Abstract

The primary objective of this dissertation is to disentangle and arrange a number of issues particular to the sphere of activity designated as artistic research. A bimodal conception of artistic research is proposed as a framework by which confusions in the discourse and in applications of artistic research may be avoided or resolved. Mode one indicates that artistic creation is in most instances ipso facto artistic research. A philosophical substantiation is offered for the claim. In brief, a work of art is considered to be a state of affairs, to use Wittgenstein’s terminology, of the artistic kind. The creation of a state of affairs of the artistic kind and the formulation of propositional belief about that state of affairs are claimed to be necessary and jointly sufficient conditions for artistic research to occur. A state of affairs of the artistic kind provides the artistic component of artistic research; however, the state of affairs in and of itself does not normally convey propositional belief, and therefore does not satisfy the condition of research in artistic research. For artistic research to take place, propositional belief about the state of affairs of the artistic kind must be formulated. The site of the initiation of the research component of artistic research is thus located. In normal artistic practices, the class of activities commonly seen as art and the class of activities commonly seen as research exhibit significant class overlap and are inseparably intertwined in the vast majority of artistic creations. Mode two indicates delimited forms of artistic research. Mode two artistic research does not accept that the conditions of mode one are sufficient for artistic research and subsequently requires further epistemic justification or criteria. The further justification or criteria delimits the form of artistic research, usually within particular contexts for particular purposes. Clarity in the discourse of artistic research is promoted when the modes are clearly differentiated, when their purposes are stated, and when the underlying presuppositions held by their proponents are revealed.