Presentation
Research projects at ArBA-EsA lead to collaborations with artists, teachers from art schools, researchers, and professionals from the art world.
In line with its mission as a Higher School of Arts, ArBA-EsA aims to introduce and train students in artistic research, and to develop high-quality research projects that combine theoretical reflections and unique practices in the field of visual arts. These projects are carried out by ArBA-EsA faculty members in collaboration with partner institutions both nationally and internationally. The research projects lead to collaborations with artists, teachers from art schools, researchers, and professionals from the art world.
To achieve its goal of training in artistic research and actively contributing to its promotion and development, ArBA has established a Research Hub since 2008, coordinated by a team of faculty members from the school.
The activities of the Research Hub are differentiated into three levels:
- Introduction to artistic research within the undergraduate and master's degree programs (first and second cycles).
- Training in art research at the doctoral level (third cycle).
- Development and dissemination of artistic research by establishing research teams and projects that support the activities of faculty-researchers.
Introduction to artistic research is one of the key missions pursued by the school.
To this end, ArBA has integrated "research modules" into its curricula, bringing together students from the second and third years of the bachelor’s program from different specializations, in a spirit of breaking down boundaries and combining disciplines and practices.
The modules are organized during the first semester, with one half-day session per week and an intensive week at the end of the semester.
The modules encourage a close relationship between practice and theory. This relationship is fostered through collaboration between faculty members of theoretical courses and practical courses (artistic and technical), with the possible participation of external speakers: invited artists, lecturers, etc. These speakers, based on a proposal they present at the beginning of the year, open up a field of theoretical questions and plastic issues that will be developed collectively, with active participation from the students throughout the module.
The introduction to research within the modules is based on two key assumptions. On the one hand, there is knowledge inherent in artistic practice and works, and it is possible to make it explicit and give it form. Therefore, regardless of the specific starting proposal, the goal is to gradually guide students to understand that the question of meaning is inseparable from that of form. On the other hand, artistic research unfolds over time and requires the gradual construction of a body of heterogeneous knowledge made up of concepts, procedures, and operations grounded in epistemological assumptions tied to a specific historical context. Understanding the constraints inherent in research, which may explain and position these assumptions and test their limits, is another general objective of the modules.
The connection between practice and theory is partly ensured through writing, in which students reflect on the research dynamics experienced throughout the module and demonstrate their ability to articulate the issues addressed. At the same time, the modules lead to plastic creations, the completion of which is not the primary goal, but which reflect the establishment of a research dynamic within a defined framework.
In this way, the modules aim to lay the groundwork for a transversal and temporary artistic research process that encourages students to rethink the specific logics and practices of their chosen area of study.
Artistic research training at the master's level is strengthened by the activities offered within the History-Theory-Critique (HTC) hub: seminars, participation in study days or conferences, presentations, lectures, etc.
The activities offered help support students in the development of their thesis. They also aim to bring together master's students and doctoral candidates to foster collective dynamics within research programs.
The development and dissemination of research are ensured through the establishment of research teams and programs that promote the activities of faculty-researchers.