Launch of the EU4ART_differences LABs in Budapest, Rome, Riga and Dresden

EU4ART_differences is a joint research project of four European higher art education institutions—the Hungarian University of Fine Arts (MKE), the Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste (HfBK) in Dresden, the Academia di Belle Arti (ABARoma) in Rome and the Art Academy of Latvia (LMA) in Riga- aiming to

→ develop new educational and doctoral programs for undergraduate and postgraduate art students,

→ strengthening the research profile of each institution,

→ encouraging international exchange between students, teachers and researchers,

→ supporting the development of new connections with other art education institutions and research centres,

→ strengthen the research approach in the arts and make it visible to the broadest possible public.

One of the main aims and tasks of the EU4Art_differences project is to create a LAB(oratory) within each of the participating institutions, through which they articulate the concept of artistic research, its organizational, research and development possibilities. Due to the different local contexts and institutional traditions, the partners have been developing their concepts and launched their LABs in cooperation but independently from each other.

ABARoma: The roman academy considers the laboratory as a community that provides a framework for experimentation and collaboration between professionals from different research fields. It also envisions the LAB as a place for learning and knowledge sharing, providing a common source of inspiration and motivation for researchers of different generations.

HfBK: The Dresden-based fine arts school approaches artistic research from various viewpoints, opening the LAB to postgraduates with a broad range of artistic backgrounds, from painting, installation and conceptual art practice to performance and art therapy. The LAB embraces discourses related to social sciences as well as to ontological practice, tacit knowledge, and expert skills in processes of creative practice.

LMA: Art practice and theory have been traditionally intertwined in the LMA curriculum. However, art research is seen not only as a bridge between the two but also as a methodology that generates new possibilities for both fields. Their LAB concept is based on openness (Open Lab), focusing on art education, interdisciplinarity and specific methodologies, which they aim to extend further through participatory research methods.

MKE: The concept of the MKE is based on the idea that artistic research is primarily a collective activity. Therefore, the LAB is conceived as a discursive space where individual research outputs of different levels (student, doctoral, faculty) can be shared. Their intersections can develop collaborations that can possibly lead to broader cultural and social impact through the involvement of external partners.

For the official launch of the Artistic Research Labs at the EU4ART Alliance Universities, the partner met at MKE in Budapest 23rd March. Through a detailed presentation and public discussion of the above-mentioned institutional initiatives, the project teams presented the current and future activities of the Labs and offered the opportunity to directly experience some of the specific student art research projects at the MKE.