Research at ÉSADHAR
Research enriches the academic journey by combining experimentation, artistic practice, and theoretical reflection. Art research constantly devises its own approaches that transcend disciplinary boundaries. Research activities provide a space for work and reflection that plays a significant role in the programs offered by ÉSADHAR, particularly at the master’s level. The school promotes its research through study days, exhibitions, meetings, and publications.
The ésadhar research unit is officially listed in the National Directory of Research Structures (RNSR) of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. It is organized around several components, fostering an interdisciplinary and collaborative dynamic: the journal ard, research groups, a curatorial research residency, and the RADIAN doctoral program
Research Groups
Science Fiction
Dominique De Beir, artist, professor at the Rouen campus
Samuel Etienne, geomorphologist, director of studies at the EPHE
Tania Vladova, PhD from HESS and professor of aesthetics at the Rouen campus
The Fiction / Science research group organizes seminars, publications, and study trips focused on two main themes: Aesthetic inquiry into the experience of beauty today and its connections to ecological issues; Artistic production linked to ancestral practices and recyclable materials.
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The Slingshot
Sonia Da Rocha, professor of typography at the Le Havre campus
Vanina Pinter, professor of graphic design history at the Le Havre campus
La Fronde is a research and creative collective dedicated to feminist graphic archives. Inspired by the newspaper founded in 1897 by Marguerite Durand, it explores activist forms and typographies to examine the present. Through a collaborative journal, the group promotes engagement, shared creation, and graphic experimentation.
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Art and Design in the Age of AI
Jean-Noël Lafargue, programmer and digital design instructor at the Le Havre campus
Lionel Bayol-Thémines, artist and photography professor at the Rouen campus
Emmanuelle Lepeltier, librarian at the Le Havre campus
Artificial intelligence, a term coined in 1956, is based on decades of research in computer science, cybernetics, psychology, and cognitive science, as well as two millennia of philosophical reflection on logic and reasoning. Fiction—from myths to science fiction—has also anticipated the ethical challenges of AI and automation.