Research Catalogue

"Platonic devices to reflect the contemporary" is a plastic artwork about the performativity of shadows and the relation between human and nature in the contemporary.

P.A.F. is a project designed to give visibility to road defects that can become obstacles in urban traffic. Taking care of our cities is a real challenge. In Europe, tourist and historic districts are subject to rehabilitation, leaving other areas neglected. Awareness starts with the importance we attach to things. Making things visible is a way of raising awareness. Our cities need to be inclusive, and we need to take care of them in order to take care of our bodies and our uses. The city studied here is Porto (Portugal), but the project is adaptable to a European scale.

This is an archiving project initiated by Siobhan Davies Studios, UK. The Archiving of the performance work "Truth and Transparency" Questions what it means to archive dance as well as what happens when a dance is archived acknowledging that some types of choreographers' work have historically been archived while other types of choreographers have not. What does it do to a dance and choreographer to be archived? This project is also interested in the changes in the creative process of performing the dance which was first choreographed in 2007 and is now being given new life through this archiving project. Truth & Transparency (2007): a performance work for three (two performers and one dancer manipulating projected image onto the performance space using a mirror). The work was inspired by Ralph Ellison’s ‘Invisible Man’ and Adesola’s reflections on bringing up their own children as two masculine presenting Black youth at the time. The piece researched Step and Crumping dance forms as well as foreshadowed new technology using projection in real-time to manipulate the audience’s perception of dancers and space.

In his contribution "Post-Digital Angst – The Direct Experience", Mong-Sum Joseph Leung (Center Research Focus, PhD candidate PhD in Art) explores anxiety in the post-digital age, examining it as a basic anthropological condition in relation to concepts such as hollowness, nullity, and the unknown. Leung intertwines personal experiences from daily life with his artistic practice and ontological reflections on the human condition, working with Heidegger’s notions of Sorge and Angst, to reflect on affective experiences in a digitalized world.

Gabriela Krist (Institute of Conservation) and Marie-Christine Pachler (Institute of Conservation) provide solutions for challenges in seemingly obvious everyday situations in their contribution "Sustainable Behavior with Cultural Heritage: Study on Visitor Awareness". This text provides insights and findings from a study of awareness-raising measures conducted at Schönbrunn palace. This site is particularly popular with tourists and must deal with the wear and damage of displayed objects. As conservators, the authors draw attention to the damage that visitors can cause, and examine different educational measures to improve awareness among tourists and staff members.

Leo Hosp (Center Research Focus) widens our perspective through her contribution "I Can See Queerly Now. Queer Perspectives On Project Work", which is a reflection on queer working practices. Hosp intertwines her own experiences of queerness with insights from collaborative project work within the Action for Sustainable Future (ASF) hub. Hosp’s contribution refrains from defining queer research. Instead, it explores different aspects and approaches to deal with an inherently fluid term to propose a queer project work manifesto. Presented as a momentary insight into Hosp’s research, it is not to be understood as a finalized outcome but an open invitation.