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Research in the Arts

Oslo National Academy of the Arts is a specialized university within the subject area of the Arts. Research at the Academy is an undertaking within each of the six disciplinary departments: Arts and Crafts, Dance, Design, Fine Art, Opera, and Theatre. Working at the forefront of innovative art, design, and performance practice not only leads artistic research across the disciplines, but also intersects with education in a mutually rewarding development and feedback process.

At Oslo National Academy of the Arts, research is primarily conducted within the framework of “artistic research” which is understood as a creative activity within art, design, and performance that provides new insight, understanding, knowledge, and affects the field.
It is artistic practice itself, research through the arts, that constitutes what we refer to as the “artistic core” for these research activities.

Artistic research is not only based on artistic practices within the disciplines, but also includes a communicable focus on methods and critical reflection - including ethical questioning and disciplinary contextualization - with a concern for the preservation of academic freedom. The processes and results are openly shared on a continuous basis with the disciplinary communities and with the general public.

In the Norwegian Act relating to universities and university colleges, both artistic research and scientific research methods are equally recognized. Some of our faculty conduct research on, for, and about the arts based on scientific methods.
Scientific research at the Academy relates itself to the artistic fields and covers areas such as theory and art histories, pedagogy, and analysis of methods and tools including the body.

Current projects

Disciplines

The subject area of the Arts at the Academy include the disciplines of design, opera, theatre, dance, art and craft and fine art.

The discipline of dance

Ved avdeling dans arbeider vi med å fordype, utforske og utvikle våre kunstneriske praksiser. Vi vil tilføre, utvide og utfordre vår forståelse av hva dans kan være som en etisk fundert og sosialt orientert kunstform. Vi har særlig søkelys på å:

  • utvikle forståelse og innsikt, metoder og praksiser i utøvelse av dans
  • fremme nye perspektiver og konsepter, metoder og praksiser for koreografi
  • utfordre fagfeltet gjennom scenekunstteori
  • stimulere scenekunstfagenes utvikling gjennom utdannings-, idretts-, og helsevitenskaplig forskning

Dans er en temporær kunstform. Vi er derfor opptatt av spørsmål knyttet til bruk og utvikling av ulike dokumentasjons-, produksjons- og visningsformater. Dans skapes og manifesteres gjennom kropp og levd liv, og er internasjonalt orientert i sin kunstneriske praksis og diskurs. Vi skal bidra til å styrke forståelsen for dansens premisser og potensiale som kunstform.

Current projects

The discipline of design

The identity of the Department of Design in KHiO is based within a social & cultural discourse. The faculty staff are; researchers, lecturers and practitioners and aim to cascade their artistic researches into the development of our fields of practice as well as our teaching. What constitutes artistic research in the department can be outlines as; exploratory, "careful" (C. Frayling), reflected upon, documented and disseminated. Furthermore, within the breadth of KHiO’s educational profile, research across departments offers an ideal opportunity to develop trans-disciplinary research.

With the aim of facilitating the debate and discourse about the future of artistic research within the department, all research active members of staff have contributed to discussions on the future direction for artistic research. The following core themes of research have been identified:

  • The Body
  • Space
  • Materiality
  • Narratives

These themes all relate to our understanding of Sustainability & Regeneration.

The aim is to extend a robust framework for a culture of artistic research and to support new researchers, with the potential of research groups and clusters. Furthermore, to develop external collaborations, in order to internationalize and support those already established fields of research.

The faculty has devised a four-phase process starting of research, building on allocated artistic research, developing engagement through internal seed-funding, and on to applications in KHiO's KUF funds, through to applying for, taking part in and running externally financed projects.

Current projects

The discipline of fine art

At the Academy of Fine Art this is how we do research:
We conduct artistic research as part of our artistic practice, to prepare, challenge, and develop it further. We conduct artistic research to engage with reality, fully aware that this involves being attentive to the method. We conduct artistic research as part of the art our faculty practices and teaches. We do this to continue learning more about how art can be taught today. We conduct artistic research as a way of creating a shared awareness that curiosity and critical thinking are important when we try to understand the worlds we live in.

We are home to doctoral fellows who place research at the center of their art, who want to share insights into global issues on an artistic basis, and who, by trying out different forms of social, political, and spiritual exploration, promote other forms of intelligence, empathy and resistance.

Current projects

The discipline of art and craft

The Department of Art and Craft is dedicated to developing and exploring material- and craft-based knowledge by connecting art, society, and the individual. Through conceptual, formal, and relational artistic research, the department delves into themes such as medium and material knowledge, material history, contextualising craft practices, and exploring haptic knowledge in art practices. We also conduct artistic research in art in public spaces (public art), specialising in developing new methodologies and process-based practices in the extended field. A key focus for our department is our strong commitment to sustainability and how tacit knowledge and techniques interact with ecological mindsets in artistic research.)

Current projects

The discipline of opera

Kunstnerisk utviklingsarbeid og forskning ved Operahøgskolen søker å utvikle fagfeltet opera som en viktig og meningsfull kunstart i vår tid. Dette skjer gjennom en disiplin-overskridende utforskning som inkluderer sangere, musikere, dirigenter, komponister, librettister, regissører, koreografer, scenografer og dramaturger.

Det kunstneriske utviklingsarbeidet og forskningen springer ut av kunstnerisk praksis som skjer innenfor et performativt paradigme. Dette betyr at det kunstneriske utviklingsarbeidet og forskningen forstås som en skapende praksis som produserer noe som ikke var der før.
Vi er opptatt av å utvikle metoder som er relevante for operafaget og tilstøtende fagfelt. Samtidig ønsker vi å relatere vår forskning til samfunnsaktuelle temaer og diskurser. I tråd med dette er det viktig for oss å dele kunnskap og forskningsmessige innsikter med andre forskningsmiljø. Her inngår våre internasjonale nettverk som en naturlig delingsarena og som forum for diskusjoner.

Med basis i prosesstenkning deles våre forskningsprosjekter gjennom forestillinger, workshops, seminarer og andre fremstillingsformer knyttet til ulike sider ved musikkteater som kunstform. Samtidig ser vi det som viktig å språkliggjøre våre kunstneriske erfaringer og innsikter gjennom artikler og andre faglige presentasjoner og eksposisjoner.

 Aktuelle forskningsområder er

  • Det erkjennelsesmessige potensialet i opera som kunstform.
  • Hvordan kan operaens ulike uttrykksformer styrke hverandre gjensidig med tanke på dramaturgisk dybde og emosjonelt gjennomslag?
  • Hvordan kan opera som kunstform aktualisere og berike samfunnsrelevante diskurser som for eksempel flytende kjønnsidentitet?

Current projects

The discipline of theatre

Ved Teaterhøgskolen utgjør kunstnerisk praksis i de tre hovedområdene skuespill, regi og dramaturgi den kunstneriske kjernen for våre forskningsaktiviteter. Vi tar ofte utgangspunkt i undervisningsrelaterte forskningsinteresser og utvikler våre prosjekter med tanke på deres relevans for både utdanningssammenheng og profesjonelle kontekster. 

Formidling og dokumentasjon av våre forskningsprosesser, resultater og refleksjoner er en viktig anliggende vi aktivt bedriver, for eksempel i form av Skuespillerpodden. Nettopp fordi skuespilleren står sentralt i vår kunstneriske utviklingsarbeid og forskning, gransker flere av våre prosjekter denne sentrale posisjonen kritisk. 

Vi er opptatt av spørsmålet hva slags forhold til (om-)verden mennesket på scenen kan representere på kanten av antropocenens katastrofer. Dette innebærer ikke minst refleksjoner over og revisjoner av de tradisjonelle forholdene mellom de tre hovedområdene som danner vår kunstneriske kjerne.

Current projects

Networks and cooperation

ELIA (The European League of Institutes of the Arts)

ELIA is the primary independent network organisation for higher arts education. With over 300 members in 47 countries, it represents some 300,000 students in all art disciplines. ELIA advocates for the arts on the European level, creating new opportunities for its members and facilitating the exchange of best practices.

KUNO - An  Art Academy Without Walls

Kuno is a lively and ambitious NORPLUS network comprising 18 Nordic-Baltic fine art academies aiming to become an art academy without walls. By cooperating on a wide range of project activities, the member institutions commit themselves to the continued development of the higher fine art education in the region.

CIRRUS - Nordic Baltic Net of Art and Design Education

Cirrus is a Nordic-Baltic net of art and design education. The central activities of the partner institutions are art and design, including innovative activities, technical development and artistic practices.

CUMULUS - International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media

Cumulus is the only global association to serve art and design education and research. It is a forum forpartnership and transfer of knowledge and best practices. Currentløy, CUMULUS consists of 198 member institutions from 48 countries.

Ecoles des écoles

École des Écoles (EdE) is a European network focusing on teachers and students in performing arts. The network was established in 2006.

Nordplus

Nordplus enables us to collaborate closely with the Nordic and Baltic countries. We are currently member of the following networks financed by Nordplus:

The Society of Artistic Research (SAR) 

SAR is an international, non-profit organisation that nurtures, connects and disseminates artistic research as specific practices of creating knowledge and insight. SAR facilitates a range of encounters for its community of artistic practitioners in the pursuit of transformative understanding that impacts on political and societal processes as well as on cultures of research and learning.