Artistic Research and Practice-Based Studies Group

The Artistic Research and Practice-based Studies of Media and Audiovisual Arts Group focuses on exploring audiovisual practice through practice-based methods. This group seeks to generate new insights by creating experimental media, conducting empirical studies, and developing innovative approaches to screenwriting, directing, cinematography, and editing. Their work redefines audiovisual artistic practice, pushing the boundaries of what it can accomplish.

The research group is co-lead by Dirk Hoyer and Michael Keerdo-Dawson

Research Questions

  1. How does integrating iterative improvisational workshops and entangled production cycles impact character development and the filmmaking process?
  2. What are the psychophysiological aspects of creators' and viewers' experiences, and how do these relate to simulation theory?
  3. How does artistic growth unfold within film education, and what role does tacit learning play in this process?
  4. How can point of view be innovatively constructed in film directing, and what methods effectively capture viewer engagement with film structure?
  5. How do narratives influence imaginaries and through which artistic methods can this dynamic relationship be explored?

Externally Funded Projects

  • Improv(e): Expanding character development in fiction films through iterative workshops and dynamic production cycles. Funded by the Estonian Ministry of Culture, Estonian Cultural Endowment, and University of Melbourne.
  • Creating a Point of View Corpus: Focused on exploring POV techniques in directing, led by Elen Lotman and Tanel Toom, funded by the Estonian Ministry of Culture.
  • Humans Remain: A documentary exploring non-places, funded by Estonian Cultural Capital and led by Dirk Hoyer.
  • Cinematic Minds Behind-the-Scenes: Investigating filmmakers' neurophenomenological cues, funded by the Estonian Research Council and led by Dr. Pia Tikka.
  • Tacit Knowledge Development: Examining knowledge formation in film through workshops, funded by the Estonian Culture Endowment and Tallinn University.

Recent Key Publications

  1. McNamara, R., Tikka, P. (2024). "Empathic Nuances of Machine-Mediated Asylum Seeker Narratives." Projections: the Journal for Movies & Mind, 18(1). DOI: 10.3167/proj.2024.180107.
  2. Yilmaz, M. B., Lotman, E., Karjus, A., Tikka, P. (2023). "An embodiment of the cinematographer: Emotional and perceptual responses to different camera movement techniques." Frontiers in Neuroscience, 17. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1160843.
  3. Tikka, P., Kaipainen, M. (2023). "Narrative simulation of social experiences in a naturalistic context." Neuropsychologia, 188, 108654. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108654.
  4. Hoyer, D. (2023). Retopia Creating New Spaces of Possibilities. Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9780429288180.