AREA Lunch Talk Episode 4: Terms
We're documenting and synthesising these moments to leave a trace and open further discussion and exchanges.
This is Episode 4, held on 29 April 2026, hosted by the Department of Art and Media, titled "Terms", and moderated by Prof. Juuso Tervo.
Text by Alejandra Vera. Photos by Cynthia Blanchette.
The final session of the Area Talks series centred around the concept of “Terms,” continuing the broader discussion initiated by the SAAB report on developing shared frameworks and vocabularies to strengthen strategic focus in artistic research.
The presentation by doctoral researcher Sheung Yiu opened the event, who introduced examples from his artistic research practice. His presentation highlighted how artistic research operates through inherently critical and interdisciplinary positions, and complementary and insightful contributions to broader research questions.
A central theme of the presentation was the idea that certain forms of knowledge can only be produced through artistic and aesthetic practices, particularly those connected to perception and vision. Through projects engaging with “hyperimages” and cognitive mapping, the research problematizes conventional modes of image production by combining visual material from multiple sources and scales. One outcome, the Hyperimage Atlas, explores connections between micro and macro perspectives through an expanding, collaborative collection to which others are invited to contribute.
The presentation also addressed research outputs such as participatory workshops and publishing practices that can function both as public education and as a method for disseminating artistic research beyond academic contexts.
Following Sheung Yiu’s presentation, the panelists reflected on how artistic research defines its own forms of knowledge production and institutional frameworks.
Lilly Diaz-Kommonen, professor in New Media, discussed the role of writing in artistic research, emphasizing the field’s unique ability to articulate new ways of thinking and perceiving. Her contribution highlighted the active nature of perception and the potential of artistic practices to construct new modes of understanding.
Questions of institutional structures and evaluation were raised by Professor Arja Karhumaa, who reflected on how research is shaped by paradigms, supervision, and departmental expectations. She stressed the importance of recognizing diverse expertise within artistic research and of defining standards of excellence with greater confidence and clarity.
Doctoral researcher Aurora Del Rio focused on the balance between openness and clear definitions in the development of the field. The discussion considered how artistic research can maintain experimental and fluid approaches while also establishing shared criteria for quality, evaluation, and communication within the wider research community.
Professor Harri Laakso highlighted the need to further examine the role of “artistic components” within artistic research projects and theses, underlining artistic practice itself as a significant form of inquiry and knowledge production.
The panel discussion, moderated by Juuso Tervo, explored the tensions artistic researchers navigate between academic conventions and experimental artistic practices. Participants reflected on the space between the art world and academia, questioning how artistic research can both engage with and challenge institutional expectations. Attention was given to the relationship between writing and artistic components, and whether artistic research might allow for more open, ambiguous, or fragmentary forms of argumentation that better reflect artistic processes.
The discussion also addressed questions of institutional support, publication formats, and academic legitimacy: who is allowed to work experimentally, under whose terms research is communicated, and how unconventional approaches may affect academic careers. Participants emphasized that artistic research remains deeply embodied and situated, requiring forms of expression that are specific to its epistemological practices.