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Arts & Communication

PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE
Reflections from the field: Exploration of

differences between art-based and academic
research by a practitioner-researcher on Henrik

Ibsen and beyond

Agnete G. Haaland*
Centre for Ibsen Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Abstract
As an experienced actor and artistic director from Norway, I argue that
autoethnography can be a valuable method for conducting academic research on
a performer’s own practice. The art is enabling the latter, and the latter is fueling
the former. I also explore the difference between academic research and art-based
research, particularly since the Bologna Declaration of June 19, 1999, which intensified
the work of art academies and higher education to find a place for art-based research
within the university system. While dialog and cooperation between the two fields
are already resulting in new perspectives, I observe that the exchange remains
somewhat limited. Drawing from my experiences at the Centre for Ibsen studies at
the University of Oslo, Norway, along with my academic research on Henrik Ibsen
and my practice and experience as a performer, I compare these two approaches
*Corresponding author:
Agnete G. Haaland to research. A main difference is that academic research involves “thinking in print,”
(Agnete.haaland@gmail.com) whereas art-based research involves “thinking in and through art.” The article argues
Citation: Haaland AG. Reflections that there are more aspects that unite than divide the two approaches.
from the field: Exploration of
differences between art-based
and academic research by Keywords: Art-based research; Academic research; Henrik Ibsen; Digital humanities;
a practitioner-researcher on Practitioner-researcher; Autoethnography; Centre for Ibsen Studies
Henrik Ibsen and beyond. Arts &
Communication. 2024;2(2):1807.
doi: 10.36922/ac.1807
Received: September 12, 2023 1. Introduction
Accepted: December 12, 2023
The Bologna Declaration, issued on June 19, 1999, has intensified the work of art
Published Online: April 24, 2024 academies and higher education institutions to integrate art-based research into the
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). university system. Norway is one of the 29 countries that have signed the declaration. The
This is an Open-Access article Bologna initiative raised the question of how art-based research can produce knowledge
distributed under the terms of the that could align with “established standards for ensuring the quality of doctoral research
Creative Commons Attribution-
Noncommercial License, permitting in traditional academic disciplines.” 1(p1) The declaration made it vital for art colleges
all non-commercial use, distribution, and art academies to conduct art-based research that complemented academic research
and reproduction in any medium, rather than conflicting with it. The goal was to find ways in which the latter could
provided the original work is
properly cited. strengthen the former and achieve equal acknowledgment in both fields.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience Conventional academic research on art and research through artistic practices
Publishing remains neutral with address different ways of doing research. In academic research on and about art, results
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional will be disseminated through academic journals, books, and conferences. The chosen
affiliations. theories and methods will be the lenses that shape the writing and the papers. In

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 1 doi: 10.36922/ac.1807