Ways of Qualifying, with Vytautas Michelkevičius
What is characteristic about artistic research in relation to other disciplines? How is knowledge evaluated and validated, when making art and design is the core methodology?
Join us for a lecture and discussion on such questions with Prof. Vytautas Michelkevičius, head of the Vilnius Academy of Arts Doctoral Program and an active participant in the international artistic research community. In this session we turn to Ways of Qualifying: qualifying practice as research, including topics such as formats for dissertations, supervision, evaluation and peer-review.
Whether you are a seasoned researcher or just getting started, these questions are valid for us all. How is research assessed and how can we develop as (artistic) researchers?
The event is part of the Advancing Artistic Research series facilitated by Kristoffer Gansing, Matilda Plöjel and Zeenath Hasan, Department of Design.
About Vytautas Michelkevičius
Dr. Vytautas Michelkevičius is a professor, curator, writer and senior researcher (principal investigator) as well as head of the Doctoral program in the arts (since 2019) and head of Photography, Animation and Media Art Department at Vilnius Academy of Arts. He has been supervising doctoral candidates since 2016 and 6 doctoral candidates have already successfully defended their theses.
Michelkevičius is a member of various networks (SAR, EARN, Creator Doctus, etc.) and editorial boards of journals (JAR, Acoustic Space (Riga), Landing (Vilnius), .able journal (Paris), etc.).
His recent books:
- “Songs of the Cuckoo. On Knowledge, Practice and Impact of Artistic Research” (with Aldis Gedutis, 2025, VDA Press)
- “Atlas of Diagrammatic Imagination: Maps in Research, Art and Education” (with Lina Michelkevičė, 2019, VDA Press)
- “Mapping Artistic Research. Towards Diagrammatic Knowing” (2018, VDA Press).
Vytautas Michelkevičius is also curating various artistic research projects and symposia. In 2015 he was a curator of Lithuanian Pavilion in Venice Biennale (Dainius Liškevičius project “Museum”). Since 2021 Vytautas Michelkevičius together with two artists-researchers is running in Vilnius a post-media art festival www.umede.lt
Lately, his work has engaged with the intersections of somatic practices, the forest, traditional cultures, and art. Vytautas is capable of performing site-based sauna rituals, maintaining a grounded approach free from unnecessary mystification.
Publications and full CV:
https://vilnius.academia.edu/VytautasMichelkevicius