CARPA conference series
Colloquium on Artistic Research in the Performing Arts CARPA is a biennial colloquium aimed at addressing the problems and possibilities of artistic research, particularly those involving the performing arts.
About CARPA
Artistic research, art-based research, practice-based research, practice-led research, performance as research – these are just some of the terms and approaches that have been developed to describe knowledge production originating from artistic concerns. CARPA is a biennial colloquium, organised by the University of the Arts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy, aimed at addressing the problems and possibilities of artistic research, particularly those involving the performing arts. The term ‘performing arts’ is here understood in a broad sense that encompasses a variety of different creative practices. The purpose of these colloquia is to contribute to the development of research practices in the field of the performing arts and to foster their social, pedagogical and ecological connections.
CARPA9: Ecological design and performance pedagogies
The 2025 CARPA conference explored pedagogical approaches to, in, and for performance making in a climate‑changed world. The ninth colloquium was arranged by the Performing Arts Research Centre, together with the master’s programmes of Uniarts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy and the Performance + Ecology Research Lab of the Creative Arts Research Institute (CARI) at Griffith University, Australia. It was held in Helsinki on 28–30 August 2025.
CARPA8: Dramaturgies of artistic research
The eighth CARPA conference in 2023 centered on dramaturgy. The event combined embodied artistic practice with timely conceptualisation and theorisation to enquire what happens to artistic research when it takes a dramaturgical twist.
CARPA7: Elastic writing
The theme of the 7th edition of the CARPA conference was elastic writing. Due to covid-19 it was arranged fully online in 2021.
Project name
Colloquium on Artistic Research in the Performing Arts CARPA
Lead organisation
Theatre Academy
About CARPA
Artistic research, art-based research, practice-based research, practice-led research, performance as research – these are just some of the terms and approaches that have been developed to describe knowledge production originating from artistic concerns. CARPA is a biennial colloquium, organised by the University of the Arts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy, aimed at addressing the problems and possibilities of artistic research, particularly those involving the performing arts. The term ‘performing arts’ is here understood in a broad sense that encompasses a variety of different creative practices. The purpose of these colloquia is to contribute to the development of research practices in the field of the performing arts and to foster their social, pedagogical and ecological connections.
CARPA9: Ecological design and performance pedagogies
The 2025 CARPA conference explored pedagogical approaches to, in, and for performance making in a climate‑changed world. The ninth colloquium was arranged by the Performing Arts Research Centre, together with the master’s programmes of Uniarts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy and the Performance + Ecology Research Lab of the Creative Arts Research Institute (CARI) at Griffith University, Australia. It was held in Helsinki on 28–30 August 2025.
CARPA8: Dramaturgies of artistic research
The eighth CARPA conference in 2023 centered on dramaturgy. The event combined embodied artistic practice with timely conceptualisation and theorisation to enquire what happens to artistic research when it takes a dramaturgical twist.
CARPA7: Elastic writing
The theme of the 7th edition of the CARPA conference was elastic writing. Due to covid-19 it was arranged fully online in 2021.