In this module, we will explore the layered and entangled environments in which artistic and
design research takes shape. Rather than seeing research contexts as fixed or neutral, we
approach them as dynamic spaces where values, power relations, and practices meet. With
input from the research of Dr. Wina Smeenk and Dr. Veerle Spronck, we will look at how
artistic & design research navigates, unsettles, and reimagines such environments.
Through concrete cases- ranging from artistic interventions in public space to collaborations
with communities and institutions - we will examine how artistic and design practices can
open up new ways of relating to complex societal questions. What does it mean to conduct
research within a neighborhood, an industry, or a policy setting? How can artistic practices
shift the terms of engagement, redistribute roles, or generate embodied and experiential
forms of knowledge?
The module invites participants to reflect on interdisciplinary collaboration, ethical
challenges, and the role of embodied practice in academic and societal contexts. By the end,
participants will have encountered strategies for working within and across diverse research
environments, and considered how their own projects can contribute to transformative
practices of knowledge-making.
Learning Goals:
The learning goals of this module fall within ‘Enabling change, which is one of the four dimensions of the PD-degree.
• Identify and analyze the enablers and deterrents of change in the research context.
• Articulate the imagined and realized pathways of change resulting from the artistic and design research.
• Operate convincingly and trustworthy in complex research environments