Endangered Conceptual Worlds

The 2026 International Forum on Artistic Research will address the challenges of Endangered Conceptual Worlds. Hosted by the University of Galway on the Atlantic coast of Ireland, it will take place from 23 to 26 June 2026 — just a few days before the start of the Irish EU presidency.

John’s Eve marks midsummer in the Northern Hemisphere. In Connemara, Oíche Shin Seáin (pronounced ee-ha shin shaw-in) is celebrated with bonfires. This refers to the transitional period of twilight as a threshold between opposing concepts, such as light and dark, past and future. On 23 June 2026, the International Forum on Artistic Research will set out to explore the intersections between minoritised or endangered languages and artistic research in all its diverse forms — while also inviting engagement beyond language alone. As the largest conference on practice-based research within and through the arts, the 17th International SAR Conference brings together leading practitioners, scholars and policymakers from the entire range of arts-based disciplines. The event showcases artistic research projects and facilitates the exchange of experiences across institutional boundaries, focusing on critical debates on key issues.

The International Forum on Artistic Research 2026 will explore how the visual, aural and material cultures of minoritised languages and endangered worlds constitute complex systems of conceptualisation and re-contextualisation. The pressing issue of linguistic diversity worldwide resonates deeply with the ethos and aims of the Artistic Research movement. This has become particularly urgent as Large Language Models (LLMs) threaten minoritised languages and generative models of Artificial Intelligence challenge the very concept of creative practice. The Forum in Galway 2026 will bring together a wide range of perspectives on the most urgent issues for cultural diversity. It will respond to these issues through four days of peer-reviewed presentations, performances, keynote speeches, policy labs and breakout sessions, while also offering dedicated slots to SAR's Special Interest Groups (SIG).

Practice-based research through the arts poses a fundamental challenge to both reductionist and conventional modes of thinking within academia and society. As a minoritarian mode of knowledge production, it eludes simplification and easy categorisation. By expanding formations of critical thinking, creative practice and social imagination in fundamental ways, it celebrates the complex and diverse modes of thought and action necessary to address today's societal challenges. Artistic research is uniquely placed to embrace and explore diverse systems of knowledge formation that exist underneath or next to established power structures. By moving beyond the limits of text, writing and the imperative practices of counting, mapping and dissecting, artistic research provides access to knowledges situated outside predominant or hegemonic cultures.

A call for contributions for the International Forum on Artistic Research 2026 will be published soon! Keep an eye out for more details and subscribe to the SAR conference 2026 newsletter to stay updated.

https://sar2026.ie

The University of Galway is a bilingual institution with a strategic commitment to the arts and creativity, and to supporting a sustainable future for the Irish language. It offers globally recognised programmes in performance, creative writing, music and film. The University's research institutes and centres explore creative technologies and interfaces between the arts and sciences.

The Society for Artistic Research (SAR) is an alliance of nearly 100 universities, art academies and music conservatories, as well as non-academic institutions. SAR connects, showcases, facilitates and advocates for artistic research in all its forms, facets, dimensions and across its disciplines.