PRESENTATION

The Centre for Research and Creation (CRC) of the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts - University of Balamand is a dynamic space dedicated to research, creation, documentation, and publication in artistic domains. Its objective is to push the boundaries of innovation and creative expression in an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment. Its fundamental mission is to facilitate the discovery and development of new ideas while fostering partnerships with internal and external partners. The CRC brings together a dynamic and inspired community, guided by the common desire to make a significant impact in the field of research and artistic creation.

EDITORIAL

Since its inception in 2023, the Centre for Research and Creation (CRC) of the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA) - University of Balamand has been committed to providing quality supervision and the necessary resources for those wishing to invest in research and creation. Encouraging interdisciplinarity, collaboration and the exchange of knowledge, the CRC brings together various artistic disciplines among themselves or associates them with other non-artistic disciplines.

The arts, with their fusion of creativity and innovation, constitute a privileged domain for querying and influencing the social space. Artistic research and practices that have marked history have highlighted the norms of a given society in order to question them, provoke reflection, and stimulate the imagination. However, one of the essential characteristics of theory and practice based creativity at CRC is to explore and redefine boundaries, challenge the dominant mainstream that seeks to impose itself, stigmatize the automatic behaviors of a society entrenched in its codes and conventions, while valuing the uncertain, doubt, and action rather than the passivity of a receiver.

At CRC, artists-researchers adopt a critical attitude towards their socio-cultural environment, using it as a source of inspiration to fuel their hypotheses and reflect the "Zeitgeist". In this way, the CRC opens up new perspectives, ranging from simply highlighting current sensibilities, through problematic questioning and critical splitting of our society's most stereotyped ideas and productions, to forward-looking interrogations of new hypotheses and forms of theoretical and practical expressions.

To bring these interdisciplinary projects to achievement, CRC puts in place the necessary measures, creates the appropriate conditions and applies suitable methodologies. This is done through the Research Department of ALBA, the Research Committee, the research and creation Directors, workshop animators, lecturers and registered students. Thanks to this solid structure, researchers and creators can fully engage with today's art world.

Based in Beirut, the CRC pays particular attention to the evolution of Lebanon's creative sectors, and their impact on the country's social, cultural and political spheres.

It also maintains relations with its foreign counterparts and collaborates with other Centres and laboratories in a spirit of multi-dimensional exchange.

Ricardo Mbarkho, PhD
Head of Research Department
Director of the Centre for Research and Creation

GLOBAL AXIS OF RESEARCH AND CREATION

The CRC focuses on the study of measures and conditions favoring creative interdisciplinarity, both within the various artistic disciplines and between the arts and other non-artistic sectors.

OBJECTIVES

·         Research and creation
·         Documentation
·         Publication and dissemination

FORMAL POSITIONING

The CRC's approach is based on a desire for creative interdisciplinarity, and adopts two methodological approaches: the first, mainly followed by universities with their doctoral programs, is theory-oriented; the second, mainly practiced by art and design schools, is oriented towards creative practice. The CRC validates both methods and encourages the possibility of combining them to promote a research-creative approach that is essential today in the various fields of art and its transmission.

THE CRC OF ALBA AND THE OTHER FACULTIES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BALAMAND

Operating at the diverse academic environment of the University of Balamand, the Centre for Research and Creation embraces an interdisciplinary approach. With its primary emphasis in the realm of Arts, the CRC actively encourages participation from students and researchers across different majors. By fostering collaborations that transcend traditional boundaries, the CRC becomes a vibrant hub for exchanging ideas and perspectives. This inclusive approach facilitates the integration of diverse researches backgrounds, cultivating an enriching vibrant atmosphere and promoting the pursuit of excellence in research and creation throughout the university community.