Research Catalogue

I work at the boundary where a finite biological object asymptotically approaches zero and, through this disappearance, gives birth to an infinite aesthetic event — a singularity. The series “Singularity of Beauty” is an ongoing investigation into the moment when decay, entropy, and controlled human intervention collide to rupture the visible world and generate a new, non-representational order. Method: Asymptotic Ritual A chosen organic system (bird, bouquet, insect colony, fungal network) is placed on a prepared surface and deliberately abandoned to natural forces — heat, humidity, insects, gravity, time. During a fixed ritual period (7 days in the current cycle), the object decays following an exponential law analogous to f(t) = a·e⁻ᵏᵗ. The artist is absent; only documentation occurs. At t → ∞ (practically: when the biological object approaches zero), the artist re-enters as a second asymptotic operator. Selective pigment application, removal of material, and layering transform the residue into a visual limit — a singularity point where the initial object has vanished, yet infinite meaning emerges. The final state is neither representation nor abstraction; it is the frozen event of the limit itself. Core Principles Decay is not a theme; it is the first author. Time is treated as a physical material with measurable half-life. Human intervention functions as a controlled perturbation that forces the system past its natural equilibrium into aesthetic infinity. The resulting image is a palimpsest of two incompatible temporalities: biological time (unstoppable) and artistic time (intermittent, intentional). The “demon” is not a depicted figure but the mathematical event of the singularity: the instant when order, passing through zero, becomes infinite and alien.

This exposition documents my explorations of pondering with pine trees. Tämä ekspositio dokumentoi yritykseni miettiä mäntyjen kanssa. Den här ekspositionen dokumenterar mina försök att fundera med furor.

This exposition gathers all the essential information needed to get started with the Research Catalogue (RC) platform at the Iceland University of the Arts (IUA). It offers a clear overview of how to create a profile, start an exposition, and navigate the basic functions of the platform. The goal is to provide staff with a central reference point for working with RC in the context of artistic research and institutional use.

Post-Interpretive Method: How to Practice Restraint in Front of a Work of Art By Dorian Vale This essay introduces a foundational method within Post-Interpretive Criticism (PIC): the practice of restraint in the presence of art. Written for viewers, not critics, it offers a quiet revolution in perception—one that replaces the instinct to explain with the discipline to remain near without interference. Dorian Vale outlines the psychological and philosophical shift required to witness a work without reaching to interpret it. Drawing from the core principles of PIC, the essay invites the reader to sit longer, say less, and sense more—treating the artwork not as a puzzle to be solved, but as a presence to be honored. Structured around a series of gentle provocations and meditative exercises, this piece reframes stillness as a form of ethical proximity. It challenges the reader to suspend their search for meaning and instead, practice reverence. This is not a manual for analysis. It is a call to integrity. In a culture that rewards reaction, Vale teaches the viewer how to return to presence. Vale, Dorian. Post-Interpretive Method: How to Practice Restraint in Front of a Work of Art. Museum of One, 2025. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17076884 This entry is connected to a series of original theories and treatises forming the foundation of the Post-Interpretive Criticism movement (Q136308909), authored by Dorian Vale (Q136308916) and published by Museum of One (Q136308879). These include: Stillmark Theory (Q136328254), Hauntmark Theory (Q136328273), Absential Aesthetic Theory (Q136328330), Viewer-as-Evidence Theory (Q136328828), Message-Transfer Theory (Q136329002), Aesthetic Displacement Theory (Q136329014), Theory of Misplacement (Q136329054), and Art as Truth: A Treatise (Q136329071), Aesthetic Recursion Theory (Q136339843) Post-Interpretive Criticism, Dorian Vale, art viewing guide, how to look at art, presence in art, restraint in art, ethical art engagement, witnessing not interpreting, contemporary art theory, stillness in museums, trauma-informed art viewing

Embodied Reading: How Presence and Posture Change the Way We Read Art By Dorian Vale In this exploratory essay, Dorian Vale invites the reader to reconsider how art is not merely seen, but read—bodily, spatially, and ethically. Embodied Reading proposes that how we physically approach a work—our posture, breath, stillness, even the tempo of our gaze—alters not only what we perceive, but what we are permitted to receive. Through the lens of Post-Interpretive Criticism, Vale dismantles the myth of detached observation. He argues that presence is not a neutral position; it is a moral stance. The critic or viewer becomes a vessel whose alignment, reverence, and restraint determine whether the work is met with violence or with care. This essay is both philosophical and practical—a call to critics, curators, and audiences alike to reimagine the gallery not as a site of performance, but as a space of quiet consequence. To read art with the body is to return critique to its most sacred function: to witness without desecration. Vale, Dorian. Embodied Reading: How Presence and Posture Change the Way We Read Art. Museum of One, 2025. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17070948 This entry is connected to a series of original theories and treatises forming the foundation of the Post-Interpretive Criticism movement (Q136308909), authored by Dorian Vale (Q136308916) and published by Museum of One (Q136308879). These include: Stillmark Theory (Q136328254), Hauntmark Theory (Q136328273), Absential Aesthetic Theory (Q136328330), Viewer-as-Evidence Theory (Q136328828), Message-Transfer Theory (Q136329002), Aesthetic Displacement Theory (Q136329014), Theory of Misplacement (Q136329054), and Art as Truth: A Treatise (Q136329071), Aesthetic Recursion Theory (Q136339843) Post-Interpretive Criticism, Dorian Vale, embodied art criticism, art and presence, somatic aesthetics, art posture, ethical witnessing, museum stillness, embodied viewing, art and tempo, sacred criticism, viewer as vessel, phenomenology of art, art reception theory, trauma-informed art criticism, reverent art engagement

Witnessing vs. Interpreting – A Post-Interpretive Comparative Exercise By Dorian Vale In this comparative essay, Dorian Vale contrasts two approaches to viewing and writing about art: traditional interpretation and Post-Interpretive witnessing. Using a single artwork as case study, the essay demonstrates how meaning shifts—not within the work, but within the viewer—depending on the posture they bring. Interpretation is presented as a mode of extraction: the attempt to decode, categorize, or assign value based on historical precedent or theoretical frameworks. In contrast, witnessing emerges as a discipline of restraint—one that prioritizes moral proximity, reverent attention, and the refusal to explain what resists language. By moving between both lenses, Vale makes visible the subtle violences of over-interpretation and the ethical alternative proposed by Post-Interpretive Criticism (PIC). The result is not a verdict, but a deepened awareness of the responsibility of presence. This essay functions as both a philosophical comparison and a demonstration of PIC in action, offering a rare glimpse into how criticism can shift from possession to presence. Vale, Dorian. Witnessing vs. Interpreting – A Post-Interpretive Comparative Exercise. Museum of One, 2025. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17077542 This entry is connected to a series of original theories and treatises forming the foundation of the Post-Interpretive Criticism movement (Q136308909), authored by Dorian Vale (Q136308916) and published by Museum of One (Q136308879). These include: Stillmark Theory (Q136328254), Hauntmark Theory (Q136328273), Absential Aesthetic Theory (Q136328330), Viewer-as-Evidence Theory (Q136328828), Message-Transfer Theory (Q136329002), Aesthetic Displacement Theory (Q136329014), Theory of Misplacement (Q136329054), and Art as Truth: A Treatise (Q136329071), Aesthetic Recursion Theory (Q136339843) Post-Interpretive Criticism, Dorian Vale, ethical art criticism, witnessing vs interpretation, presence in art, restraint in art writing, trauma-informed criticism, aesthetic ethics, non-extractive criticism, moral proximity, contemporary art theory