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17th Conference of the Society for Artistic Research (SAR)

Dis.autonomy Practices. A "conceptaphor" and methodological practices to other conceptual worlds in artistic research.

Presented by: Janaina Carrer
🗓️ Wednesday, 24 June — 12:10pm - 1:10pm (60 mins)
Presenters
Abstract
What is the anti-hegemonic potential of the concepts, words, and languages fostered through artistic research practices? If artistic practices can stand for endangered worlds, their potential lies in their capacity to confront and displace the conceptual formations that produce such endangerment. In dialogue with the Forum’s concerns, this presentation introduces the notion of “conceptaphor dis.autonomy,” first articulated during my PhD and currently elaborated methodologically in my postdoctoral research. It advances dis.autonomy as both concept and method, a strategy for displacing hegemonic models of subjectivity and enabling artistic practices to intervene in dominant frameworks that endanger alternative modes of existence. The notion of Dis.autonomy emerged from a biographical event and was conceived as a conceptual–metaphorical device (conceptaphor) guiding both my artistic and academic practice. Rather than redefining autonomy, it seeks to displace the hegemonic model of the self-sufficient, vertical, self-owning, and independent subject historically embedded in patriarchal and colonial imaginaries. From a situated and feminist perspective, dis.autonomy advocates inclination, oscillation, and codependence as constitutive conditions of subjectivity, while developing practical tools to resist forces that endanger alternative modes of existence. This presentation reflects on the notion of “conceptaphor dis.autonomy” and discusses practices developed within the postdoctoral project, analyzing how they are translated into methodological tools for artist-researchers. It investigates how the displacement evoked by dis.autonomy can be enacted within artistic research. By articulating dis.autonomy as both concept and method, the presentation demonstrates how artistic research generates transformations from within practice, opening space for alternative relational and epistemic configurations.
Biography
Janaina Carrer is an artist-researcher and professor who develops her work in the field of dance/performance, with a focus on artistic research methodologies and relational practices. Currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Unicamp (FAPESP Scholarship), her work is centered on developing methodological tools for artistic practice as research. She holds a PhD in Arts from the Universidad Castilla-La Mancha, Spain (CAPES Scholarship) and dual Master’s degrees: one in Performing Arts and Visual Culture from the Museo Reina Sofía/Artea (Spain) and another in Performing Arts from Unicamp (FAPESP Scholarship). Her research explores ways of displacing hegemonic and colonial practices in our modes of being and relating to others and the world.