Collaboration in experimental art: case studies in co-creation, transdisciplinarity and art-science practice at Ars Electronica Futurelab

This research brings new perspectives on the unique activity of collaboration in a collective experimental art context and which has involvement from a variety of external stakeholders across government, industry and academia. The research was conducted at the internationally renowned Ars Electronica located in Linz, Austria. A review of the associated literature reinforces the proposed problem that there are unknowns and contradictions in how the term collaboration is understood in open ended and group based experimental art contexts. Experimental art is an ambiguous and often misinterpreted conundrum, however through combining many reputable sources its criteria includes; process-oriented, comprises of radically new or innovative styles, incorporates multiple disciplines, looks to extend the boundaries of art and often, but not always, involves a relationship between art, technology and science. For that reason, the research connects to the emerging discourse of art-science and the field of transdisciplinarity. In recent times, the problem-solving methodology of Design Thinking has been at the forefront of creative innovation discourse. However, upon investigation, the term collaboration is seemingly applied in this context for undertakings which are more akin to cooperative or coordinated roles and structures. A review of work from the field and examples from the Ars Electronica archive revealed that there is indeed a difference between a Design Thinking approach and an Art Thinking approach which has developed out of practice in recent years. This leads to the research question which asks; What is the role of collaboration in open ended and group based experimental art contexts? The hybrid methodology brings together experimental Art Thinking, phenomenology, conceptual metaphor theory and some key aspects of Eastern philosophy and autoethnography. Criteria were extracted to form a new evaluative framework for collaboration in experimental art. Case studies from the researcher’s own applied practice as a producer at Ars Electronica Futurelab are analysed as part of the investigation, testing of the conceptual framework and proof of concept. Based on the methodological framework developed in chapter five and demonstrated in chapter six, the research concludes by proposing a new model for collaboration based on a unique “Art Thinking” mindset. The model merges two systems of creativity; one that is an open-ended, experimental and ongoing collaborative culture with the other which is a coordinated, closed-ended and structured approach to problem solving. Through articulating a new addition to the typology of collaboration, the research also brings new knowledge for better understanding how transdisciplinary and art-science practice can be cultivated beyond the limitations of, but also complimentary to, Design Thinking. The implications of which can provide avenues for policy makers across a range of fields and enquiry with the potential to weave both cultural and business aspirations together to form a unique innovation ecosystem.