The practice of theory: Peter Sonderen and the professorship in Theory in the Arts

The impact of the professorship and of Sonderens' work will be long-lasting. Projects, programmes and publications will be integrated into ArtEZ's new research structure and made available through the central research repository, among other platforms. This will ensure that his insights remain available to students, lecturers, researchers and creators both within and beyond ArtEZ University of the Arts.

Theory works like oxygen in artistic practice: it animates life, but it can also cause corrosion." – Peter Sonderen

Theory as a workshop

Theory was not viewed within the professorship as an abstract framework, but as an active, investigative practice. This took shape in the Honours Lab, ThINK, and seminar series such as In de Maak, Sondages and Time Matters. Theory functioned as material: tangible, critical and continuously evolving.

Peter Sonderen emphasises that this approach made theory visible and tangible within art education. ‘The focus was not on close reading, but on what a text sets in motion.’ In research projects such as Unpacking Performativity, reading itself became a performative practice. The Theory Workshop grew into a place where ideas and concepts were worked with in the same way as in a wood or metal workshop. Lecturers were also actively involved, through collaborations with ArtEZ Library, APRIA and ArtEZ Press, among others. Theory was thus not only shared, but embedded in the everyday practice of teaching and making.

New perspectives on ecology and time

In its later years, the professorship shifted its focus to themes such as ecology, time and materiality. Projects such as Non Urban Garden and Polyphonic Landscapes explored how artistic research can contribute to urgent social and ecological issues. Theory took on the role of continuously surprising, questioning, researching and connecting.

According to Sonderen, this type of artistic research reflects a growing urgency among artists to re-examine our relationship with the world. ‘There is a lot of attention for the non-human and the more-than-human. In the Honours Lab, in research projects and in the PREDOC programme, themes were explored that resonated with those of new materialism and environmental humanities. Here, theory was seen as a partner in thinking about the role of art in a changing world.

The future of theory

The lines of thought developed within the professorship continue in new forms, such as the Professional Doctorate, in which Sonderen was closely involved. Even after his retirement, he remains active as chair of the Scientific Integrity Committee of the art academies. What endures is the vision that theory plays an essential role in shaping the art practices of the future.

For Sonderen, it is essential that theory and practice continue to evolve together. ‘They are distinct from each other, but not separable.’ He argues for continued attention to their interaction: as partners who together make the game possible, influence the rules and open up space for research and imagination. This requires shared responsibility within education – and the realisation that theory is, in itself, also a form of practice.

Publication: Out of Theory

The professorship concludes with the publication of the book Out of Theory: Relational Ecologies of Theory and Practice in the Arts, published by ArtEZ Press. This richly illustrated and partly audio-enhanced publication brings together contributions from artists, researchers and lecturers affiliated with the professorship. With themes such as Water's Memory, Talking to AI and Generosity by Fiction, the book shows how theory and practice inform and strengthen one another.

Out of Theory marks the end of a professorship, but more importantly signals the beginning of a new phase in which theory continues to move, deepen and challenge the arts.