An Impression of the Joint Research Day 2024
The second edition of the Joint Research Day (JRD24) took place at the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) and the Royal Conservatoire (KC) in The Hague on 22 November 2024.
While we are preparing a (digital) publication on this wonderful 12-hour celebration of research in the arts of the University of the Arts The Hague in collaboration with the Academy of Creative and Performing Arts (ACPA) of Leiden University, you can already enjoy this JRD24 sneak preview in which many of you joined in one or more of the five workshops, three roundtables, a soundwalk, seven performance lectures, two PhD info sessions, a dozen of research presentations & discussions and several screenings.
The JRD24 revolved around the subject of Collective Practices & Collaboration in Research in the Arts. More than 50 artist-researchers from the KABK/KC/ACPA network shared with you, from multiple perspectives and in different formats, their practice and research in relation to the question: How is ‘practicing or working together’ imagined and actualised within the contexts of research in the arts, and the world today?
All photos were taken by photographer Alex Schröder.
PhDArts Workshop and Colloquium
This session was collaborative in nature, converging and juxtaposing different artistic research methods from PhDArts candidate Savva Dudin, as well as Assistant Professor Anja Groten, who grapple with participation and facilitation in their research. By engaging with methods of game design, self-publishing and community organisation, participants questioned and played with different notions of 'power' through various collaborative exercises and discussions.
How can positions and dynamics of power in collaborative settings be made explicit, in a way that allows power to be understood not as an obstacle to overcome, but as a tangible matter that can be balanced, iterated, challenged and played with—to becoming a form of experimentation?
Participants of the JRD24 were also invited to join one of the colloquial presentations about the research projects Mimosa: Interspecies Choreographies Towards a Decolonial Ecology by Flavia Pinheiro and Bobbin Lace-Making as Aesthetic Thinking by Christine Rafflenbeul.
PhDArts Workshop and Colloquium
This session was collaborative in nature, converging and juxtaposing different artistic research methods from PhDArts candidate Savva Dudin, as well as Assistant Professor Anja Groten, who grapple with participation and facilitation in their research. By engaging with methods of game design, self-publishing and community organisation, participants questioned and played with different notions of 'power' through various collaborative exercises and discussions.
How can positions and dynamics of power in collaborative settings be made explicit, in a way that allows power to be understood not as an obstacle to overcome, but as a tangible matter that can be balanced, iterated, challenged and played with—to becoming a form of experimentation?
Participants of the JRD24 were also invited to join one of the colloquial presentations about the research projects Mimosa: Interspecies Choreographies Towards a Decolonial Ecology by Flavia Pinheiro and Bobbin Lace-Making as Aesthetic Thinking by Christine Rafflenbeul.
Dialogues beyond the Human: Interactions of Materiality, Technologies, and Performance in the Creative Humanities (LUCAS)
The contributions from the Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS), dedicated to researching the multifaceted relationships between the arts and society, explored the expanding intersections between materiality, technologies, and performance in the creative humanities for artistic research. By embracing posthuman perspectives, speculative methodologies and embodied practices, we aimed to unsettle understandings of agency, interaction and collaboration. Our interrelating presentations and a workshop examined how the creative humanities can encourage a conceptual and experiential movement beyond a human-centred framework, engaging with broader ecological, historical, and diverse voices.
Dialogues beyond the Human: Interactions of Materiality, Technologies, and Performance in the Creative Humanities (LUCAS)
The contributions from the Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS), dedicated to researching the multifaceted relationships between the arts and society, explored the expanding intersections between materiality, technologies, and performance in the creative humanities for artistic research. By embracing posthuman perspectives, speculative methodologies and embodied practices, we aimed to unsettle understandings of agency, interaction and collaboration. Our interrelating presentations and a workshop examined how the creative humanities can encourage a conceptual and experiential movement beyond a human-centred framework, engaging with broader ecological, historical, and diverse voices.
Bridging the Thesis: Alumni Presentation/Q&A and Thesis Exhibition
The KABK Theory Platform presented Bridging the Thesis, a conversation with two alumni, Nesie Junyi Wang (BA Photography) and Minji Cha (BA Interactive Media Design (I/M/D)), about their thesis research, writing process, practice, and the bridges between them. The conversation was moderated by fourth year I/M/D student Dominika Badyla. Besides this, the library showcased a wide range of theses of the 2024 graduates.
Bridging the Thesis: Alumni Presentation/Q&A and Thesis Exhibition
The KABK Theory Platform presented Bridging the Thesis, a conversation with two alumni, Nesie Junyi Wang (BA Photography) and Minji Cha (BA Interactive Media Design (I/M/D)), about their thesis research, writing process, practice, and the bridges between them. The conversation was moderated by fourth year I/M/D student Dominika Badyla. Besides this, the library showcased a wide range of theses of the 2024 graduates.
Roundtables #1 #2 #3
In roundtable #1 The Role of Food in Caring for Communities, we invited Yoeri Guépin, the KABK Green Office, Johann Arens, Rising Lai, artist duo Fabas and moderator Ola Lanko for whom food is one of the central theme in their research and art practice. They all use participatory and community-centred approaches to explore the role of food in our society and to build community and trust. How do they use food in their research or as a research tool in their practice? What are the strategies to use food as a mediator or glue to build community? What are the challenges and joys in this process? How do they build trust through food?
In roundtable #2 The Waves of Collectivity: An Honest Roundtable on the Trials and Triumphs of Collective Research artist-researchers of different disciplines Nur Horsanali (moderator), Anja Groten, Emma Williams & Chloe Prendergast of MusicBox, Sophie Allerding and Elisa Piazzi and Johannes Equizi of Pangaea discussed the reality of being in a collective that often involves a complex mix of dreams, successes, challenges, and constant negotiation.
In roundtable #3 On Gathering, Conviviality and the Embrace of Friction in a Collaborative Approach to Design and Art Research designer and moderator Peter Zuiderwijk moderated a discussion with Georgina Pantazopoulou and Ilaria Palmieri of Common Ground Practice, Leonie Brandner, Rising Lai, Pangaea collective, Andrea Stultiens. The key theme was the political act of gathering and allowing conflict to occur to create convivial grounds, two concepts Zuiderwijk and others explored in the 2022 published book Convivial Grounds, Stories from Collaborative Spatial Practices.
Roundtables #1 #2 #3
In roundtable #1 The Role of Food in Caring for Communities, we invited Yoeri Guépin, the KABK Green Office, Johann Arens, Rising Lai, artist duo Fabas and moderator Ola Lanko for whom food is one of the central theme in their research and art practice. They all use participatory and community-centred approaches to explore the role of food in our society and to build community and trust. How do they use food in their research or as a research tool in their practice? What are the strategies to use food as a mediator or glue to build community? What are the challenges and joys in this process? How do they build trust through food?
In roundtable #2 The Waves of Collectivity: An Honest Roundtable on the Trials and Triumphs of Collective Research artist-researchers of different disciplines Nur Horsanali (moderator), Anja Groten, Emma Williams & Chloe Prendergast of MusicBox, Sophie Allerding and Elisa Piazzi and Johannes Equizi of Pangaea discussed the reality of being in a collective that often involves a complex mix of dreams, successes, challenges, and constant negotiation.
In roundtable #3 On Gathering, Conviviality and the Embrace of Friction in a Collaborative Approach to Design and Art Research designer and moderator Peter Zuiderwijk moderated a discussion with Georgina Pantazopoulou and Ilaria Palmieri of Common Ground Practice, Leonie Brandner, Rising Lai, Pangaea collective, Andrea Stultiens. The key theme was the political act of gathering and allowing conflict to occur to create convivial grounds, two concepts Zuiderwijk and others explored in the 2022 published book Convivial Grounds, Stories from Collaborative Spatial Practices.
Workshops #1 #2 #3
Workshop #1 Home: A Site of Resilience invited participants to explore the home as both a sanctuary and a site of strength in the face of adversity. Guided by Georgina Pantazopoulou and Ilaria Palmieri of Common Ground Practice, the workshop weaves together personal stories, lived experiences, and the intimate spaces that shape us.
In Workshop #2 Through Broken Objects: Practising Collective Repair as Care, Carmen Draxler departed from a broken object as a conversation starter, examining the potential of collective repair as an act of care. In the ethical framework of care, they unearthed how repairing together can shape methodologies that allow us to relate anew and build ecologies of trust and authentic connection. Repair is as much a topic as it is a methodology.
In Workshop #3 Memory of Matter, a Papermaking Workshop, anna andrejew focused on papermaking, examining how materials hold memory and participate in decay and transformation over time. Participants engages in shared knowledge creation, fostering a space for dialogue between participants and materials.
Workshops #1 #2 #3
Workshop #1 Home: A Site of Resilience invited participants to explore the home as both a sanctuary and a site of strength in the face of adversity. Guided by Georgina Pantazopoulou and Ilaria Palmieri of Common Ground Practice, the workshop weaves together personal stories, lived experiences, and the intimate spaces that shape us.
In Workshop #2 Through Broken Objects: Practising Collective Repair as Care, Carmen Draxler departed from a broken object as a conversation starter, examining the potential of collective repair as an act of care. In the ethical framework of care, they unearthed how repairing together can shape methodologies that allow us to relate anew and build ecologies of trust and authentic connection. Repair is as much a topic as it is a methodology.
In Workshop #3 Memory of Matter, a Papermaking Workshop, anna andrejew focused on papermaking, examining how materials hold memory and participate in decay and transformation over time. Participants engages in shared knowledge creation, fostering a space for dialogue between participants and materials.
Making Film Together: Collective and Participatory Practices (Lectorate FILM)
Lectorate FILM presented two film projects, by Adele Dipasquale and artists duo Lonnie van Brummelen & Siebren de Haan of the production house Vriza Productions, both having collaboration and collectivity at their heart. After each presentation and screening, the artists took part in a discussion and an audience Q&A, moderated by members of the FILM Student Research Group and PhD candidates of ACPA.
Making Film Together: Collective and Participatory Practices (Lectorate FILM)
Lectorate FILM presented two film projects, by Adele Dipasquale and artists duo Lonnie van Brummelen & Siebren de Haan of the production house Vriza Productions, both having collaboration and collectivity at their heart. After each presentation and screening, the artists took part in a discussion and an audience Q&A, moderated by members of the FILM Student Research Group and PhD candidates of ACPA.
Good Praxis — From Individual Desire to Collective Action (Studium Generale KABK)
The concept Good Praxis celebrates successful models of collective resistance and creative revolution through a series of workshops, assemblies and club nights. In this session for the KABK Studium Generale, Juha van 't Zelfde organised a mutual aid workshop on collective creativity. As not everyone can participate in blockades, strikes or blowing up pipelines, mutual aid attempted to give agency to students to organise themselves to meet the needs that are not being met by people in power.
Good Praxis — From Individual Desire to Collective Action (Studium Generale KABK)
The concept Good Praxis celebrates successful models of collective resistance and creative revolution through a series of workshops, assemblies and club nights. In this session for the KABK Studium Generale, Juha van 't Zelfde organised a mutual aid workshop on collective creativity. As not everyone can participate in blockades, strikes or blowing up pipelines, mutual aid attempted to give agency to students to organise themselves to meet the needs that are not being met by people in power.
Lunch with tastings of artist duo Fabas
Artist duo Fabas explore food making and sharing as an artistic practice. For the JRD24 they made an edible installation that rejoice in moments of coming together, and follow a desire to foster intimacy, joy and curiosity about the food we eat, the way it reaches us and the effect it has on our minds and bodies.
Lunch with tastings of artist duo Fabas
Artist duo Fabas explore food making and sharing as an artistic practice. For the JRD24 they made an edible installation that rejoice in moments of coming together, and follow a desire to foster intimacy, joy and curiosity about the food we eat, the way it reaches us and the effect it has on our minds and bodies.
Interdisciplinary practices in research in the arts
For the session on Interdisciplinary Practices in Research in the Arts, moderated by head of research Kathryn Cok (KC), we had invited six recently graduated master’s students from the KABK and KC, one KABK/KC graduating duo and one docartes PhD candidate who share their personal experiences with conducting their research beyond their own disciplines.
With Sanne Bakker, Kaja Majoor, Yelim Ki & Lawrence McGuire, Josie McCure, Leonie Brandner and Kalina Vladovska.
Interdisciplinary practices in research in the arts
For the session on Interdisciplinary Practices in Research in the Arts, moderated by head of research Kathryn Cok (KC), we had invited six recently graduated master’s students from the KABK and KC, one KABK/KC graduating duo and one docartes PhD candidate who share their personal experiences with conducting their research beyond their own disciplines.
With Sanne Bakker, Kaja Majoor, Yelim Ki & Lawrence McGuire, Josie McCure, Leonie Brandner and Kalina Vladovska.
Evening Session 'Collectivity & Building Trust' with Anja Groten, Irakli Sabekia and Taum Karni
Artist-researchers Anja Groten, Taum Karni and Irakli Sabekia explored the concepts of 'Collectivity & Building Trust’ in the evening session at the Royal Conservatoire (KC). This session was moderated by composer, sound artist and researcher at ACPA Gabriel Paiuk.
Evening Session 'Collectivity & Building Trust' with Anja Groten, Irakli Sabekia and Taum Karni
Artist-researchers Anja Groten, Taum Karni and Irakli Sabekia explored the concepts of 'Collectivity & Building Trust’ in the evening session at the Royal Conservatoire (KC). This session was moderated by composer, sound artist and researcher at ACPA Gabriel Paiuk.
Evening Session ‘Relationships and Networks in Music Creation’, with Casper Schipper & Olaf Kerckhaert, Alison Isadora and Bjarni Gunnarsson
Artist-researchers Casper Schipper & Olaf, Bjarni Gunnarsson and Alison Isadora explored ‘Relationships and Networks in Music Creation’. This session was moderated by Assistant Professor at ACPA and lector Music, Education & Society at KC Paul Craenen.
Evening Session ‘Relationships and Networks in Music Creation’, with Casper Schipper & Olaf Kerckhaert, Alison Isadora and Bjarni Gunnarsson
Artist-researchers Casper Schipper & Olaf, Bjarni Gunnarsson and Alison Isadora explored ‘Relationships and Networks in Music Creation’. This session was moderated by Assistant Professor at ACPA and lector Music, Education & Society at KC Paul Craenen.
