Research in the Arts

The discipline of dance

The Academy of Dance is interested in developing and challenging artistic practices and the parameters for what artistic research might be, and the insight it might provide. Particular focus is given to the following areas:

• dance/choreography developing concepts, methods and practices with an orientation towards social engagement
• perspectives, methods and practices of the art of dancing/performing

Researchers consider their practice and discourse with regard to the international field of performingarts. Particular interest is given to investigating formats for documentation and presentation within the current circumstances (e.g. location of work, media, liveness).

Current projects

The discipline of design

At the Design Department we recognize that the field of design is constantly developing, and the focus is currently shifting from the traditional technical, consuming concerns to social and cultural aspects. This shift has implications on the discipline of design and how it manifests itself in our contemporary society.

We therefore see a need for forms of investigation that encompass; experimental outlooks, and reflective and critical thinking, value creation and sustainability.

The Design Department values and celebrates plurality and difference in backgrounds, genders and generations and we see these differences as contributing and locating research within the spectrum of social values and their respective cultural contributions.

Current projects

The discipline of fine art

At the Academy of Fine Art, we work across media, disciplines and approaches, exploring questions of form and material as well as post-conceptual, social and political issues. We like to think of the Academy of Fine Art as a unique collective: artists from a variety of backgrounds, countries, fields, genders and generations who have come together to create what they consider an ideal space for the development of their artistic practices.

n dialogue with international art communities, we approach artistic research in an open-ended manner that is anchored within the specificity of individual artistic practices.

Current projects

The discipline of art and craft

Artistic research at the Art and Craft department takes an experimental approach to workshop-based art practices and an interest in the relationship between art, society, and the individual. It functions as a common meeting place that facilitates interaction and development between material-based art and public art strategies.

Current projects

The discipline of opera

The Opera Academy has national responsibility for opera education in Norway. With world-class teaching and stage facilities, the Opera Academy combines individual, group and project-based teaching.

Singing, acting techniques and language are together with stage productions and concerts the cornerstones of the study. Working with professional directors, conductors and a full stage technical team gives students a versatile, practical education.

Research at The Opera Academy seeks to develop the field of opera as an important and meaningful art form in our time, and to develop and extend the artistic boundaries of performing artists including singers, musicians, conductors, composers, librettists, directors, choreographers, scenographers and playwright.

Current projects

The discipline of theatre

Artistic research at the Academy of Theatre is part of a wide-ranging and multifaceted practice both in Norway and abroad. The artistic research that takes places here, also in collaboration with other institutions of higher education and research, is often rooted in practical and hands-on theatrical projects.

At the Academy of Theatre, we explore methods and concepts that help us develop the type of actor training we offer to our students. We both examine and challenge a variety of directorial functions and approaches to the methods and models of the theatrical arts, whether historical or contemporary, hierarchical or non-hierarchical. At the Master’s and PhD levels, we oversee a systematic experimentation of the discipline’s artistic, organisational and contextual possibilities.

The Academy of Theatre places particular emphasis on studying individual and collective strategies as mutually dynamic and creative challenges. Students and staff examine and experiment with the mechanisms of co creation, explore the discipline’s boundaries with other art forms, and enact and put to the test a variety of dramaturgical starting points, focal points and parameters. Innovative decolonising strategies and critical perspectives on power also continually contextualise the history and academic foundations of our discipline.

Current projects