Hi Steinunn, you have engaged your fellow doctoral students within different disciplines to perform a series of performative events, tell us more!
-Yes, in my artistic method there is always a host and there are guests. The host can be a single person or a community and the work is built around this host. In STRINGS the host is the Agenda 2030 Graduate School.
-In part one, called 'We Are All Researchers', it is individual researchers that host a performative encounter. These are individual encounters at the workspace of the researchers, a dialogue, where host and guest share their ideas and values.
-In the second part, The Hub, it is the whole graduate school that invites guests to a performative lab. So we will be a group of researcher there meeting a group of guests. As a guest you can attend both parts or only one of them. You can even book with more than one researcher.
Who should register to “The Hub” where you will discuss motivation and “what is worth sustaining”?
-The Hub is for people in all ages that are curious and have an interest in creating changes in our society. It is a playful reflection on the things we love and also what we can do to create the world we want to live in. I claim that we are all researchers and everyone can do their contribution to knowledgemaking and change. It is a creative research training lab where guests will even leave the lab with a certificate that proofs that they are truly researchers.
What are the thoughts behind naming the project “STRINGS”?
-Strings refers to the things that we are attached to, we are pulled by so many things and our existence is entagled with other beings and non beings. String is even something that you can play music with, if streched. When you want to state your objective position you say that there are 'no strings attached'. I believe that there are always strings attached and that is probably the beauty of existence. You care about people and things around you and this is were you seek your motivations and driving force. I believe that love is the strongest motivation for change - not fear.
Is participating in the Agenda 2030 Graduate School what you thought it would be like?
-Participating in the graduate school has been really inspirational for me as an artist. It is a priviledge to get an insight into the different academic fields, projects, methods and mindsets. My colleagues are bright and creative people and their research will contribute to positive transformation to our world - I am sure. You should book a meeting with one of them and experience it for your self.