Artistic research: a manifestation in improvisation

(Re)thinking Improvisation: international sessions on artistic research in music

November 28 - December 1

Bringing together musicians working in different traditions of musical improvisation, (Re)thinking Improvisation - an international research project organized by the Malmö Academy of Music - now takes the initiative to organize an event in which musicians and scholars from various disciplines can get together in order to explore improvisation from a multidisciplinary and globalized perspective.

Centered around the concept of the lab as a venue for a review of artistic work as process, the ambition is to merge various kinds of knowledge production in the arts with various analytical modes of thinking. Each member of the research project will direct sessions to which a wide range of artists and scholars will be invited to contribute in the form of performances, art works, papers, lecture recitals and any other format that is pertinent to the argument one wants to make. These lab sessions are the core of the event. However, (Re)thinking Improvisation also hosts a series of public concerts in and around Malmö. There will be no parallel sessions so all participants can take part in all labs and, furthermore, each day invited artists/scholars will sum up and critically review the sessions that have taken place. Our ambition is to create a format for discussion and dissemination of artistic work and thinking about and through artistic work, while avoiding the all too common theory/practice dichotomies and allow for a creative and intellectually vital environment in which artistic and scholarly approaches to the topic of improvisation can be molded together.

The sessions will primarily take place in the facilities of the Inter Arts Center (www.iac.lu.se) which affords flexible and technically well equipped venues for both music and visual arts. In addition, some of the sessions and many of the public concerts will be scheduled in other venues that are particularly suited for the content of the event.

Call for contributions

We welcome proposals that address improvisation from a wide range of perspectives and in various formats. We particularly welcome contributions in artistic form (also in artistic expressions other than music). Accepted contributions will be organized as parts of thematized sessions, establishing a critical dialogue. Deadline for proposals is May 15. The submissions will be peer-reviewed and a notification of acceptance will be announced no later than June 15. The description of the content and format of the presentation should be no more than 300 words and may also include audio and video material. The contributions may be of variable length but should not be more than 20 minutes. Please also indicate what kind of venue that might be suitable for the contribution and list any technical requirements. All accepted contributions will be published in the multimedia publication which will constitute the peer reviewed conference proceedings.

Please send proposals to stefan.ostersjo@mhm.lu.se and to henrik.frisk@mhm.lu.se

More information about (Re)thinking Improvisation may be found at www.iac.lu.se