Florian Dombois, Triple Instruments, 2019, Photo: Florian Amoser, ZHdK
In this interview, Florian Dombois and I reflect on his pioneering role in the field of artistic research and the path that led him there. “I had doubts about geophysics and the approach of the natural sciences from the very first semester, but I couldn't bring myself to drop out,” he says, looking back on the beginning of his studies. I have been working with Florian as his research assistant and co-curator of the annual Wind Tunnel Festival at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) since 2022. Together with our colleague Berit Seidel from the artists collective U5, we explore strategies, methods, and formats of being-in-the-world within our academic and artistic practices. Florian has been an artist and professor in the Research Focus on Transdisciplinarity at ZHdK since 2012, where he leads artistic research projects and founded an artistic PhD program. His artistic practice dates back to the 1990s, the founding years of artistic research. For us, it seemed a fitting moment to reflect on Florian’s work and take a step back to consider the early introduction of what is now a highly discussed field — artistic research.