PhD Thesis Defence of Britta Benno

On 14 December Britta Benno, a PhD candidate of the Estonian Academy of Arts, curriculum of Art and Design, will defend her thesis “Thinking in Layers, Worlding in Layers: Posthuman Landscapes in Expanded Field of Printmaking and Drawing” (“Mõtlemine kihtides, kujutlemine kihtides. Posthumanistlikud maastikud laiendatud joonistus- ja graafikaväljal”).

Public defence will be held on 14th of December 2023 at 15.00 at EKA (Põhja pst 7), room A501.

Supervisor: Dr. Elnara Taidre

External reviewers: Dr. Elo-Hanna Seljamaa (University of Tartu), Prof. Linda Kaljundi (Estonian Academy of Arts).
Opponent: Dr. Elo-Hanna Seljamaa

The defense will be held in Estonian.

The goal of my creative research “Thinking in Layers, Worlding in Layers: Posthuman Landscapes in Expanded Field of Printmaking and Drawing” is, first of all, to search for new art forms; to develop the fields of drawing and printmaking – by embracing the expansion of their vocabulary, exhaustively describing the work methods and conceptualising various activities.
Printmaking is doing very well today, especially due to the vast possibilities of such expansions and working methods, in all kinds of forms and concepts, whether as a posthumanist or nostalgic resistance. What is needed in my opinion, however, is a broader and more meaningful interpretation and opening up of the exact printing technologies chosen, not only the technical accomplishment – one could even say that there is a demand for a revelation of inherent tacit knowledge. I find this openness to be conceptually very characteristic of drawing. I can place all of my creative activity under the expanded drawing field, because everything starts with a simple drawing and continues depending on the conceptual and formal decisions in subsequent layers of materials and art media. The openness, permeability and permissiveness of drawing has been an essential part of all my creative research, on top of which the following layers of media, thoughts and materials have grown: animation, installation, etc.
This research is based on my three solo exhibitions – “Dystopic Tallinn” (Tallinn Art Hall Gallery, 2019), “Ruinenlust: Lasnamägi” (Hobusepea Gallery, 2020) and “Of Becoming a Land(Scape)” (Tartu Art House, 2022) – on the discussions that accompanied the creation of their concepts and artworks, exemplifying my approach to layered thinking and worlding, and to the expanded media in different variations. The thesis could be read as a travelogue in the layers of the concepts of the exhibited works.
The creative research allows me to conclude that the expanded fields of printmaking and drawing are areas full of potential, which function as subjects and methods of creative research, when used in tandem with other media – either as independent art forms, or together, as a hybrid. My exhibition practice demonstrates that prints and drawings are able to relate to new discourses and address current issues. These processes provide for endless techniques and qualities to constantly explore and disassemble.
More broadly, the dissertation contributes to the internal observation and treatment of creative processes from the artist’s position.The written part is primarily intended for other artists to conceptualise and discuss their own creative processes, including in processes of teaching and learning.

The thesis is available HERE.

Members of the Defence Committee: dr Jaana Päeva (Head of the Committee), Dr. Anu Allas, Prof. Kirke Kangro, Dr. Kärt Ojavee, Dr. Liina Unt, Dr. Kristina Jõekalda, Prof. Indrek Ibrus.