Experiments in Art Research

“Instead of acceding to the dominant definition of experiment as empirical proof or evidentiary test found in the sciences, Experiments in Art Research returns us to another, largely forgotten (or repressed) definition of experiment as a feat of magic or sorcery. Each chapter in this delightfully subversive collection of essays, letters, anarchives, vignettes, compositings, visual journals, and critical commentaries casts a spell that reanimates the trifecta “art,” “research,” and “education” with mystery and joy. If the editors ground the collection in the concept of permissions—as the imaginary space to test limits of reality and, in turn, experiment with what lies at the very edge of the knowable and perceivable about ourselves, our communities, and the cosmos writ large—then I can eagerly reply: ‘Yes, you have my full permission!’” -- Tyson E. Lewis, Professor, University of North Texas (USA), and co-author with Peter Hyland Studious Drift: Movements and Protocols for a Postdigital Education

“Experiments in Art Research is a delicate and daring invitation, re-kindling liveliness in research. Embracing new forms through luminous experiment, I encountered audacious and delightful discourse that respects the mystery of art research as relational event. The book – an artwork! - radiating the ethos of care by captivating detours, unlocking doors of discipline, connecting through collages, drawings, gestures, and becomings. Nearing poetry, it is perpetually in flux, breathing new life into the very heart of art research.” -- Merel Visse, Associate Professor, Drew University (USA) and University of Humanistic Studies, Netherlands

“This book felt like stepping into an underground party where I got immersed in an extraordinary circle of writers, thinkers, teachers, artists and activists. Experiments in Art Research is a vibrant amalgamation of contemplations and reflections, bound by two steadfast threads: every contributor is a "person who thinks-with-art," and they share intimate connections through personal affiliations, narratives, and bonds of friendship. Grab a snack and a beverage and join a conversation that transcends boundaries between art, education and research. Embark on a journey that takes you from academic to intuitive writing, from syllabi to lived curricula, from nature-bathing to open coding, from screendance to handwritten correspondence, from femicide, homophobia and neo-colonialism to restorative behaviors and Japanese tea gatherings, from imposter syndromes to ancestral knowledge, and from a veiled camel's secret to learning to become an ‘oddist.’” -- Emiel Heijnen, Professor, Amsterdam University of the Arts, Netherlands

“Innovative and playful, Experiments in Art Research: How Do We Live Questions Through Art? gathers both new and leading voices in Arts-Based Research, representing diverse artistic media, cultures, and disciplines, from anthropology and creative writing to rhetoric and art education. This volume presents scholarship that connects the personal and the professional in meaningful and creative ways, grappling aesthetically with real life issues.” -- Liora Bresler, PhD, Professor Emerita, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA

“The authors in Experiments in Art Research: How Do We Live Questions Through Art? transgress the boundaries of taken-for-granted best practices in academia by creating permissions—while extending a welcoming invitation to you, the reader—to join them in testing the pliability of research as material.” -- Daniel T. Barney, Associate Professor, George Mason University, USA

“At their worst, universities are individualistic, hyper-competitive places where learning—amongst undergraduates, postgraduates, and faculty—is constructed as a private investment in each person’s preset future. At their best, universities are collaborative, mutually-inspired places where learning arises in and through people offering permission to each other to engage with the potentiality of the unknown. At the intersection of the arts and education, this edited collection provides one account after another of the university at its best.” -- Tyler Denmead, University Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK