Abstract
The aim of this article is to discuss epistemology, focusing on the epistemic role of artwork in research projects. Porcelaneous is the initial phase of a three-year artistic research project with an artistic component comprising the making of porcelain boards. The porcelain boards and the making process in this initial phase are used as examples from practice. At the core of the epistemological discussion is Hans-Jörg Rheinberger’s theory on experimental systems and epistemic things. Rheinberger advocates for an objective and practice-oriented approach rather than a theoretical approach to experimental research. In his setting, epistemic things are material. This article has concluded that Rheinberger’s theory is about attitudes rather than research methods and that this attitude to epistemological questions is relevant for artistic research.
Highlights
In the emerging field of artistic research, discussions on research methods and epistemology are frequent and ongoing
Artworks can play various roles in this process; they can be the object of investigation, the working tools of research or the results of the project
The latter is a current issue of debate in academic settings, concerning artistic research as such, and in PhD programmes in particular
Summary
In the emerging field of artistic research, discussions on research methods and epistemology are frequent and ongoing. Artworks can play various roles in this process; they can be the object of investigation, the working tools of research or the results of the project. The latter is a current issue of debate in academic settings, concerning artistic research as such, and in PhD programmes in particular. Artistic doctoral programmes lead to the awarding of a Dr Art, which is not a PhD degree. In Norway, a similar programme leads to a PhD in artistic research, with the suffix of artistic research as a mandatory connotation, in order to designate that this is not an ordinary PhD. The role of artworks is one of the main reasons for these distinctions between scientific www.FormAkademisk.org
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