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The Artistic Turn: a Manifesto

The critical text articulates the challenges and opportunities in the emergent field of artistic research. It positions the centrality of the artist in the construction of a new research paradigm described as ‘the artistic turn’. The book is a collaboration between three senior fellows of the international Orpheus Research Centre in Music (ORCiM: www.orpheusinstituut.be). Douglas is the only visual artist and most experienced practice led researcher (1988 -). She contributes an analytical method that focuses artists’ analytical writings that conceptualise, problematize, contextualise and theorise particular issues within the creative process, notably Cage on indeterminacy, Klee on visual rhetoric, Kaprow on the blurring of art and life, Helen Mayer and Newton Harrison on art’s role in revealing climate change. This establishes a much earlier starting point for artistic research than current writings (e.g. Art& Research Vol 2, No 2 2009; McLeod & Holdridge 2006, Harrild et al1998). Her approach complements Coessens’ grounding in continental philosophy and experimental performance practice and Crispin’s expertise as musicologist and pianist. The analytical method underpins the authors’ re-evaluation of current successful case studies of doctoral level research. Douglas supervised three of four case studies (Cain, Ibrahim, Delday). The fourth, Swinnen, is current head of research, Brussels Conservatoire.

This text is now established as a key reference in the international DocArtes programme (www.orpheusinstituut.be) for training practice led researchers in music and has been cited in a number of conference papers, doctoral theses (Michels 2011, Tromans 2011). It was evaluated as ‘excellent’ in 2012 by ORCiM’s international Expert panel (Bhagwati, Montreal; Hermann, Stuttgart; Hirst, London; Ross, Zeitz).

This research has substantially informed two new research collaborations with Coessens –

• Calendar Variations 2010-11

• Sounding Drawing as a case study in AHRC Connected Communities Pilot Demonstrator Project Time of the Clock Time of Encounter (2012-13)

(see outputs 2 and 4)