After seven years at the Royal Institute of Art, Petra Bauer, Research Leader and Head of Department of Research and Further Education in Architecture and Fine Art, is moving on to a professorship in film and media at Stockholm University of the Arts.
Congratulations on your new position, Petra! Where are you heading?
I have been offered a position as Professor in Film and Media with responsibilities as the head of the profile area of art, technology, and materiality at Stockholm University of the Arts. However, I will continue working at Mejan during the spring to allow time for a proper transition.
Tell us a bit about your professional background and focus.
As a filmmaker and artist, I work on long-term, research-based projects at the intersection of film, socially engaged art, and political activism. My films are always created in close collaboration with other filmmakers, artists, and groups. Since 2010, my artistic practice has depicted historical and contemporary groups and communities of womxn [sic] anchored in social movements in Northern Europe, mobilizing around shared experiences of precarious living conditions, violence, and racist structures.
How will you approach education and research in the future?
In my role as Professor in Film and Media at Stockholm University of the Arts, I aim to contribute to the research and development of moving images and the role of digital media in society. Given the significant societal transformations we face, it is crucial not only to reconsider our relationship with ecology, nature, and climate but also to question and change established social, political, economic, and cultural structures and habits. Simultaneously, we must consider how future conditions will impact our work and, most importantly, how we, as artists, can contribute to shaping a more sustainable future.
I look forward to actively participating in the field where I am engaged as an artist and filmmaker and teaching at the research level in moving images.
How long have you worked at Mejan?
I started working at the Royal Institute of Art as a Professor in moving images in the fall of 2016. In 2018, I was appointed as the area head for the Royal Institute of Art’s new area, Mindepartementet, which includes moving images, photography, sound art, and performance. Since 2021, I have been the research leader and head of the Department of Research and Continuing Education in Art and Architecture at the Royal Institute of Art.
What experiences and memories will you take with you from Mejan as a workplace?
Over the years, engaging in artistic research within the framework of art colleges (since 2010), I have observed an increasing need to find forms that allow for artistic research on its own terms. Much effort has been invested in establishing artistic research as a field and making it an integral part of knowledge production at universities. This has been extremely important, but my time at Mejan has taught me that it is equally crucial to ensure that we can find forms, structures, and methods based on the conditions of art, where form and content are impossible to separate.
And, of course, I take with me all the encounters I’ve had with students, researchers, teachers, guest lecturers, and other staff. I have never been in a place with so much passion for art and culture. I carry that experience with me warmly!
Thank you so much, Petra, and best of luck in your new workplace!