Personal Information
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Given name: Dominique









Surname: Lämmli









Email: sar2026.fading355@passinbox.com









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Your contribution
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Title: From Foundation to Orientation: Theory as a Situated Tool in Art in Action Research (AiAR)









Format: Project presentation (2)









Main language: English









Abstract:
In artistic research, theory is often caught between institutional necessity and creative constraint. This paper proposes a shift: viewing theory not as a fixed foundation, but as a set of orientation points that guide practice without controlling it. 

Drawing on the Art in Action Research (AiAR) paradigm (Lämmli, 2021), I argue that researchers should abandon pre-established universalist art concepts in favour of setting-responsive methodologies. AiAR functions as a meta-framework that elicits project-specific understandings of art, knowledge, and theory directly from the conditions of the work, e.g., materials, sites, and collaborators.

By treating theory as an active lens rather than a detached abstraction, artists can make implicit choices visible and operationalise epistemic pluralism. This approach is critical in an era where globalisation and algorithmic standardisation threaten minoritised languages and local knowledges. 

AiAR’s emphasis on glocal rootings and the pluriverse allows artistic research to engage these endangered conceptual worlds not as objects of study nor as mere documentation of practice, but as living resources for resistance and innovation. Ultimately, framing theory as orientation transforms tacit, relational practices into a reflective, accountable, and transferable epistemological stance, aligning with the SAR 2026 call for anti-hegemonic knowledge production.










Link to the Exposition :  (https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/4228562/4228563)









Image: https://test.sar2026.ie/system/files/webform/submit_contribution/458/AiAR.png









Short biographies of the presenter(s):
- Dominique Lämmli, Prof. Dr. phil., is an art practitioner, researcher, philosopher, and educator specialising in socially engaged art and in the development of methodologies. She holds a doctoral degree in Global and Area Studies from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2021), where she developed the Art in Action Research (AiAR) paradigm. Since 2008, she has co-run FOA-FLUX, a research micro-hub, leading participatory projects, co-organising symposia, and facilitating workshops across Southern Africa, India, Bhutan, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. She holds a lectureship at the Zurich University of the Arts. Complementing her research, she has continuously engaged in studio-based work for over 35 years. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7171-6263










Previous presentations or iterations of the research:
See the ‘Chronology of AiAR Development’ in the exposition for a comprehensive list of previous presentations and research iterations.














Requirements
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Additional information:
Talk










Spatial and technical requirements :
Beamer and sound










Potential risks or ethical concerns:
No risks and ethical concerns










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