VISION AND
RESEARCH FOCUS
The physical presence of the artist in the performing arts is the focus of CORPoREAL. The artist's body is the medium and the point of oscillation that makes performing art possible. Performers negotiate art with their bodies. They search for a balance between the objective conditions for creating art and the subjective and physical presence of the body, between the inherent possibilities of the surrounding material - instrument, space, text - and the physical translation of an artistic idea to an audience. The fundamental role of the body as a medium, as a sensory carrier of artistic processes, remains in the background of each performance. The knowledge and methods behind and interwoven with these artistic bodily practices are mostly implicit, intuitive and hidden, leaving artistic, pedagogical and art educational possibilities untapped.
CORPoREAL aims to support, understand, explicate and communicate research on the knowledge, creation, experience and transmission of these processes in artistic and art educational contexts. A performance-oriented line of research focuses on the artistic understanding and aesthetic impact of the bodily presence in the artistic process. The aspect of performance is explored in all its complexity -implicit, sensory, experiential knowledge and methods are explicated from the artistic process. The artistic-pedagogical research line supplements this knowledge from interaction with society - formal and non-formal art education - and delves into artistic-pedagogical/didactical competencies and art educational practices related to performance.
CORPoREAL offers a unique platform for collaborative inter-artistic research on the correlation between art creation and the body; it supports researchers, teachers, students and PhD students at the RCA in their knowledge building of artistic practices related to performance and art education projects.
GOALS
CORPoREAL aims to support, understand, make explicit and communicate research into the knowledge, creation, experience and transmission of experiential artistic processes in artistic and art education contexts.
CORPoREAL acts on the basis of the following observations:
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The increasing attention in art research (dance, drama, music) for the role of the body, its knowledge, skill, intention, interaction, both nationally and internationally.
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The need in art schools for in-depth reflection and communication on this theme, in which artistic practice and educational practice are inextricably linked in the relationship between art and society.
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The growing group of pre-doctoral researchers as well as (teaching) artists at the RCA who are artistically, research- and educationally in line with CORPoREAL and its focus.
CORPoREAL builds and supports
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an artistic research environment at the RCA for artistic and art education professionals on aesthetic, physical/mental and artistic/educational aspects of sensory and physical practices in the performing arts and their interaction with society. To this end, CORPoREAL organises discussions, work sessions and artistic events
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an (inter)national network on artistic experiential knowledge: interaction with artistic and art education actors from (inter)national research centres, cultural forums and formal art education on this theme. CORPoREAL contributes to conferences, invites artists/researchers, establishes international contacts, organises workshops, in exchange with the social and scientific field.
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original collaborative research in art, art pedagogy and art education: from individual expertise, joint exchange of knowledge and practice, doctoral support and pedagogical insights, CORPoREAL generates new insights with artistic and academic output on the sensory, aesthetic and physical experience of the artist in the performing arts, art pedagogy and the art education sector.
From these three pillars, CORPoREAL aims to realise high-quality, original and well-founded artistic and artistic-pedagogical research on physical and aesthetically physical interaction, knowledge and learning in the performing arts.
NEXUS RESEARCH GROUP - HIGHER ARTS EDUCATION
The CORPoREAL research group provides a forum for research in the arts and education. It is this combination that offers the possibility of new insights into artistic praxis and art educational practices. By focusing on both artistic and pedagogical practice, whether or not integrated, CORPoREAL is an important player within the research climate of the RCA as an educational institution.
With its artistic and artistic-educational research, CORPoREAL opens up perspectives for the Bachelor's and Master's programmes in dance, drama and music and for the Educational Bachelor's and Master's programmes in Music and Performing arts. After all, CORPoREAL aims to open up the creative interaction between thinking, feeling, researching and embodying in (young) art practitioners and to support these processes. The student population of the RCA is organically brought into contact with research practice by participating in a research project. Research results can reinforce the curriculum of the courses. Researchers are invited to teach through master classes and guest lectures.
On the one hand, the research results and output can provide a qualitative influx into Higher Art Education and contribute to the relevance of the Royal Conservatoire in the academic and (art) educational world. On the other hand, CORPoREAL generates output in the form of artistic-pedagogical insight & applied methodology/didactics for the Educational Masters in Music and Performing Arts.