### Part 1 Review: Artistic Research & Research Questions ### 1. What Is Artistic Research? Artistic practice can become research when making is a way of: - **asking questions** - **exploring possibilities** - **generating knowledge** > **Artistic research is not simply “being creative.”** --- ### 2. What Makes Making Research? Artistic research involves: - identifying a **question or problem**; - investigating through **artistic practice**; - reflecting on what emerges; - documenting and contextualizing the process; - communicating the knowledge produced. --- ### 3. What Is Context? Contextualizing means asking: - **What already exists?** ↓ - **How does my work relate to it?** ↓ - **What does my work add, challenge, or change?** > Your project does not exist in isolation. --- ### 4. Three Ways of Thinking About Research ### Research _On_ Art - Art is the **object of investigation**. ### Research _For_ Art - Research supports an **artistic or technical outcome**. ### Research _In/Through_ Art - Artistic practice becomes the **primary means of investigation**. --- ### 5. From Interest to Research Question ### Example - **Interest:** Granular synthesis ↓ - **Curiosity:** Perception of continuity ↓ - **Problem:** Fragmented sound and continuity ↓ - **Question:** How can granular synthesis investigate the perception of continuity in musical time? --- ### 6. Making vs. Researching ### Production Question - “How do I make an interactive musical instrument?” ### Research Question - **“How does its design affect the performer's musical decision-making?”** **Making** → What can I build? **Research** → What can I learn? --- ### 7. Research Question + Creative Practice **Research Question** - What do you want to understand? **Creative Practice** - What will you make to investigate it? ### Example - Question: How does interface latency affect musical agency? - Practice: An interactive instrument with controllable latency --- ### 8. Research Is Iterative - Question ↓ - Experiment ↓ - Unexpected Result ↓ - Reflection ↓ - New Question **Your initial question can change as the research develops.** --- ### Before We Start Part 2 Let's talk about your own project: - What interests you? - What problem or curiosity does it raise? - What do you want to investigate? - What might your research question be? --- ### Today we will move from... - What do I want to investigate? ↓ - What am I going to make? ↓ - How will I investigate it? ↓ - How will I know what I learned? ### From Research Question to Thesis Project - You have a question. Now, what are you going to do with it? --- ### Research Question → Project Idea A research question does not determine a single project. One question can lead to **many possible artistic approaches**. --- For example: **Research Question** - How does interface latency affect a performer's sense of musical agency? Possible projects: - an interactive instrument; - a performance system; - a composition incorporating latency; - an interactive installation; - several interfaces with different latency conditions. --- ### The project is a way of **investigating the question**—not simply the final product. --- ### What Will You Make? Your **creative deliverable** is the artistic or technical work through which you conduct your research. Possible forms: - composition; - performance; - performance system; - interactive installation; - software instrument; - custom controller; - sound installation; - algorithmic composition; - audiovisual work; - experimental recording. --- ### Research Question + Creative Deliverable Your project should connect the two. 1. Research Question - What are you trying to understand? 1. Creative Deliverable - What will you make to investigate it? --- For example: **Question** - How does interface latency affect musical agency? **Deliverable** - An interactive instrument with controllable latency. **Investigation** - Perform with different latency conditions and reflect on how they affect musical decision-making. --- ### Project Scope A thesis project should be: - **ambitious enough** to generate meaningful research; - **focused enough** to investigate a specific question; - **feasible enough** to complete within the available time. --- Ask yourself: - How much time do I have? - What skills do I need? - What equipment do I need? - Do I need collaborators or participants? - What resources are available to me? - What could make the project impossible to finish? --- ### Is this ambitious enough to be a thesis—but small enough to finish? --- ### Too Broad - “How does AI change music?” ### More Focused - “How does using generative AI affect my compositional decision-making when creating electroacoustic music?” --- # Project Constraints Constraints are not necessarily limitations. They can help you **focus the research**. A good project works with its constraints rather than ignoring them. --- Consider: - time; - budget; - space; - equipment; - technical skills; - collaborators; - participants; - software/hardware; - access to information. --- # Research Methodology - How will you investigate your question? Possible methods include: - creative practice; - prototyping; - experimentation; - reflective journaling; - close reading; - critical code analysis; - historical research; - interviews; - performance observation; - audience research. --- ### Method ≠ Deliverable Your **deliverable** is what you make. Your **methodology** is how you investigate. For example: **Deliverable:** Interactive instrument **Methods:** Prototyping + performance experiments + reflective documentation --- # Artistic Practice as Method In artistic research, making itself can generate evidence. You might: 1. build something; 2. test it; 3. observe what happens; 4. document the result; 5. reflect on it; 6. modify the work; 7. test again. --- ### The process of making is part of the research.** --- ### Iteration Your first version is not necessarily your final version. - Question ↓ - Prototype ↓ - Experiment ↓ - Unexpected result ↓ - Reflection ↓ - Revision ↓ - New experiment --- ### Research develops through iteration. --- ### A failed experiment can produce valuable research evidence. --- ### Failure Is Data An unsuccessful experiment can still be useful. Ask: - What did I expect? - What actually happened? - Why might they be different? - What did I learn? - Does this change my research question? - What should I try next? --- ### Documentation should show **how your thinking and practice developed**, not just the final result. --- ### Documentation - How will you demonstrate the research process? Possible evidence: - recordings; - code; - diagrams; - screenshots; - sketches; - version histories; - rehearsal videos; - reflective journals; - design iterations; - failed experiments. --- ### Where does your project sit within existing knowledge and practice? --- ### Context + Related Work Your project does not exist in isolation. Ask: - Who has worked on this before? - What already exists? - What theories or concepts are relevant? - What artistic practices relate to my work? - What technologies or techniques am I building on? --- ### What will someone know, understand, or be able to do because of your research? --- ### Expected Contribution Your thesis should contribute **something**. This does not necessarily mean inventing something completely new. You might: - demonstrate a new application of an existing technique; - offer a new artistic perspective; - reveal something through experimentation; - develop a new tool or system; - challenge an existing assumption; - document and analyze a previously unexplored practice. --- ### Project Timeline Break the project into manageable phases. ### Phase 1 — Research & Ideation Question → Context → Initial experiments ### Phase 2 — Prototyping Build → Test → Document → Revise ### Phase 3 — Creative Development Compose / Design / Perform → Iterate ### Phase 4 — Evaluation Test → Reflect → Analyze ### Phase 5 — Finalization Final work → Documentation → Writing → Presentation --- ### Your Project Proposal By the end of the planning process, you should be able to describe: ### 1. Research Question - What do you want to investigate? ### 2. Research Problem - Why is this worth investigating? ### 3. Creative Deliverable - What will you make? ### 4. Methodology - How will you investigate it? --- ### 5. Context - What existing work or knowledge informs your project? ### 6. Contribution - What might your research add? ### 7. Documentation - What evidence will you collect? ### 8. Timeline - How will you complete it? --- # One-Sentence Project Description Try completing: > **I will investigate [QUESTION] by creating [DELIVERABLE], using [METHODS], in order to understand/contribute [INSIGHT].** --- For example: > **I will investigate how interface latency affects a performer's sense of musical agency by creating and performing with an interactive instrument, using controlled experiments and reflective practice to understand how technological constraints shape musical decision-making.** --- # Final Check Before committing to your project, ask: - **Is there a clear question?** - **Is there a meaningful problem?** - **Does the creative work help investigate the question?** - **Is the methodology appropriate?** - **Is the project feasible?** - **Is there enough room for experimentation and discovery?** - **Can I document the research process?** - **Can I explain what the project contributes?** --- ### Your Project Name: **A research question**: **A research problem**: **A possible creative deliverable**: **A possible methodology**: **A preliminary timeline**: --- ### Your project will change. That's part of the research.