Author: helenahildur

Quality and Research IV

art, recent work, teaching

Text reading seminar at the course – Aesthetic-Based Qualitative Research – which I follow at Stockholm University (see also Archives/January 2009).

Is there really a difference between art and research? I bring the question to the course.

– Art appeals to feeling, is one answer I get. Oh, I’d love to have it that way… but I cannot really hold it to be simple like that. Art  is largely conceptual, and has always been – at least visual arts, ever since cave paintings.

– Research is systematical,  is another answer. Well, that sounds convincing at first. But then – what about (for instance) the work of Claude Monet? There are artists just as dedicated as the best of researchers in the pursuit of one theme.

– Art is mediated by sensual experience, would be my first attempt to answer myself. As if not research – or any kind of message – is… Tricky one, this.

“Ethos anthropoi daimon” (Heraclitus; and here I will not even attempt to choose a translation among the infinite number of possible ones)… I’ll try another approach; how does my inner attitude change, from making art to doing research? Or, does it?

NUrope at the Supermarket V

art, curating, recent work

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Raine mounting photos; in the next booth is Anders from Hjärnstorm

Photos, maps and artworks from nomads, a few nomadic chairs and a table. These are the visual features of the NUrope mirage. People stop by to talk, to look at paintings or to have their shoes polished – thereby participating in a multi-layered performance by Belgian artist Lieven Paelinck. Other nomads represented were Reino Koivula, Raine Johnsson, Hanna Varis and Kim Ramstedt (Finland); Luise Kloos (Austria); Stella Fajerson (Sweden/Dubai); Maria Backman, Mikael Scherdin, Max Valentin and myself from Sweden – all in little more than four square metres. Even more nomads were involved in preparations – like curator Yulia Usova from Ukraine – or just joined in and took part. Invited by the Supermarket team, and inspired by Reino, five of us also staged an artist talk on contemporary art as viewed from a future perspective.

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Lieven’s shoeshine performance; Reino, Kim and Maria listening to Kim’s “Supermercado” soundtrack from Maasto records; Maria purchasing the cd

Supermercado, a Nomadic soundtrack

During the three days, we have met and interacted with hundreds of people. The Nomadic University has manifested its faculties in making art, philosophy and business in the context of the Supermarket Art Fair; this is now another nomadic experience.

Time to sit down and talk over it, before parting again.

To be continued.