Principal Investigator at the Performance Laboratory at the University of Grenoble Alpes, Professor Gretchen Schiller is at the forefront of innovations related to Artistic Research. As part of this she co directs the national advocacy RES CAM / support organisation for Artistic Doctorates in France. This seminar focused on this work to explore the practices and principles of Artistic Research PhD programmes in France.
This event took place on Thursday 23rd July 2020.
In Summary…
Gretchen Schiller introduced the work of the French national advocacy network for Artistic Research that she co-directs, RES CAM, the Interuniversity Network of Creation, Arts and Media. RES CAM proposed seven principles for the governance of PhDs in Artistic Research addressing the role of the practice, the formats of the submission, the importance of the critical reflection, supervision, the length of doctorates and of the textual submission, as well as the forms of the Viva. Schiller outlined the work of SRF Creation, an artistic research lab which is developing strategies and contexts for pursuing interdisciplinary Artistic Research. She finished her presentation by stressing out key issues surfacing in Artistic Research relevant across fields, expanding on positionality, temporality, trace-making, writing, and considering the dance/theatre stage as contexts for fieldwork. The discussion that followed focus on issues related to supervision, examination, funding, developing networks, and the legitimacy of Artistic Research amongst other key themes.
Recording Of The Seminar
Research doctorate (PhD) in research creation Vademecum
Within the context of the unique doctorate as defined in the Article of May 25, 2016, the CAM Network (Creation, Arts and Media) promotes the idea of a research doctorate in creation, based on a diversity of specialties, pedagogic polity, evaluation and career development policies.
The purpose of this Vademecum is to present the specific common principles that underpin research that requires a strong commitment to the practice of artistic creation.
1. In this doctorate, the relation to practice is essential, as much as the epistemological scope of research developed in the thesis writing process. In any case, both the quality of the written document and the artistic work base the value of the thesis.
2. The forms of the thesis vary according to the artistic production. The doctorate will demonstrate a singular approach in a field of international artistic references and the ability of the PhD student to set out the procedural requirements followed, with regard to the work carried out.
3. The critical reflection must be based on an assertive methodology and a relevant heuristic questioning process. The ability to experiment, analyze, problematize, argue and contextualize the artistic practice guarantees the contribution of new knowledge in the field of arts.
4. Depending on the needs of the thesis, an art professional can be associated with the thesis supervisor in accordance with the terms proposed in article 16 of the Article of May 25, 2016.
5. The theoretical text should include approximately 450,000 characters, more or less 250 pages complemented by annexes and / or documentation on artistic practice.
6. The thesis must be completed within the time frame as foreseen in the (French government – my addition) policy, that is three years full time and six years part time.
7. The thesis defense will consist of presenting both the written and the practical work in the form of a consequential presentation : exhibition, installation, projection, performance, reading, concert, etc., for the jury members and the audience.
French Version: http://res-cam.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/VADEMECUM-DOCTORAT-RECHERCHE-EN-CREATION-RESCAM.pdf
Temporalities Event
Postponed to June 2021: http://res-cam.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Call-for-proposals-Summer-School-2020-RESCAM.pdf
Links with More Information
National network: RESCAM Le Réseau interuniversitaire d’écoles doctorales Création, Arts et Médias (CAM), a doctoral network since 2011 composed of 18 doctoral schools and universities inn France;
Structure féderative de la Recherche Création at University of Grenoble Alpes at the Maison de la création et de l’innovation;
Performance Lab at the University of Grenoble Alpes.
About Gretchen Schiller
Gretchen is in charge of the Arts in the Alps project and the Federal Structure for Research Creation, which will be located in the new premises of the House of Creation and Innovation in 2019. She is a principal investigator at the Performance Laboratory – an IDEX label project that brings together academics from the fields of geography, performing arts and computer science over a period of 3.5 years. Her choreographic research focuses on the notion of embodied agentivity through participatory installations, “screen dances”, performances, workshops and critical writing. Born in Canada and raised in Brazil, Colombia and Australia, she obtained her B.A. in Dance and Francophone Canadian Studies from the University of Calgary (Canada), her M.A. in Choreography from UCLA (United States) and her PhD from the Science, Technology and Art Research Program at the University of Plymouth (United Kingdom). She was also a student in the Visual Arts Department at MIT Cambridge (United States).
Gretchen Schiller is a Professor of Choreography / Principal Researcher at the Performance Lab, University of Grenoble.
This series of seminars is part of the research project Visioning the Future: Artistic Doctorates in Ireland. Presentations and discussions will be video and audio recorded. Thisdocumentation will be available on the project website and may contribute to the development of Open Educational Resources.
By participating in this seminar you are giving your approval for audio-visual recording of the sessions, consenting to participate in this research project (anonymously or by providing your name if asking a question), and agreeing to the possibility of quotation/publication of extracts of your participation.
