Disputas: Geir Grothen

Doctoral defence: Geir Grothen

Geir Grothen is a historian of ideas, with previous studies from the University of Oslo. Geir Grothen has worked at Telemark University College / HSN / USN since 2006. He has his workplace in Bø, where he teaches Cultural Studies. The theme of his dissertation is the relationship between audiences and art.

About the dissertation

Art and culture have important roles in Norway, with public authorities facilitating public access to art and cultural experiences. One general notion of art is that it can provide access to experiences that enrich us in ways that other experiences cannot. This notion of what art can do therefore plays a vital role in the legitimation of cultural policy measures.

Art museums are arenas where it is possible to study encounters between art and the public as they take place. The dissertation attempts to answer two related questions: What happens in art museums, and how can we best investigate what happens there? An attempt is made to answer the first question with the help of empirical material, which stems from a series of stays in selected art museums. The second question is answered through discussions of the use of theory and method.

The dissertation discusses both well-established ways of investigating such meetings and possible gains by supplementing these with more open theory and method perspectives; theories and methods that also include qualities such as
sound, atmospheres, intensities, bodies, movements and materiality.