Fontys Artistic Research Days by Xenia Tsompanidou

The Artistic Research Days are a joint initiative between the five Master programs of Fontys University of the Arts to celebrate Artistic Research as a fundamental methodology enhancing artistic and educational processes.

Master Arts Education, Master Performing Public Space, Master of Music, Master of Architecture, Master of Urbanism and Master Choreography collaborate to create an interactive festival offering participants a meaningful context to exchange and explore artistic research insights, theory, case studies and relevant practices.

The particular festival format enables direct engagement amongst the students and with external artists, researchers and educators.

With this initiative the Master programs co-shape a more open-minded, more engaging and more critical environment for their students, teachers and professional network. Common ground for artistic discourse is created collectively – artistic research practices are explored and questioned.

The cross-disciplinary nature of this endeavor feeds into the institutional urge to expand artistic boundaries and to understand multidisciplinarity as an important element in the arts, within an international context.

Each Artistic Research Day is framed through topics of importance in the art world today. Behind the framing is the will to facilitate artistic research projects which expand beyond established arts practices and allow students to connect these respective practices to their surroundings. This supports a belief in the immense potential of the arts for exploring alternative modes of co-existing and co-creating.

Festival Components

The festival consists of four modules and is partially open to the public.

1. Input - Keynote Presentation (public)

A speaker from the professional field will be invited to share insights into a particular research practice or to introduce a particular research project or working method.

2. Expert Talks (non-public)

One-on-one discussions between Fontys Arts Master students and professionals from various disciplines. These encounters represent an important engagement point for our students to receive feedback, insights, and advice. This promotes an interdisciplinary exchange of experience and widens our students’ artistic horizons.

3. Exchange sessions (non-public)

Students engage in exchange sessions with their peers in the presence of a facilitator. During the exchange sessions, they unpack the topic of the keynote presentation and reflect on similar topics or research processes.

4. Special sessions (public)

Sessions vary per edition and are meant to provide additional input on the research process.

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The Artistic Research Days are a joint initiative between the Master programs of Fontys Academy of the Arts to celebrate Artistic Research as a fundamental methodology enhancing artistic and educational processes.