One-Day conference - Arts Practice and Sociological Research Methods:
Exploring Boundaries

Arts Practice and Sociological Research Methods: Exploring Boundaries A
One-Day Conference 4th June 2009 Recent years have seen an increase in
collaborative work between social science researchers and arts
practitioners, with questions of ‘performativity’ taking centre stage.

Social science researchers have looked to arts practices as sources of
innovation in data collection, analysis and dissemination of qualitative
research. Performance research in the arts has adopted the practice of
performance itself as a research tool, producing interrogative work that is
instigated by the practitioner-researcher and presented as the research outcome.

This one-day conference will explore the opportunities and challenges
presented by such disciplinary encounters by reflecting on the
methodological and epistemological issues which they raise. More
specifically, it aims to provide a space in which to evaluate the current
‘uses’ of performance in both sociological research and performance
research, exploring practices which promise to go beyond what might be
described as the ‘illustrative’ or ‘instrumental’ use of performance in
academic research.

The conference aims to explore the following questions:

• What range of methods do arts practitioners employ to explore their own
practice?
• How do arts practitioners approach epistemology, reliability and validity
when researching their own practice?
• What range of artistic techniques do social scientists employ in their
research?
• How do social scientists approach epistemology, validity and reliability
when utilising artistic methods?
• How are artists employed in social science research?
• How are social scientists employed in arts research?
• What are the overlapping and divergent concerns of social science and arts
practitioner researchers?
• Could artists and social scientists collaborate more effectively?
• What issues arise when collaborative research informs learning and teaching? 

Arts Practice and Sociological Research Methods: Exploring Boundaries seeks
to facilitate constructive and creative dialogue between academics,
researchers and practitioners in different disciplines. Keynote addresses
will be provided by speakers from sociology, dance and the performing arts,
including:

• Professor Elaine Aston (Lancaster University)
• Professor Carl Bagley (University of Durham)
• Dr Jo Butterworth (Fontys Dance Academy and Liverpool Institute of
Performing Arts)
• Dr Kip Jones and Trevor Hearing (Bournemouth University)
• Sharon Paterson (University of Teesside)

This conference has been organised by a cross-disciplinary research group at
the University of Teesside and is sponsored by the Research Institute for
Design, Culture and the Arts. It will take place at the Middlesbrough
Institute of Modern Art (MIMA). Please note that places may be limited;
delegates are asked to register by 15th May 2009.

The online registration form and conference programme can be accessed at the
Research Institute for Design, Culture and the Arts website:
http://www.tees.ac.uk/sections/research/events_details.cfm?event_id=2383

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