Methodological experimentations: interactions between research and creation

Abstract

This article proposes a reflection on the interactions between creation and research, based on the observation of artists, writers, and diverse creators in academic training contexts, in light of methodological experimentations in direct dialogue with the Critical Theory of Creation Processes. Guiding our inquiry are the following questions: 1. How can we provide support for the development of research that takes creation as its focus? 2. What consequences are entailed in a study that embraces creation as both the object and the means of investigation? 3. What contributions can the study of creation processes offer to knowledge production through practice and experimentation within the polyphonic space of the university? To address these questions, we begin by presenting the field of creation processes studies, as developed at PUC-SP since the 1990s. We highlight key milestones in this trajectory, pointing out their specific contributions to the field. We then turn to the context of two recently inaugurated programs, in Portugal and Brazil: the Master’s in Creation Processes at the University of Algarve (launched in 2022) and the Lato Sensu Postgraduate Program in Creation Processes at PUC-SP (launched in 2025). Finally, we analyze some methodological experimentations carried out by students in research-creation contexts within these two institutions, including the new programs, as a way of recognizing the richness of methods that the study of creation processes can offer to those interested in exploring the nuances of thought-in-creation and in revitalizing the body of possible methodologies within the contemporary academic context.