SOMA Conference: Researching with Responsibility

The conference of the School of Music and Art Education (SOMA) explores art-based and participatory research methods as approaches that open up new ways of knowledge production and exchange. At its core is the question of how different disciplines – from artistic practice and pedagogical relationships to arts-based research – can learn from one another and shape responsible research processes.

Theoretical lectures and practical workshops illuminate ethical and pedagogical challenges, such as negotiating power dynamics, designing inclusive formats, or the role of "response-ability" – the ability to respond responsibly within the research process. Concrete examples like the project "Researching with Children in the Theater" or the method of "peer-group-supported performance analysis" demonstrate how participatory approaches can be implemented.

The conference aims to understand research as a relational process that considers not only methodological but also ethical and pedagogical dimensions. Both the potentials and the limitations of participatory and artistic methods are discussed.