Convoking cultural commons.

Convoking Cultural Commons is a pilot study in preparation for a new ERC application. This research aims to (1) test the "convoking" research method (Haiven & Khasnabish, 2014) by (2) one or two case studies in the cultural sector. The pilot-study proposes to analyze and evaluate the relation between scientific research and cultural practices (of creative professionals and cultural organizations) via the experimental approach of convoking cultural commons. There is often too much distance between scientific research and the cultural practice, or, more general, between universities and societies. Cultural professionals mostly do not benefit much from academic research in the humanities. The validation and credit systems of universities often do not encourage academic interest in research with useful outcomes for creative practitioners. Through the research method of 'convocation' (Haiven & Khasnabish, 2014) and by experimenting with the principles of 'commoning', including creative commons, peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, and open source dissemination, the CCRL aims to explore how an academic research agenda can be more in line with research questions of the cultural sector. How can scientific research serve concrete social interests while upholding the necessary quality criteria required by scientific and artistic standards? Research professors Marlies De Munck and Pascal Gielen, in collaboration with the cultural sector, will set up actual studies and experiment with them. The researcher will design, monitor, and evaluate a model for collaborative research. Finding a balance between social interests and scientific and artistic values is the overarching aim in this. For the sake of limiting the scope of the research, this study will be about cultural organizations and creative professionals who concern themselves with commoning practices and are interested in the theoretical and empirical outcomes of the research. The results, however, will have wider relevance for cultural domains, cultural and scientific policy, the humanities, and universities in general.

Keywords:CULTURE, ART PRACTICE

Disciplines:Art studies and sciences not elsewhere classified