Dissertation in the field of Art Education: "Performing false hope: Ethical outcomes of fictitious pharmaceutical advertising as a public art intervention"
What is the responsibility of the artist in public art interventions? Which ethical responsibilities arise in art practice, within the context of academic research? How might these concerns affect artistic decisions?
These questions become central to contemporary, socially engaged art practice. In addition, as artists and artist-researchers increasingly borrow from commercial media in their practices, issues of representation and audience reception become paramount.
Lisa Erdman's dissertation, "Performing false hope", examines the unexpected ethical issues and emotional responses that arose from Finnexia®, an advertisement campaign for a fictitious medication that helps people learn the Finnish language:
http://finnexia.fi/
Finnexia® served as the primary artistic production of Erdman's doctoral research at Aalto University Departement of Art. Presented as a live performance intervention in the Helsinki Railway Station, the project aimed to generate a public space in which to discuss the experience of foreigners in Finland.
A printed copy of the dissertation may be purchased at Aalto ARTS books web shop:
