Researching Through Art is an intensive course that explores artistic practices as tools for thinking, research and experimentation. It is a space where process matters as much as outcome, and where art is understood not only as the production of works, but also as a way of generating questions, opening up new perspectives and producing knowledge.
Coordinated by Andrea Soto Calderón, the course combines reflection, practice and experimental workshops with invited artists to work at the intersection of language, sensibility and contemporary thought.
Over five sessions, you will explore creative methodologies, experimental processes and forms of artistic research applicable to cultural, educational and creative contexts.
A course designed for those seeking new ways of thinking through practice.
→ Dates: 2 October to 30 October 2026
→ Schedule: Fridays, 16:00–20:00 h
→ Duration: 20 hours
→ Language: Spanish
→ Fee: €750
→ Early Bird: 10% off until 2 September with the code INVESTIGAR10 (final price: €675)
→ Registration open
Objectives
The aim of this course is to explore artistic practices as tools for research and critical thinking, understanding art as a means of producing knowledge through experimentation and creative processes.
Throughout the programme, you will learn to:
- conduct research through artistic and experimental methodologies
- develop creative processes connected to contemporary thought
- explore the relationship between image, language, sensibility and concept
- incorporate artistic research tools into cultural and creative projects
- investigate new forms of visual thinking and sensitive practices
- experiment with dynamics, exercises and procedures linked to contemporary art
The overall objective of the course is to provide conceptual and methodological tools for thinking, researching and creating through artistic practice.
Who is it for?
This course is intended for people interested in art, culture, contemporary thought and creative practices as tools for research.
It is particularly aimed at:
- artists and creators
- designers and creative professionals
- cultural practitioners and cultural mediators
- researchers and educators
- students of art, humanities and design
- individuals interested in experimental methodologies and creative processes
No prior professional artistic practice is required, although an interest in exploring new forms of thinking and experimentation through practice is essential.
Methodology
The course is delivered in an intensive and participatory format based on workshops, practical exercises and artistic research processes.
The methodology combines:
- contextualisation and critical thinking sessions
- experimental workshops with invited artists
- creative exercises and sensitive methodologies
- observation, language and image-based activities
- exploration of artistic processes and procedures
- collective work and shared reflection
Rather than producing finished works, the course aims to activate processes, open up questions and experiment with new ways of thinking through artistic practice.
Curriculum
Session 1 — Thinking at the Edge of Discourse
Andrea Soto Calderón
This session will introduce the conceptual foundations of the course and explore the relationship between sensibility, language and thought. Drawing on a selection of texts and references, we will reflect on how artistic practices can generate knowledge beyond traditional forms of discourse.
Session 2 — Researching Through Montage
Andrea Soto Calderón with Valentina Alvarado
We will explore montage as a research tool capable of connecting images, memories, territories and experiences. Through audiovisual exercises and experiments, we will work with the visual essay and personal archives as ways of generating questions and producing knowledge.
Session 3 — Researching Through Art
Andrea Soto Calderón with Antonio Gagliano and Verónica Lahitte
Drawing on methodologies that combine research, writing, drawing and collective experimentation, this session will address the potential of artistic practices to recover histories, challenge established narratives and open up new ways of understanding the present.
Session 4 — Images That Touch
Andrea Soto Calderón with Marta Azparren
Taking Marta Azparren’s research on blind cinema as a point of departure, we will explore forms of perception that extend beyond vision. Listening, memory, description and imagination will become tools for thinking about and producing images.
Session 5 — Rumours and Words That Create Worlds
Andrea Soto Calderón with Lúa Coderch
This workshop will investigate language as a space in which narratives, beliefs and forms of relationship are constructed. Through exercises in observation, listening and narrative experimentation, we will explore how words can generate meaning and open up new possibilities for collective imagination.
Career Opportunities
The course provides tools that can be applied across a range of cultural, educational and creative fields in which artistic methodologies and critical thinking are increasingly relevant.
The knowledge acquired may be applied in:
- artistic research
- cultural mediation
- educational and pedagogical projects
- cultural management and production
- curatorial practice and cultural programming
- collaborative creative processes
- pedagogical innovation
- interdisciplinary artistic practices
- the design of experimental methodologies
- projects related to contemporary art and visual thinking
It is also particularly valuable for those wishing to incorporate new research and creative methodologies into their professional practice.
Teaching Staff
Andrea Soto Calderón
Philosopher, researcher and lecturer specialising in aesthetics, contemporary art, critical thought and visual culture. Her work explores the relationship between image, sensibility, language and forms of knowledge in the contemporary context.
The course will also feature invited artists who will share methodologies, processes and approaches to research through artistic practice.