Environmental Artistic Research: A Case Study

Abstract

While trying to depict contemporary reality as accurately as possible, some artists conduct researches that, although not considered scientific, actually provide valuable data. This thesis analyzes a case of artistic research that addresses environmental issues, and investigates on the type of knowledge it conveys. The research is divided in three parts. While relying on diverse authors, the first part gives some definitions of the concept of artistic research. Then, it investigates the relationship between artistic research and academic research, as the former still struggles to receive a recognition among scholars coming from more traditional disciplines. In particular, I compare artistic research with scientific research. The final part sorts out what features are demanded of artistic research, for it to be considered able to convey knowledge. The second part of the thesis is dedicated to a case study of artistic research: the DataFusion Instrument (DFI), presented inside the Dutch pavilion on show at Triennale Milano 2022, designed by a group of students from the ArtScience Interfaculty of The Hague. After a contextualization in time and space, and a presentation of the stakeholders involved, the creation process is described in details. Since the DFI is a tool aimed at facilitating the understanding of the non-human, the final chapter provides some key concepts of ecology, meant to sustain the utility of the instrument as an efficient way of conveying scientific concepts to a non-scientific audience. Furthermore, a paragraph seeks to frame the DFI into an art historian perspective. Finally, drawing on the considerations made in the first chapter, the case study is analyzed from an aesthetic perspective.