New forms of expression
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During the Research Day – which took place in the University Museum Utrecht – HKU lecturers, researchers, alumni and collaboration partners talked about the role that artistic research plays in their creatorship. Such as HKU alumna Noa Cronenbergwho, for her Musician 3.0 study, collaborated with the Rosa Spierhuis, a living, working and care community for artists and scientists in Laren. About how she met a guitarist and a sculptor. They had both had a stroke. Noa: “The art they used to make was no longer possible. Together we looked for new forms of expression. A lot of feelings were released. For me it was very special to work with older people.” To conclude her story, Noa sang a self-composed song about her experience, with images of the artists’ hands working on new work in the background.
Relationship between human and implant
Bertrand Burgers entered into a relationship with research in a different way. He completed the master’s degree in Crossover Creativity at HKU and now works at the intersection of art, science and society. For the project Intimate Implant he worked together with UMC Utrecht. There, regenerative implants are developed that fuse with the body, such as a palate, a meniscus and a heart valve. But a large proportion of people who receive these implants have difficulty experiencing them as part of their body. “If we can help people embrace their implant, can they feel it more as their own, was the question I started working on,” says Bertrand. He designed three interactive objects, inspired by regenerative implants that are actually made, that can be placed on the body, and that communicate via audio before, during and after the process about the relationship between people and implant. “People were very emotional, they wished they had had this experience sooner.”
In situ learning
Another great example of research in a social context: been doing it for seven years HKU-studenten Design for Change and Innovation participated in a six-month studio project at healthcare organization Reinaerde. At a specific care location where 160 people with severe intellectual disabilities live, they work together with care professionals under the guidance of an artist duo. This is called ‘in situ’ learning. Regional Manager at Reinaerde Annemarie Minkes came to the Research Day to talk about what this means for residents and healthcare professionals: Annemarie: “The insight to also work with other hands that can enrich, comes slowly. Embracing that is the greatest benefit. A beautiful form of social design.”
Richer picture of science
These are all examples of how makers and artistic researchers, in reciprocity with other professionals, enrich the world with their ideas, concepts and works. Artistic research plays an important role in building up experiential knowledge and emotional knowledge, and there is great consensus on this these days. But there is still a lot of room for growth, the researchers say. Growing in order to work towards a enriches whole body of knowledge. Knowledge, partly created by emotions and experiences. The researchers at HKU face the challenge of developing methodologies for this, innovating and breaking through dominant structures. To create a richer picture of science.
Arts for a Caring Society
If you want to know more about this, you can contact: Research manifesto of the HKU Research Unit. It describes how HKU research is characterized: transdisciplinary, co-creative and equal, always situated and in relation to people, materials and locations. With the courage to be critical. Because research is not neutral, says the Research Unit. It questions dominant structures in society and in the research world. Because this is the only way you can contribute to social transformation. They call this “Arts for a Caring Society”. The four professorships at HKU work on this in their own way, always in relation to each other. And every year, research projects are started and completed that take another step in this direction.
Relationship with education
The lecturers and researchers always enter into a relationship with education, with students and teachers. Reader Fabiola Camuti: “Our students will soon be working in all kinds of communities. It is therefore important to increase the influence we have on encounters that students have in them. Our education must be at the forefront of this. Research plays a delaying role in this. Creating space for this is a wonderful goal.”
A look back at the HKU Research Day in photos:
Images: Jesse van den Berg.
