Research Catalogue

"New ideas might be conceived and developed more rapidly in disciplines that are more abstract. The inductive methods of experimental innovators in painting makes their enterprise resemble the more empirical disciplines considered by psychologists, while the deductive approach of the conceptual innovators makes theirs resemble the more abstract disciplines." David W. Galenson, "The Life Cycles of Modern Artists", NBER Working Paper Series, 2003. Artists and architects have been at times captivated by visionary ideological viewpoints, which they used as inspiration and to make suggestions for applications with their artworks and designs. My use of the diagram and the image aims to convey the simple message that art strives for evolution; meaning to strengthen the mind, to research capabilities, to communicate a disinterested, though not necessarily apolitical, view of social changes, to overcome banality and offer an alternative way of looking at the world. For many artists, this motivation has traditionally often gone hand in hand with political goals and motivations. The decline of the commercial art market in the 1980s gave rise to artists working mainly, but not solely, with ephemeral installations, including the ubiquitous video art, performance, and the broader range of conceptual art. Painting remained as an established fine art practice, with a renewed interest to conceptualism. The portrait is of the artist, myself, at a young age, dated 1993, when I was a student at the NTUA. Betty Nigianni is my name known as (aka), which I also used as my artistic pseudonym.

2024-2025 Manuel Rodriguez

Exploring the affordances of Larping in virtual reality.

“Ocultismo Desapropriado”, é um ensaio que dá continuidade na investigação no ambto do doutorado em Artes Plásticas na Universidade do Porto. O presente ensaio volta seu interesse sobre os fenômenos perceptivos que decorrem desde a ação realizada com a obra "Congá Fora do Tempo, relacionando a experiência do fruidor presente nas duas obras. As instalações atraem o espectador para participar da obra e interagir com ela através da ação. Ambas as obras se relacionam ou são inspiradas em algum ritual de matriz religiosa, mas não repetem ou imitam esses rituais, tão pouco tendem à simulação dos mesmos. São ações de arte com o intuito de provocar o toque em seu íntimo através da brincadeira de fazer pedidos e desejos. Esta publicação compartilha das mesmas referências bibliográficas do ensaio "Congá Fora do Tempo". ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ‘Disappropriated Occultism’ is an essay that continues the research carried out as part of the Doctorate in Fine Arts at the University of Porto. This essay focuses on the perceptual phenomena resulting from the action carried out with the work 'Congá Fora do Tempo', relating the experience of the viewer present in both works. The installations invite the viewer to participate and interact with the work through action. Both works relate to or are inspired by a religious ritual, but they don't repeat or imitate these rituals, nor do they tend to simulate them. They are artistic actions intended to provoke an intimate touch through the play of making requests and wishes. This publication shares the same bibliographical references as the essay ‘Congá Out of Time’.

Este ensaio faz parte da investigação em arte no âmbito do doutorado em artes plásticas na Universidade do Porto, e foi escrito com o intuito de registro de memória e debate sobre a obra artística "Congá Fora do Tempo" com lentes direcionadas ao ponto de vista filosófico e da investigação em arte, tentando compreender como uma instalação acompanhada de uma ação sutil pode proporcionar uma experiência sensível e espiritual ao espectador, à obra e às pessoas à sua volta. A espiritualidade aqui abordada não é a espiritualidade de Merleau-Ponty, em que a espiritualidade é um fenómeno enraizado na corporeidade e na perceção, mas a espiritualidade presente em cada pessoa, de maneiras diferentes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This essay is part of the art research within the scope of the doctorate in fine arts at the University of Porto and was written to record memory and debate on the artistic work “Congá Fora do Tempo” with lenses directed at the philosophical point of view and art research, trying to understand how an installation accompanied by a subtle action can provide a sensitive and spiritual experience to the viewer, the work and the people around it. The spirituality addressed here is not Merleau-Ponty's spirituality, when it is a phenomenon rooted in corporeality and perception, but the spirituality present in each person, in different ways.

The creation of this artwork employs a practice-based research approach, exploring plastic waste materials and transforming them into interactive installations. The artistic approach in this creation utilizes media art to embody the conceptual ideas. The production process of the artwork is divided into several stages: field observation of everyday objects in the community of Dakar, design, electronic device study, and assembly of the artwork. Additionally, other artistic approaches include the use of readymade and plastic recycling. The result of this creation process is presented in a park near the residential area in Sicap Liberté.