Napoli is the city that embodies the beauty of chaos – noisy, messy, full of colours, history, and character. In all its splendour, it provided the perfect location for Unframing Knowledge, a three-day conference on artistic research organised by the P+ARTS project, led by ELIA member NABA and hosted by ELIA member Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli. This milestone event marked a significant moment for higher arts education in Italy. 

 

Since 1999, the Italian higher arts education system has awaited reforms that are finally becoming a reality. It was wonderful to see the opening panel of the conference feature several high-level national policymakers, including Maria Alessandra Gallone from the Italian Ministry of University and Research, Antonio Felice Uricchio from the ANVUR Governing Council, and Giovanna Cassese, President of the CNAM Governing Council – all of whom emphasised the significance of this crucial first peer-reviewed conference for artistic research. 

 

It was ELIA Vice-President and Artistic Research Working Group Chair, Jørn Mortensen, who delivered the opening keynote speech. Explaining how different fields of knowledge become recognised domains, he charted how artistic research has developed as a concept, methodology, and set of standards, gaining legitimacy through institutions, research experts, and cultural acceptance. 

 

Historically, the arts were elevated from craft to intellectual practice during the Renaissance era, and later, the humanities and social sciences also became formal knowledge domains. 

 

Mortensen posited that it is time to bridge the longstanding divide between the sciences and the humanities, and that progress requires communication and collaboration across fields. This is particularly important within an Italian context, where structural divides between artistic disciplines (Fine Arts Academies, Music Conservatories, Applied Arts Schools, Dance, and Theatre) make it more challenging to strengthen the sector as one and to work in a cross-disciplinary way. 

 

Referring to thinkers such as Thomas Kuhn and Paul Feyerabend, who demonstrated how knowledge and scientific progress are shaped by cultural and historical factors, Mortensen showed that multiple methods – not one fixed approach – are needed for creative innovation. A clear methodology is important, but it does not have to be a scientific method to be applied to artistic research. 

 

Building on the advocacy steps taken by ELIA following the foundations set by the SHARE project – including the Florence Principles, the Vienna Declaration, and the most recent Leap Beyond the Now campaign – ELIA has been instrumental in advancing artistic research since the beginning of the Bologna Process. 

 

In recent years, the ELIA higher arts education community has discussed challenges such as open-access requirements, classification systems that fail to distinguish artistic research from art practice, and the need to articulate clearly the value and methodology of artistic research. 

 

The speech warned that as artistic research becomes more institutionalised, there is a risk of forcing it into rigid academic standards. To mitigate this, the artistic research community must maintain confidence, clarity, and strong conceptual foundations. This will protect the unique qualities of research in the arts while still integrating into broader research structures. 

 

The conference continued over the following two days with several sessions giving the floor to both emerging and experienced researchers, who shared their work in the charming settings of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples and the Fine Arts Academy of Naples. The organisers brought to Napoli some of the experts in the field, including Mick Wilson, the chair of ELIA’s SHARE project on Artistic Research, which has had a profound impact on the field’s development since 2010. 

 

While each country, institution, and individual researcher has their own approach and unique perspective, many processes and methodologies have been tried and tested. This is the time for open discussion, peer learning, and knowledge exchange on the subject, as we consolidate as a sector and develop new pathways for artistic research in a wider international context going forward. 

 

ELIA is keeping abreast of these developments across its 280-institution-strong membership and will continue to advocate on your behalf.