ART AS METHOD: CONCEPT, EXPLORATION, CREATION AND REVEALING IN VISUAL RESEARCH
International Conference of PhD students in the field of Visual Arts
SIMPOZION/ SYMPOSIUM, 8th edition
“SIMPOZION” is an interaction platform dedicated to doctoral students in the field of Visual Arts and related disciplines, organized by the Doctoral School of Arts of the West University of Timișoara, Romania, part of the UNITA Alliance The generic topic of this edition focuses on the concept of art as method, which considers theoretical and artistic practices not only as forms of aesthetic production but also as modes of inquiry capable of generating knowledge.
In visual research, artistic processes such as conceptual development, experimentation, and creation function as investigative tools through which artists explore ideas, perceptions, and cultural contexts.
From a theoretical perspective, this approach aligns with contemporary discussions in artistic research that emphasize the integration of practice and theory as complementaryforms of knowledge production. The conference is organized in hybrid system: onsite, at the Faculty of Arts and Design, str. Oituz no. 4, Timișoara (RO), Mansarda Gallery, and on the Googlemeet platform.
Presentations will be in English. The registration will be done by filling in the data requested in the bellow submission form. The conference program and the connection link on the online platform will be transmitted with the selection results comunication. The participation is free of charge.
Day 1 – June 18 – ONLINE SESSIONS
PANEL 1
Moderator: Research Assistant, Ph.D. Oana-Maria Popescu
Link: https://meet.google.com/qfk-iyde-hox
PANEL 2
Moderator: Research Assistant, Ph.D. Gabriela Robeci
Link: https://meet.google.com/urj-roah-bey
Panel 1 Program
10:10 – 10:30 Ciobanu Ciprian-Andrei, The Grid as an Investigative Tool, West University of Timișoara, ROMANIA
10:30 – 10:50 Jánosi Ágnes Aniko, Textile as Method: Reinterpreting Neolithic Pattern Systems through Linocut-Based Textile Printing, West University of Timișoara, ROMANIA
10:50 – 11:10 Moraru Andra, MOVING PAINTING – metaphor and analogy in Barbara Rupik’s animation, The National University of Arts in Bucharest, ROMANIA
11:10 – 11:30 Enguix Carrasco Anna, Thinking in Images: Interruption, Montage, and the Production of Knowledge in Walter Benjamin, University of Valencia SPAIN
11:30 – 11:50 Filip Theodor-Stefan, Constructing the Image and Guiding the Gaze. Visual Composition as Method in Advertising Photography, “George Enescu” National University of Arts, Iași, ROMANIA
11:50 – 12:10 Beiglou Morteza, Aftermath Photography as Artistic Research: Place, Absence, and the Phenomenology of Post-Event Space Soureh, International University, Tehran, IRAN
12:10 – 12:30 Stoica Bianca, Jewelry: from luxury ornament to autonomous art, University of Art and Design of Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA
12:30 – 12:50 Pașcalău Claudiu-Raul, Mapping the Intersection of Fashion and Digital Culture, West University of Timișoara, ROMANIA
12:50 – 13:10 Vladimirovna Yaryshkina Polina, Art as Memory: The Symbol of the Serpent, Academy of Fine Arts of Naples, ITALY
13:10 – 13:30 Vaillant André, Truth and matter: Bacon’s anti-metaphysical stance, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), BRAZILIA
13:30 – 13:50 Bülbül Müberra, The Evolution of Digital Game Design and the Metaverse: Genre Classifications, Level Dynamics, and Player Psychology, “George Enescu” National University of Arts, Iași, ROMANIA / TURKEY
13:50 – 14:10 Drăghicescu Andreea, Geographies of (N)Ostalgia. Transgenerational Memory and Belonging in the Post-Communist Diaspora, West University of Timișoara, ROMANIA
Q / A Session closing
Panel 2 Program
13. 10:10 – 10:30 Panțur Maria, The World of Artistic Research, The National University of Arts in Bucharest, ROMANIA
14. 10:30 – 10:50 Iuga Călin Viorel, From Representation to Awareness: Visual Arts as a Tool for the Promotion and Education of Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms, University of Art and Design of Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA
15. 10:50 – 11:10 Covulic Ștefan, The Vernacular Workplace: Personal Artifacts as Tactility Interfaces for Spatial Self-Regulation, “George Enescu” National University of Arts, Iași, ROMANIA
16. 11:10 – 11:30 Moncea Ioana Mălina, Archival Modes of Artificial Intelligence: The Unidentified Vernacular Object, “George Enescu” National University of Arts, Iași, ROMANIA
17. 11:30 – 11:50 Kiss Gyöngyvér, The Objectification of Men and Its Representations in Vogue in the 1980s, University of Art and Design of Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA
18. 11:50 – 12:10 Rinaldi (Unciuleanu) Oana, The Aesthetics of Error: AI-Generated Imperfection as a Method of Visual Research, The National University of Arts in Bucharest, ROMANIA
19. 12:10 – 12:30 Luca Roxana Emilia, Artist Publications and Artists’ Books: From Political Gesture to Community Aesthetics, University of Art and Design of Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA
20. 12:30 – 12:50 Balog Isa Art, Engagement and Visibility: Participatory Artistic Practices Supporting Roma Rights, University of Art and Design of Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA
21. 12:50 – 13:10 Roșu Ioana, Material Palimpsests. Artistic Reuse and the Biographies of Building Materials in the former Eastern Bloc, “George Enescu” National University of Arts, Iași, ROMANIA
22. 13:10 – 13:30 Pistone Carmine, The Artist as Critical Data Displayer: Counter-narratives and Data Critique in Contemporary Art, Accademy of Fine Arts of Naples, ITALY
23. 13:30 – 13:50 Falco Clarissa, Ceramoprosthesis and Short-Term Prosthetics: Bodily Transformation, Embodied Cognition, and Situated Knowledge in Artistic Research, Academy of Fine Arts of Naples, ITALY
24. 13:50 – 14:10 Aguilera Molina Florencia, Xeno-Scenarios: Invisible Agencies through Artistic Practice as Research, Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero (UNTREF), Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
Q / A Session closing
Day 2 – June 19 – ONSITE SESSIONS
Mansarda Gallery, Faculty of Arts and Design (str. Oituz, No. 4, Timișoara)
Moderators: Research Assistant PhD Oana-Maria Popescu and Gabriela Robeci
Welcome Speech: Professor PhD Adriana Lucaciu
The presentations can be followed live via Google Meet.
Link: https://meet.google.com/tzo-pjbt-siy
Day 2 Program
10:00 – 10:20 Pricop Andreea, Între textul și imagine – poezia vizuală, “George Enescu” National University of Arts, Iași, ROMANIA
10:20 – 10:40 Borotea Laura, From Lesson Plans to Manifestos: Reclaiming the Artistic Biotope in Romanian Pre-University Schools West, University of Timișoara, ROMANIA
10:40 – 11:00 Gagea Dana, Visual Grammars of Data: When Composition Becomes Information, West University of Timișoara, ROMANIA
11:00 – 11:20 Babusceac Alexandru Victor, Museum Practices: Between Community Participation and Institutional Assessment, National Art Museum of Timișoara
11:20 – 11:40 Șișu (Părăușanu) Iulia, Dimensions of Western Esoteric Spirituality at the Turn of the Twentieth Century: Selected Symbolist Case Studies, West University of Timișoara, ROMANIA
11:40 – 12:00 Anghel Raluca, Artistic Projects Resulting from the Interaction of Art and Science Between the 1980s and 2020, West University of Timișoara, ROMANIA
12:00 – 12:20 Memete Anca Raluca, Art as a Form of Moral Survival Between Intellectualism and Mysticism in Romania (1940–1990), West University of Timișoara, ROMANIA
12:20 – 12:40 Foruzesh Mansour, The Ordinary as Perceptual Method: Rethinking Meaning, Image, and Narrative in Contemporary Artistic Research, Hungarian University of Fine Arts Budapest, HUNGARY
12:40 – 13:00 Tămășanu Namaah Andrada, Biophilic Design, West University of Timișoara, ROMANIA
13:00 – 13:20 Tunsoiu Oana, Inherited Sustainability: The Relevance of Traditional Interiors in Contemporary Design, West University of Timișoara, ROMANIA
13:20- 13.40 Barbu Nicoleta, The Royal Art Collection of King Carol I of Romania, West University of Timișoara, ROMANIA
Q/A Session closing PhD Candidates’ Exhibition Opening
13:45 – Opening of the PhD Research Exhibition
We are pleased to invite you to the opening of the exhibition showcasing the artistic research and works of the PhD candidates from the Doctoral School of Arts.
The event highlights the diversity, innovation, and depth of contemporary artistic inquiry at doctoral level. PhD Candidates’ Exhibition / Doctoral School of Arts (DSA) Faculty of Arts and Design, West University of Timișoara Mansarda Gallery (str. Oituz, No. 4, Timișoara)
Opening remarks: Professor Dacian Andoni PhD, DSA Director
Curators: Professor Adriana Lucaciu PhD, Iulia Părăușanu PhD Candidate