Alex Arteaga

Alex Arteaga serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Research Institute of Uniarts Helsinki, focusing on interdisciplinary research. He has maintained strong connections with Helsinki’s academic institutions for over 15 years, including collaborations with the Academy of Fine Arts, Theatre Academy, and Sibelius Academy. Currently, he leads the “The Sense of Common Self” project, funded by the Kone Foundation (2023–2026), exploring transformative environmental perception through collective listening practices.

Alex holds a PhD in Philosophy from Humboldt University Berlin. His studies span music theory, piano, electronic music, composition, and architecture, completed in Barcelona and Berlin. This diverse academic background underpins his transdisciplinary approach to research, which challenges traditional disciplinary boundaries by emphasizing “non-disciplinary” methodologies.

His research interests center on the concept of the “common self”—a collective autonomous system emerging from human and non-human interactions. He investigates how environments and identities are shaped through aural practices, particularly in sound-based frameworks like “sonic democracy”. Arteaga argues that aesthetic thinking is foundational to social and political change, advocating for research that prioritizes transforming collective life through unmediated, sensory processes.

Arteaga’s work includes experimental projects in Rovaniemi, Finland, where he guides small groups in transformative aural practices across 100 selected locations. These projects aim to induce temporary common selves and redefine concepts like “sonic environment” and “sonic commons”. The first phase involved a joint exhibition at the University of Lapland’s Galleria Hämärä, while the second phase seeks broader public participation beyond academia. He views these initiatives as alternatives to conventional citizen science, emphasizing transformation of both self and environment.

Arteaga believes all research must aim to improve societal conditions, rejecting the notion of art for art’s sake. He asserts that artistic research should contribute to sustainable living and social change by fostering first-person-plural perspectives. His long-term vision includes expanding these ideas across disciplines, bridging arts with humanities and natural sciences to create holistic frameworks for collective existence.