Presenting at the Artistic Research Forum is a mandatory component of the Norwegian Artistic Research School. PhD students are required to present their ongoing research at three forums. The forums serve as important arenas for constructive, critical dialogue within an interdisciplinary national and international professional community.
Presenting at ARF
Each session has normally a time limit of 60 minutes. You are free to choose the format of your presentation and also to test new ways of sharing your work.
We recommend that you leave at least 30 minutes for dialogue with the audience.
→ Read more about the moderator role
You are also expected to actively engage by asking questions and providing constructive comments on other PhD students’ presentations.
Preparations
All presenters need to submit a short presentation abstract to pku@hkdir.no. The abstract will be published in the program and help the moderator and the audience to prepare for your presentation.
PhD students 1st presentation
Introducing your project: Your presentation should give the audience an insight into the artistic ideas behind your project and the processes you plan to explore. Explain how your artistic work is positioned within your specific field—both nationally and internationally—and reflect on how your project has the potential to contribute to the development of this field.
A goal with this presentation is to engage the professional community in reflecting on contextualization and research methods.
PhD students 2nd presentation
Articulating and reflecting on methods and work processes: Use your presentation to share your thoughts on something that at the moment is perceived as a particular challenge or a weakness within the project. This is also an opportunity to address ethical considerations and encourage critical discussion—helping you strengthen your artistic research.
A goal with this presentation is to involve the professional community in discussions about important changes in the project, ethical challenges, and delimitations.
PhD students 3rd presentation
Reflecting on a nearly finished project: In your third year, the focus is a critical reflection on your project. Relevant issues for the presentation could be:
- How do you recognise, describe and note your thoughts and reflection during the last phase up to a finished artistic result?
- In what ways has the project evolved or changed throughout the project period?
- What were the key decisions you made, and what were their consequences?
- What do you expect the Assessment Committee to emphasize in your final evaluation?
- What do you hope they will discover and appreciate in your work?
Important dates Spring 2026
Medio January
Program overview is ready, registration opens.
16 February
Deadline for submitting presentation abstracts.
Medio February
Full program is launched.
11 March
Drop-in meeting - testing presentations in Zoom.
16-18 and 20 March
Artistic Research Spring Forum 2026.
Rooms
The rooms may vary in size and format depending on the host institution. You are welcome to express your needs, but we cannot guarantee that all needs will be met.
You may also suggest alternative locations for your presentation close to the host institution. Host for ARF Spring 2026:
Our rooms:
→ Auditorium E - capasity 68 seats
→ Auditorium F - capasity 72 seats
→ Auditorium G - capasity 98 seats
→ Kinosal (cinema) - capasity 50 seats
→ Studio 1 - capasity 50 seats
Equipment
You will have access to a projector/screen and standard speakers, but you must bring your own Mac/PC.
However, please note that we do not expect a traditional screen-based presentation!
If you have more specific equipment needs, you are welcome to discuss this with us, but you must be prepared to bring the extra equipment yourself.
Contact us I The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills I www.hkdir.no I pku@hkdir.no