On 14-17th October 2021 Vilnius Academy of Arts (VAA) Doctoral Department hosted an international X-disciplinary Congress on Artistic Research and Related Matters.
More than a 100 artists and researchers in person and online joined a discussion "To Research or Not To Research in the Post-disciplinary Academy?".
Congress took place at the Gothic Hall of VAA and in the new artists' cultural complex "SODAS 2123".
Four-day programme included artists and researchers discussing urgent matters on the question of artistic research, the nature of its relationship with academia, and to artistic practice, the culture sector, and the art worlds. The participants chose themselves what to insert instead of “X” in the x-disciplinary: non-, trans-, post-, un-, inter-, etc. Formats of presentation varied from performative talk (15 min + 5 min discussion), performing with "the epistemic object" you have brought (20 min), discussion/panel (45 min), milestone & keynote lecture (45 min), intervention in the space (5 min for activation), poster exhibition (5 min for activation), and similar.
As part of the Congress, young doctoral researchers and artists organised a performative Research Symposium-Festival. The event included open artists-researchers’ studios, performative actions, exhibition, collective social & dining activities, etc.
This first regional congress on artistic research marked the 10th Anniversary of the Doctoral Programmes in Arts in Lithuania (Vilnius Academy of Arts and Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre).
Organizing-Curating Committee (VAA)
Dr. Akvilė Anglickaitė (chair), Vytautas Gečas, dr. Marius Iršėnas, Laima Kreivytė, Robertas Narkus, doc. dr. Vytautas Michelkevičius, Alfreda Pilitauskaitė, dr. Ieva Pleikienė, doc dr. Eglė Ulčickaitė, doc. dr. Darius Žiūra
Artists and Researchers Committee:
Dr. Akvilė Anglickaitė (VAA)
Doc. dr. Žygimantas Augustinas (VAA)
Doc. dr. Ramunė Balevičiūtė (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre)
Prof. dr. Mika Elo (Helsinki University of the Arts)
Dr. Rokas Dovydėnas (VAA)
Prof. dr. Aldis Gedutis (Klaipėda University)
Prof. Audrius Klimas (VAA)
Doc. dr. Vytautas Michelkevičius (VAA, Chair)
Prof. dr. Agnė Narušytė (VAA)
Prof. dr. Lina Navickaitė-Martinelli (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre)
Paulina Pukytė (artist, writer)
Prof. dr. Marquard Smith (VAA and UCL, London)
Dr. Rūta Spelskytė-Liberienė (VAA)
Doc. Julijonas Urbonas (VAA)
Organizer: Doctoral Department of Vilnius Academy of Arts
Partners: SODAS 2123, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists' Association
Programme for October 14-17th (PDF)
Abstracts of the contributions (PDF)
Recordings of live streams (Facebook)
Photos by Erika Čebatorienė & Julija Kuprijaškinaitė
Video by Matas Petkūnas