Artistic research is a vital part of the contribution made by the higher seats of learning for the development of art, conquering new knowledge and new forms of innovation and progress in society. At DOCH research and artistic development are part and parcel of the whole educational system, just as the research is enhanced through the encounter with the next generation of choreographers, dancers, circus artists and dance pedagogues in basic training.
Artistic research is to investigate and test with the purpose of gaining knowledge within and for our artistic disciplines. It is based on artistic practices, methods and criticality. Through presented documentation, the insights gained shall be placed in a context. A fair amount of interesting research about and for our artistic disciplines is also carried out in scientific disciplines. DOCH welcomes research cooperation with humanistic, political science and life science programmes. Besides our agreements for doctoral students with Stockholm University, The Royal Technical University (KTH) and Lund University/National School of Artistic Research, we have an agreement with KTH about cross-disciplinary research.
Artistic research is carried out by proven artists both within and outside the institutions. At DOCH research is carried out by professors as well as lecturers and doctoral students. There is a great need for an international meeting place for the exchange of knowledge and experience developed by these researchers. Through participation in international projects, regular conferences and workshops we strive for a continuous cooperation and exchange with active professionals and researchers. DOCH must be a strong platform for knowledge exchange within artistic research.
DOCH’s High Seminar is a forum for artistic and pedagogical discourse at an advanced level. Besides being a place where invited guests are given the opportunity to present their current research, the seminar offers a chance for professors, teachers and doctoral students to report and discuss their research. The internal networks created here form the nucleus of the critical mass that branches out with numerous connections outside the institution, among artists, researchers and others engaged in the development of art, nationally and internationally.
One way of strengthening the development of art is to define choreography as a field of knowledge both for research and training of researchers. DOCH has this definition of choreography:
Choreography represents a proactive artistic dimension in society. The subject of choreography provides tools for the production of movement and explores this process, analysing the conditions of art and cultural creation in various contexts.
Choreography envisages alternative forms and expressions, spatial as well as conceptual locations in dialogue with both tradition and the world of today. The concept of choreography is an open and inclusive structure that spans a wide array of disciplines. It operates across media and language boundaries; dialectically and discursively; altering, preserving, transforming. Choreographic practices can therefore generate movement in the real sense of the word.
The starting-point for choreography as a research field is our embodied experience but this definition also encompasses a wealth of linguistic expressions for action, thought, reflection, awareness, writing and being. Research in the subject of choreography thus contributes to the development of society and an expanded awareness of forms of expression and their imprint on our contemporary world.