Art Research Research Articles

Friction and tension at work. On practices of leadership in contemporary dance

ABSTRACT This article examines the dynamics of friction and tension in contemporary dance, focusing on the precarious working conditions within the Flemish dance sector. Recent studies have highlighted how such conditions often foster unspoken tensions and perpetuate a culture of silencing. In particular, high-profile cases in the Flemish arts have demonstrated how asymmetrical power relationships in dance environments can disproportionately burden one party, while others remain unaffected by these tensions. Building on previous research by scholars like André Lepecki and Rudi Laermans, this study contributes to the articulation of friction in both its physical and social dimensions, particularly in relation to choreographic leadership. Drawing from a case study of Tuur Marinus’s 2022 production *TH LNG GDBY* and his follow-up artistic research supervised by Annelies Van Assche, the research explores how friction and tension manifest within both educational settings and professional collaborations. This article argues that acknowledging and addressing these tensions is crucial for fostering healthier, more sustainable leadership practices in dance. By making these often implicit dynamics explicit, the authors aim to encourage a shift towards a leadership culture that sees friction not as an obstacle, but as a potentially creative force within the dance world.

Cultural and creative networks as enabling contexts for artistic research

Cultural and creative networks as enabling contexts for artistic research

Queer Methods and Pedagogies in Conal McStravick’s Learning in a Public Medium

This article considers the queer methods and pedagogies in Conal McStravick’s artist research project Learning in a Public Medium (2015–2018). The project considered the life and legacies of the late artist, educator, and writer, Stuart Marshall (1947–1993). Learning in a Public Medium exists within a lattice of contemporary artworks, projects, and research, undertaken predominantly by queer, trans, and non-binary artists, that engage LGBTQ+ archives and histories. McStravick’s project is exemplary of a queer historiographic practice that activates an ongoing relationship to past pedagogues through a public process of education. The emotions, feelings, and pull of the moment of the HIV/AIDS crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s, commutes and transfers within the archive and artworks of Marshall, and the pedagogies of McStravick. Learning in a Public Medium staged an intra- and intergenerational mode of learning, to reflect on the remarkable legacy of Marshall and his deeply felt loss to AIDS-related illness. In the wake of another pandemic, and an increasingly hostile environment in the UK and internationally towards queer and trans communities, Learning in a Public Medium sought out tools and strategies from a past moment of pandemic and persecution, as a means of building political alliances and affinities in the present.

Pipa Performance Analysis and Timbre Simulation Based on Artificial Intelligence

As a traditional Chinese musical instrument, pipa is famous for its unique timbre and complex and varied playing techniques. It is an important symbol of Chinese music culture. However, its complexity also makes its digital protection and research face many challenges. There are many kinds of playing techniques for pipa, such as finger rolling, plucking, bending, sweeping and overtones, each technique gives it a unique timbre change. In addition, the timbre of the pipa presents a variety of expressions due to the playing force, speed and the performer's skills, which puts higher demands on traditional music research and simulation technology.With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, especially breakthroughs in audio signal processing and deep learning, new solutions have been provided for the research of pipa art. By combining machine learning models and generative adversarial networks (GAN), significant progress can be made in technique analysis and timbre simulation. This study aims to use artificial intelligence technology to analyze the performance characteristics of the pipa and generate realistic timbre simulations, providing technical support for the digital protection and dissemination of traditional music.

Enhancing the sustainability of geotechnical engineering with utilization of fly Ash

Abstract Massive amounts of fly ash (FA) are dumped carelessly leading to a negative influence on the environment. However, FA contains several advantages when it is used in geotechnical engineering and civil engineering projects which not only dispose of waste but also improve sustainability. In addition to offering a promising solution to the disposal issue, the use of waste materials in civil engineering projects also offers an affordable substitute for conventional materials which preserves natural resources. Many scholars' studies show how FA is used and how it affects the geotechnical characteristics of the soil. Despite extensive research, the assessment of FA's suitability is complicated due to the chemical composition of FA which varies significantly between sources. This variability can affect how FA interacts with different soil types, leading to inconsistent results in terms of soil improvement and geotechnical properties. Therefore, a comprehensive review is required that compiles all effective data and gives the user simple instructions about using FA. This article reviews the current state of the art research on the physical properties of FA, chemical composition of different countries FA, Atterberg limit, compaction properties, California bearing ratio, unconfined compressive strength, shear strength compression, and swelling index. Results showed that adding FA to soil increased its geotechnical qualities, but the effect depends on the type of soil and specific conditions, such as moisture content, compaction, and the percentage of FA added. The higher percentages of FA led to a decline in geotechnical characteristics. The assessment, therefore, advises that FA may be added up to optimum percentages which generally 20% depending on its source and chemical composition.

A dialogue on trust in ethics processes for creative practice research education

Purpose Securing ethical approval can be a frustrating and opaque experience for some creative practice research students who may find the processes required of them not well suited to their specific inquiry. This can lead to an erosion of trust between students and their institutions. This paper aims to synthesize perspectives representing both creative practice research supervisors and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) to develop recommendations for improving processes and supporting creative practice research training. Design/methodology/approach The authors used dialogical inquiry (Wells et al., 2021) to facilitate a dialogue between the authors, who represent different stakeholders in the ethical review process for creative arts research students. Focus topics for the dialogue were developed collaboratively based on existing literature. Findings Based on the dialogue, the authors make the following recommendations: frame ethics as part of project design alongside aims and methodology rather than as project logistics; structure ethics review processes to ensure ongoing engagement between research students and IRBs; and share exemplars and templates as part of research training. Additionally, the authors advocate for the need to create continuing opportunities for dialogue. Originality/value Previous work interrogating ethical review processes for creative practice research has adopted a clear position from either a creative practice researcher or an IRB member perspective. This dialogue facilitates a novel synthesis of these positions, ensuring the recommendations support the objectives of both IRBs and creative practice researchers.

RESEARCH ON THE KEY CONSTITUENT COMPOSITION OF ART WORKS - CONTEMPORARY TREND

From the perspective of art research and culture, this article analyzes the key significance of the composition of composition in contemporary art works, and carefully explores the innovation trends shown in form, functions and aesthetics in contemporary art situation. Through the in -depth interpretation of various contemporary art phenomena and works, it reveals how composition breaks through the traditional model with the influence of science and technology, the influence of social and cultural ideas, and the guidance of audience needs. Understand the essence of contemporary art creation and grasp its development direction to provide strong support.

Living Lines of the Barely Noticeable

Living Lines of the Barely Noticeable is a long-term artistic research project aiming to develop distinct artistic approaches to relate to and interact with flying insects and provide the artistic research with a theoretical and practical context by reflecting on relationships and connections with the more-than-human world that occurred within the research. The research aimed to explore ways and manners, that can contribute to more meaningful relationships with a more-than-human entity. This resulted firstly in approaches that explored ways to relate to flying insects: reflective attempts studying glimpses and tatters of ‘insectness’ and the circumstances that shaped the way we related to each other. Secondly, I developed approaches that explored manners of being close to (or intimate with) flying insects. These approaches involved more active, hands-on experiments and attempts to interact with flying insects. <style> /* rules to make button only show up in META */ .download-accessible { display:none; } .meta-right-col .download-accessible { display: inline-block; padding: 9px; margin-bottom:25px; border: 1px solid black; background-color:white; } </style> <a class="download-accessible" href="download-media?work=3307173&file=3307179" title="This accessible PDF is a derivative of the original which it is meant to support and not replace.">Download Accessible PDF</a>

STUDIOISM IS A NEW LOOK AND AESTHETIC OF CONTEMPORARY UZBEK THEATER

This article will describe the creative searches and reforms carried out in the theater-studio "Diidor" under the leadership of director Bakhad i r Yuldoshev. The essence of ideological and artistic research that appears as a result of the quest of the great director and the essence of a new look at studio aesthetics in Uzbekistan will be revealed.

Understanding consumer perception and acceptance of AI art through eye tracking and Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers-based sentiment analysis

This study investigates public perception and acceptance of AI-generated art using an integrated system that merges eye-tracking methodologies with advanced bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT)-based sentiment analysis. Eye-tracking methods systematically document the visual trajectories and fixation spots of consumers viewing AI-generated artworks, elucidating the inherent relationship between visual activity and perception. Thereafter, the BERT-based sentiment analysis algorithm extracts emotional responses and aesthetic assessments from numerous internet reviews, offering a robust instrument for evaluating public approval and aesthetic perception. The findings indicate that consumer perception of AI-generated art is markedly affected by visual attention behavior, whereas sentiment analysis uncovers substantial disparities in aesthetic assessments. This paper introduces enhancements to the BERT model via domain-specific pre-training and hyper- parameter optimization utilizing deep Gaussian processes and dynamic Bayesian optimization, resulting in substantial increases in classification accuracy and resilience. This study thoroughly examines the underlying mechanisms of public perception and assessment of AI-generated art, assesses the potential of these techniques for practical application in art creation and evaluation, and offers a novel perspective and scientific foundation for future research and application of AI art.

Traces of Turco-Persian influences in Malay woodcarving motifs on vernacular buildings in Terengganu

Woodcarving is considered as one of the highest forms of art in Malay culture. It is an essential aspect of traditional vernacular buildings in the archipelago region as it carries intrinsic meaning while symbolizing status. Despite this, the artistic influence apparent in Malay woodcarving is not fully understood in a holistic manner, in which the Turco-Persian elements are often neglected despite being visibly apparent. The reason for this is previous Malay art researchers are unfamiliar with Turco-Persian elements in Islamic art as compared to Buddha-Hindu elements which are more easily identified. Therefore, the art history method is adopted in this study to analyze the motifs used in vernacular palaces and houses of royalties dating from the 19th and 20th centuries CE in Terengganu. The objective is to identify the Turco-Persian influences and know the type, name, characteristics and stylization of the motifs to help better understand the formation of traditional Malay Islamic art in a comprehensive manner. This is achieved by analyzing and comparing the identified motifs within the context of Turco-Persian motifs used by Turkic dynasties in the Eastern Islamic lands that have a historical connection with the Terengganu region. Findings from the analysis discovered several Turco-Persian motifs in traditional Malay woodcarvings. Except for Muthanna, these motifs are the seven modes of abstract Islamic ornamentation known as haft aṣl that are commonly found in the Eastern Islamic lands on architecture and particularly in Qur’an illumination (tezhib). This indicates that the Turco-Persian tradition has a significant influence on the artistic formation and stylistic development of Malay woodcarving in Southeast Asia and not just Buddha-Hindu and Chinese elements as believed before.

Historical analysis of the sanctuaries of the Lviv Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine

The objective of this research is to collate historical data pertaining to the sanctuaries of the Lviv Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine that are dedicated to the Persons of the Holy Trinity (or the Divine Mystery), the Blessed Virgin Mary, saints, and blesseds. The study employs a comprehensive approach, utilising scientific analysis, systematisation and generalisation, in conjunction with a combination of historical, cultural and art methods, with the objective of providing a more expansive understanding of the subject matter. This research considers twenty sanctuaries of the Lviv Archdiocese that were officially proclaimed from 13 June 1995--10 June 2020, in addition to the ancient Sanctuary of the Mother of God Merciful and the God of Mercy. All sanctuaries within the Lviv Archdiocese are of a diocesan nature. The study undertook an in-depth analysis of over fifty published sources. The scientific novelty of the results obtained lies in the comprehensive analysis of historical information about the sanctuaries of the Lviv Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine. Further historical, cultural and artistic research is needed on the sanctuaries of the Lviv Archdiocese in Ukraine to complement the existing body of literature on the subject. It was determined that all sanctuaries within the Lviv Archdiocese possess diocesan status.

Unforgetting as a choreographic practice

Unforgetting as choreographic practice questions how artistic research can contribute to the remembering of dance histories and a re-contextualisation through performance. Opening the creation process of the performance Frå Form til Famling (2023), Holte shares experiences from the encounter with these dance historical archives, transforming a document into an artistic experience to create a space for a polyphonic remembering, an unforgetting that expands the initial narrative, and that creates a space for remembering several histories at once.

ART, SCIENCE, AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: CROSSROADS FOR EMERGENCE

This article reflects on how in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic re­strictions, Farout Artistic Research (FAR), in co-creation with composer Dr. Sergio Luque and astrophysicist Dr. Francisco Colomer, designed and created an immersive performance in which new music, astronomy and audience participation intertwine. The point for the creative process was: How can we trust our perception if we don’t know what we are looking at?; and through artistic research and transdisciplinary thinking, a second question arose: What perspectives and new insight emerge if we open up the performance and include the audience as an active and reflective knowledge entity? In this context, the authors explore the creative tendencies and the intricate design processes of emergence, focusing on the transdisciplinary nature of the performance, embedding the concept of emergence in an interactive symbiotic artistic/scientific performance. The article explains how this exploration is what allows for reflection, new insights, and creation of new knowledge, both from the creators’ and the audience participation’s perspectives.

Captured Birdscapes: Artistic Research, Research Art, and Living Cultural Heritage

This article centres on the Birdscapes exhibition held in 2022 at the Nature Museum in Lucerne, Switzerland. The exhibition’s primary objective was to convey the research processes and findings of a project that explored human-nature connections, with a particular emphasis on the auditory, sonic, and musical dimensions of people’s interactions with their physical environment. The paper underscores the potential for expanding similar initiatives beyond academic boundaries and highlights the importance of integrating sound installations and objects within museum spaces while also fostering critical reflections.

Odd New Spring: Towards Evolving Landscapes and a Reorientation in Design Practice (2024)

"Odd New Spring: Towards Evolving Landscapes and a Reorientation in Design Practice" is an artistic research PhD project that explores methods for designers to engage with local environments, interdisciplinary communities, and professional fields in new ways. The project repositions unwanted plants, specifically Invasive Alien Plant Species, as a foundation for knowledge creation and new local activities. This approach challenges the perception of these plants as strictly agonistic and reframes them in the context of sustainability, production, and resource management. Through the artistic practice, the plants are connected to stories from the past and visions for the future, encouraging reflection on current classifications and relations. The work culminated in the exhibition "Odd New Spring" at the University Museum in Bergen's Natural History Collections. Here, experimental artefacts, storytelling objects, interdisciplinary dialogues, and reflections point towards a new design position. The project envisions the designer as a bridge-builder across disciplines, fostering sustainable practices and coexistence within local landscapes. Supervised by Mette L'orange (architect MNAL and visual artist) and Tim Parry-Williams (Professor of Art: Textiles, KMD). Photo: Odd New Spring 2024, Siren Elise Wilhelmsen

Role of astrocytes and microglia in hepatic encephalopathy associated with advanced chronic liver disease: lessons from animal studies.

Hepatic encephalopathy, defined as neuropsychiatric dysfunction secondary to liver disease, is a frequent decompensating event in cirrhosis. Its clinical impact is highlighted by a notable increase in patient mortality rates and a concomitant reduction in overall quality of life. Systemically, liver disease, liver function failure, portosystemic shunting, and associated multi-organ dysfunction result in the increase of disease-causing neurotoxins in the circulation, which impairs cerebral homeostasis. Key circulating neurotoxins are ammonia and inflammatory mediators. In the brain, pathophysiology is less well understood, but is thought to be driven by glial cell dysfunction. Astrocytes are the only brain resident cells that have ammonia-metabolizing machinery and are therefore putatively most susceptible to ammonia elevation. Based on a large body of mostly in vitro evidence, ammonia-induced cellular and molecular disturbances include astrocyte swelling and oxidative stress. Microglia, the brain resident macrophages, have been linked to the translation of systemic inflammation to the brain microenvironment. Recent evidence from animal studies has provided novel insights into old and new downstream effects of astrocyte and microglial dysfunction such as toxin clearance disruption and myeloid cell attraction to the central nervous system parenchyma. Furthermore, state of the art research increasingly implicates neuronal dysfunction and possibly even irreversible neuronal cell death. Cell-type specific investigation in animal models highlights the need for critical revision of the contribution of astrocytes and microglia to well- established and novel cellular and molecular alterations in hepatic encephalopathy. In this review, we therefore give a current and comprehensive overview of causes, features, and consequences of astrocyte and microglial dysfunction in hepatic encephalopathy, including areas of interest for future investigation.

Breathing with Phytoplankton: Exploring Metabolic Connections with Oceanic Microbes

This paper presents an exploration of the interconnectedness between vital metabolic processes of human respiration and phytoplankton photosynthesis. By weaving together ecological sciences with cultural anthropology, eco-feminism, environmental humanities, and artistic practices the paper delves into the intricate metabolic interplay between phytoplankton and humans. Grounded in the notion of "breathing-with," it navigates through physiological, biological, and sensorial dimensions to elucidate the profound connections between respiration and photosynthesis as metabolic media, fostering alliances in multispecies encounters. Drawing inspiration from the biological laboratory and the microscopic realm of chlorophyll-bearing organisms, the transformative power of photosynthesis in shaping the planetary atmosphere and sustaining life is highlighted. While underscoring the pivotal role of phytoplankton in oxygen production and carbon dioxide sequestration, it elucidates the challenges and synergistic impacts of oceanic oxygen depletion driven by anthropogenic activities. Beyond a mere metabolic function, breath emerges as a metaphorical interface for collective action and co-conspiracy, transcending boundaries between human and non-human entities. As such it advocates for a deeper engagement with planetary ecologies and a reimagining of our relationality with the more-than-human world. Through artistic inquiry and experimental methods, the paper invites readers to reflect on the profound implications of our interconnectedness with phytoplankton, urging a renewed commitment to symbiotic coexistence. In this sense, the act of breathing goes beyond its metabolic function, extending as a form of collective agency in confronting the challenges of an ever-changing world.

Thirty-four Years after "Leda Christiana". Misery and Splendour of the First Century of Coptic Art History

The course of the research of Egyptian Late Antique art was influenced for more than seven decades in a most unfortunate manner by the erroneous intrepretation of the archaeological context of the foruth century AD mythological reliefs discovered in the 1890s by Édouard Naville at Heracleopolis Magna (modern Ahnas). The misinterpretation of the find circumstances led to the postulate of a Christianisation of pagan themes in Coptic art and of their employment in the decoration of Christian churches. The actual architectural and iconographic context of mythological reliefs from Ahnas and other Egyptian Late Antique sites was identified by Hjalmar Torp in a 1969 paper in which he suggested that the mythological reliefs, as well as the contemporary carvings with Christian themes, came from pagan and Christian funerary edifices. Torp also pointed out the impact of Roman funerary iconography on the decoration of third-fifth century Egyptian tomb chapels. The present study discusses the trends prevailing in the research of Egyptian Late Antique art before and after 1969 from the special point of view of Torp’s seminal work. Particular attention is paid to the interconnected issues of chronology, social-cultural context, and quality stratification. The analysis of individual groups of sculptures, paintings, and luxury textiles presents new data for the assessment of the international context of Egyptian art in the Late Antique and early Byzantine periods as well as for the investigation of the transfiguration of Egyptian culture in Late Antiquity.

Indigenous Perspectives on Forest Fires, Drought, and Climate Change in Sábme: A Collaborative Arts-led Research Project

The impact of wildfires in Sweden, commonly claimed to be caused by climate change, has recently become a national and international concern. The overall aim of the inter- and supradisciplinary research project presented in this article is to analyse, document and draw attention to the local and Indigenous/Sámi stewardship of land, with specific regard to fire management, drought, and other aspects of climate change. The project situated within the growing field of Indigenous Land Based Education and Knowledge (Wildcat et al., 2014). It is run by an experienced artist and researcher in collaboration with Indigenous Sámi communities and Indigenous Sámi academic scholars. The project brings together the disciplines of artistic research and visual documentation with the history of technology and science, environmental history, feminist technoscience, gender research and Indigenous methodologies as well as Sámi knowledge. Based on the methods available within these research disciplines, the project uses extensive fieldwork, archival research, and audio-visual documentation, including interviews, documents, drone images, photographs, writings, and workshops, as a source of research, communication, and dissemination. We investigate local and Sámi ecological knowledge available. Furthermore, we evaluate how artistic research and visual documentation -with a critical approach and developed collaboratively- can be used to document, analyse, discuss and provide a basis for promoting Indigenous knowledges in the nation state and climate change debate.