Assis and D’Errico, in their first edited volume of a new series on artistic research, boldly announce the impossibility of defining the concept. Indeed, the book and its authors defy closure, and the essays present a stimulating, wide-ranging and insightful overview of the field, on themes spanning areas as diverse as music, bioart, art theory, and architecture.

Helena Marinho, Assistant Professor at the Department of Communication and Art, University of Aveiro, Portugal

When does artistic research happen? Framing the question ‘What is artistic research?’ in these more embodied terms provides one of the guiding pointers for this collection of fifteen essays offering a methodologically and geographically diverse selection of answers. The editors have assembled an impressive array of authors, each with their own relationship to the discipline.

Darla M. Crispin, Director of the Arne Nordheim Centre for Artistic Research, Norwegian Academy of Music

This work provides a comprehensive overview of how artistic research has established itself as an integral part of today´s art world and higher education in the arts. It consists of informed accounts of the contemporary modes of research conducted in particular art fields, and case studies highlighting the ways that research takes place in practice. Together, they show how, in the 21st century, the flag of avant-garde has moved to the hands of the artist-researchers. Their experimentations carry further the institutional critique in the arts and expand the realm of artistic practices towards formerly unreachable dimensions of reality.

Esa Kirkkopelto, Professor of Artistic Research, Malmö Theatre Academy, Sweden