reads: "The artistic result is to be an independent work that meets international standards in terms of level and ethical requirements within the subject area. The reflection material should make it possible for others to take part in the way of working and the insight that the artistic development work generates. The PhD result should be at a level that ensures that it can contribute to the development of new knowledge, insight and experience within the subject area."
In the course of their research period, most PhD students share their artistic research several times along the way; in conferences, seminars, exhibitions, concerts, workshops, peer-to-peer conversations, midterm-evalutions, journals, or in other arenas relevant to the project and the community.
However, there are a few requirements for sharing that all PhD students must relate to:
- sharing the Artistic PhD result (both the artistic result/practice and the reflection component) in public:
The artistic result might be shared in a time-based format, like an event or an exhibition. The reflection component might be shared along with the artistic result/practice, as a whole, or the reflection component might be made public availably in a different format. - sharing the Artistic PhD result in an Viva Voce.
- sharing the Artistic PhD result in a permanent, archivable format:
This might include documentantion of for example the event or the exhibition, as well as access to the full reflection component.
→ Dive deeper: Artistic Research and Open Science
→ Dive deeper (project example): Reimagining Tradition and Modernity by Russel Hlongwane
→ Dive deeper (project example): Half Hidden by Anne Haaning (2020)
Anne Haaning's artistic research project "Half Hidden", seeks to uncover hidden structures and histories imbedded in technology, through the prism of the mineral cryolite, extracted from Greenland by Denmark in the years 1857–1985. It does so by exploring analogical correspondences at a specific intersection of technology, myth and colonialism. The method used is an investigation of the ontological context of digital image production.
In the reflection that accompagnies the artistic results of "Half Hidden", Haaning uses edited video sequences of the researcher browsing (almost real-time) through softwares, note pads, message boards and editing timelines, unfolding the complex interplay between different modes of production, research and reflection, all happening in parrallel. Narrated with a voice over, that reflects on the theme of the research, the metods used and the processes of getting there, the entirety of the reflection is delivered throgh the four video chapters. In this way the research is visually unfolded to us and the sharing not only covers the many components of the research work, but also quite importantly all the passages between the different sets of language, tools and methods used in the process - litterally as open windows being navigated in the mess of a computer desktop.
→ Dive deeper (project example): Kunstliturgien (The Art Liturgy)
Kunstliturgien is an Artistic PhD project by Liv Kristin Holmberg (Norwegian academy of Music, NMH).
The Artistic result consists of a collection of works that make up a whole: various art-liturgical experiments (completed, those that were shown as part of the final exhibition as well as a selection of sketches for future art-liturgical experiments).
The Reflection component is a chest, Den kunstliturgiske kiste (The Art Liturgical Chest): "In the material in The Art Liturgical Chest you will find a description of the process, turning point, reference to theory, methods and evidence of dialogue with the field, institution and professional environment — this is made visible in the various conversation texts, in The Art Liturgical Symposium (documentation can be found in box/package 5 (Day 5 — Kirkeskipet) as well as in own notes / reflections". The chest will be available at the National Library and the library at NMH.
Left: Letter to the Assessment Committee:
"This artistic research is extensive when it comes to topics and greedy for issues - many topics will therefore not be able to be treated comprehensively; some aspects are treated more thoroughly than others. Via practice and artistic process, I want to shed light on these the wonders. The wonders will not end always be answered, but touched" (our translateion).
→ Dive deeper (project example): Sounding Philosophy
"Sounding Philosophy" is a project by the Grieg Academy Composition Research Group, lead by Dániel Péter Biró.
The abstract for the project reads: "This project integrates the fields of music composition, philosophy and science to understand how theories of reason and the mind can be approached from creative, metaphysical and scientific perspectives. This project will build on research-creation initiated by a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017-2018, presentations at the interdisciplinary annual conference of the Swiss Philosophical Society in September 2018 and discussions undertaken in the context of the Grieg Academy Composition Research Group in 2019-2020."
Process diary
One way to keep an ongoing account of one's reflections during artistic processes, is to keep a journal or a process diary. Some artistic research projects brings this form of diary into their final reflection. This can be in the form of subjective observations or more prosaic notes, that act as driver or supplement for in-depth analysis or work creation. Sometimes the inclusion of a timeline can also be a way to structure the presentation of an artistic research process, here again a form of diary is employed as narrative tool. The sketching, note taking or field recording is inherrent in most artistic practises and can be lifted from personal use into a reflexive sharing. Finally, some artistic researchers choose to let their process diary unfold in an open access version developing alongside their research project, sharing processes and thoughts openly underway.
→ Dive deeper (project example): Jording med (blå)leire by Sigrid Espelien (in Norwegian only)
In her artsitic research project "Jording med (blå)leire", Sigrid Espelin explores artistic processes and studies revolving around, and bringing the artist closer to, the blue clay already present in the natural environment of our landscape.The ways in which the art and ceramic field considers the material clay as a solid universal material, that is relatively alike no matter where one might buy it from, are with this research project contrasted by the specificity and transforming qualities of the landscape, the clay and the people involved in procuring it. Espolin keeps a detailed process diary throughout her work, not only in the form of journaling but also in archiving and cataloging the very materials that her research revolve around.
→ Dive deeper (project example): Interdimensional by
The artistic research project investigates how a speculative approach to scientific/mathematical models of physical dimensions and their interrelationships can be used as a generative tool in contemporary art. The exploration is situated within a cross-disciplinary arena that incorporates artistic strategies from New Media Art, Interactive Installation, and Performance. Throughout the project Christensen engages with formal, digital, narrative, and interactive practices to investigate how speculative fabulation and interdimensional movement can work as reflective tools within these performative installations."
Christensen's research project hinges on the involvement of an audience and in the dialogue/conversation that arises from the collective engagement with the works as well as the research. Through these encounters Christensen searches for a more-than-human being. Sharing contitutes a strong component in this search. Christensen writes:
"Through following how these expanded agencies have arisen in the project, I realise that artistic research is about the kind of conversation that happens through development: of engaging aesthetic actions into the site of the artwork and about listening to what comes back. The act of embodying the artwork as a more-than-human being is, in a way, an extension of this as an invitation to listen to the artwork in an intensified and heightened way—both for the artistic researcher during development and for the participants and the audience in the performative unfolding of the work." (Cristensen, 2025, Research Catalogue)
→ Dive deeper (project example): Reimagining Tragedy from African and the Global South (RETAGS)
This performance-as-research project is being led by Prof. Mark Fleishman with Mandla Mbothwe in the Centre for Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies at University of Cape Town. The project seeks to create space for an extended interrogation of the vast body of tragic works produced in the theatres of Africa, using performance methodologies as analytical tools to gain purchase on the complex realities of the colonial aftermath. It does this by investigating current events in the postcolony beyond the theatre, through the “prism of tragedy”.
→ Dive deeper: Jayne Batzofin & RETAGS - the challenges of archiving performance-as-research - ARA Podcast, Arts Research Africa Arts, Research Africa Dialogues
→ Dive deeper (project example): Infinite Record: Archive, Memory, Performance
Infinite Record: Archive, Memory, Performance (edited by Maria Magdalena Schwaegermann & Karmenlara Ely) is an example of how Artistic Research might be documentet. The book presents an international artistic research project initiated by Norwegian Theatre Academy/Østfold University College and funded in part by the National Program for Artistic Research in Norway: "Within the book the reader will find essays, photographs, fiction, poetry, music, and other works of art documenting the project, its artistic productions, and the scholarship surrounding it. One will also encounter a complex project architecture, inviting the reader to get lost in the layers of Infinite Records reflective archival methods emerging from contrasting perspectives".
Places to share
There are several open access and peer reviewed journals for artistic research. Six journals are peer reviewed and published through the Research Catalogue, see journals page. The Research Catalogue also offer all users the posibility to self-publish or to publish at one of the member partner's portals. Here are a few examples of other journals publishing artistic research across different diciplines:
- Ellipses - Journal of Creative Research is an online publication and peer-reviewed digital platform for the dissemination of artistic research, supported by Artistic Research Africa (ARA).
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Nordic Journal of Art & Research is an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal aimed at disseminating knowledge and experience from research and development projects based on artistic practice and reflection, art education, art theory, and cultural theory.
- PARSE is a research publishing platform that aims to bridge gaps, and strengthen the field of artistic research by meeting its needs for new forms of peer review, publication, and conferencing.
- Reposition - Zentrum Fokus Forschung collects positions from ongoing research of all disciplines and departments at the University of Applied Arts Vienna.
→ Dive deeper: Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers
In the Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers, you will find an overview over academic journals, series and publishers/publication channels (inside and outside Norway). You can search the register by academic field, like Art, Design and Architecture, or Musicology. There is no separate field for Artistc Research, but several journals are relevant for publishing such research, like ViS - Journal for Artistic Research (level 1) and Journal for Artistic Research (JAR) (level 2). Level 1 and 2 mean that the publication channels are considered approved scientific publication channels, while level 0 means that the publication channel is not approved as a scientific publication channel.
Other media for sharing Artistic Research might be podcasts, films and so on. See for example: Sámi ritmmat / Samiske rytmer (Jakop Jannsøn) and Dalia Al-Kury at The Norwegian Film School in conversation with the Vice-Dean Nina Grünfeld. Sharing also takes place in exhibitions and events, and some institutions run their own galleries, or cooperate closely with local organisations. There are also other sites for sharing, like the Research Pavillion.
Your project and whom you want to reach should form the basis for where, when, and how you share.
Archiving the result
The Artistic PhD result must also be documented in a permanent format and archived. This permanent, archived documentation will give artistic researchers and others insight into your process and the outcomes and provide the ground for future artistic research.
Institutions may have their own policies and systems for documenting and archiving. Some PhD institutions require that you document your Artistic PhD results in institutional digital archives and in addition register the results in national archives.
In Norway, the Nasjonalt Vitenarkiv (NVA) will replace the former national registration system, Cristin. NVA is designed to support the registration of both Scinetific and Artistic Research. NVA gather information on Norwegian research and makes research results and research information openly available.
Archiving is regulated by the law, Arkivloven. The purpose of this Act is to secure archives that have significant cultural or research value or that contain legal or important administrative documentation, so that these can be preserved and made available for posterity.
→ Dive deeper: Nasjonalt vitenarkiv
→ Dive deeper: Open scinece and the FAIR prinicples