Research Catalogue

KOMPASS is part of the artistic research project Image as Site at Stockholm University of the Arts in which Ellen Røed and Signe Lidén have developed a method for field recording that combines sound and image in a distinct form of attentional (aesth)ethics. They explore how instruments, time and movement are included in and affect the relationships between bodies, images and places, between experience and representation, in various forms of field recordings.

Research project at Stockholm University of the Arts.

Unarchiving Nono (2017 – 2022) by Ellen Røed and Bjørnar Habbestad operates as a form of comment or intervention on archiving musical material hidden away from an acoustic everyday life. The project has developed through a method where human memory is examined and activated as a carrier of the musical material, and where musical material is moved out of the archive and unfolded into a local reality. Through an iterative process of listening, remembering and performing each performance is influenced by a new layer of spatial acoustics and everyday sounds, stored with the musical performance, gradually building up to trandform the musical material by spatial layering.

The histories, stories, and names of Chinese railroad workers who dedicated their lives to constructing the U.S. Transcontinental Railroad have remained in the shadows for over a century. Completed in 1869, the railroad was a monumental achievement in America’s ‘Manifest Destiny’ during the nineteenth century. But despite their contributions, the Chinese laborers have not received the recognition they deserve. This project seeks to remember Chinese railroad workers via arts-based research methods (ABR). Archives are not merely repositories of the past but also products of political power. In this light, the project poses a key methodological question: How can art-making critically reconfigure the power of archives and lost history? We seek to ask questions, initiate a dialogue, acknowledge the absence, and give form to the invisible. Building upon the historical recovery work of previous scholars, we reconstruct fragmented pieces through remixed artworks. The current article highlights key artworks that demonstrate the scope and variety of a much larger project (Yu 2025b). We dedicate this work to the Chinese master railroad builders––to the great-grandfathers––whose stories and names demand remembrance.

JSS Book reviews

The RESONANS festival, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, operates as a comprehensive artistic research project that critically examines the intersections of multimedia arts, community engagement, and cultural diversity. By establishing a dynamic circular process, the festival acts as a platform for multimedia and multicultural dialogue, facilitating meaningful exchanges among artists, scholars, and community members. This exposition aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the festival’s methodology and developmental trajectory, placing particular emphasis on its iterative process and agile project management strategies. These methodologies enable the festival to adaptively respond to participant feedback and emergent artistic expressions, thereby fostering an environment that promotes innovation and inclusivity. In addition, the RESONANS festival addresses significant themes, including humanity's relationship with the environment and the diversification of the Nordic cultural landscape. Through a series of curated events, workshops, and performances, the festival invites participants to engage in critical discussions surrounding ecological consciousness and cultural representation.