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Of Sponge, Stone and the Intertwinement with the Here and Now: A Methodology of Artistic Research
Of Sponge, Stone and the Intertwinement with the Here and Now explores the notion of “experience” as a key concept in a methodology of artistic research. In this concise, compulsively readable volume, scholar and art critic Janneke Wesseling traces a genealogy of “experience” that stretches from William James, John Dewey and Alfred North Whitehead to Brian Massumi, placing this concept into a framework of research in visual art. Wesseling’s argument comes out of her own practice of artistic research, and her reflections on the interweaving of thinking and making. Part of Valiz’s vis-à-vis series of accessible introductions to academic subjects in contemporary art, this publication represents an expanded and extended version of Wesseling’s inaugural lecture at Leiden University, given in September 2016, and includes a collaboration with the Austrian performance artist Lilo Nein.
- GenresArt Design
46 pages, Paperback
Published February 28, 2017
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October 31, 2024
Great essay on artistic research! I’d recommended this essay to any artist struggling to contextualized their work artistically and theoretically. In this book, Janneke Wasseling stresses the idea of critical reflection as an important aspect of artistic research. Meaning that artist should positioned themselves as an outsider of the work—looking their work as the first spectator that will experience the connectedness of the work. I think this method is practicable and efficient for artist to get a better understanding of the ‘here’ and ‘now’ of the art field and active engagement of spectatorship.
Janneke uses the analogy of sponge and stone—that I might not fully understand—to demonstrate her point on the notion of experience as a methodology for artistic practice. I think the idea of this sponge and stone might not really necessary to understand her argument on ‘experience’ as she explains it clearly—with its genealogy—on the case of artistic research. Janneke mentions that the notion of artistic research has been practiced in the West as part of a tacit social science since its separation with Church. This is quite interesting regarding the fact that in Asia the idea of artists was basically an artisan and its domain was distinct from scholarly and science.
In the end of this book Janneke brilliantly writes on the current issue of art functionality. Artists today are expected to be able to present—and somehow positioned themselves—the social usefulness of their work, thus artists are constantly demanded to create ‘concrete result.’ This idea contrasts with the notion of art itself as the platform to open a discussion for multiple perspectives. Art demonstrates openness, hence the idea of ‘concrete result’ and social usefulness in art is limiting its function. Some art is politically concern and some is aesthetically sensory—as simple as that.
As Janneke puts it on the end of the book that artistic research is a speculative discipline just as art is a radically speculative mode of practice, I think every artist should at least learn that all of their work is basically a speculation and unique way of understanding the perception of reality. A must read essay!
Janneke uses the analogy of sponge and stone—that I might not fully understand—to demonstrate her point on the notion of experience as a methodology for artistic practice. I think the idea of this sponge and stone might not really necessary to understand her argument on ‘experience’ as she explains it clearly—with its genealogy—on the case of artistic research. Janneke mentions that the notion of artistic research has been practiced in the West as part of a tacit social science since its separation with Church. This is quite interesting regarding the fact that in Asia the idea of artists was basically an artisan and its domain was distinct from scholarly and science.
In the end of this book Janneke brilliantly writes on the current issue of art functionality. Artists today are expected to be able to present—and somehow positioned themselves—the social usefulness of their work, thus artists are constantly demanded to create ‘concrete result.’ This idea contrasts with the notion of art itself as the platform to open a discussion for multiple perspectives. Art demonstrates openness, hence the idea of ‘concrete result’ and social usefulness in art is limiting its function. Some art is politically concern and some is aesthetically sensory—as simple as that.
As Janneke puts it on the end of the book that artistic research is a speculative discipline just as art is a radically speculative mode of practice, I think every artist should at least learn that all of their work is basically a speculation and unique way of understanding the perception of reality. A must read essay!
Displaying 1 of 1 review