University of Hertfordshire	Experiential Knowledge Project
	new knowledge in the creative disciplines
	the Experiential Knowledge Conference 2007
	The Experiential Knowledge Conference 2007 was a collaboration between the University of Hertfordshire and London Metropolitan University. It was held on Friday 29 June 2007 at the University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK. It was organised by Kristina Niedderer, Linden Reilly, Chris Smith, and Rob Godman. The conference was supported by the Design Research Society and by the AHRC-funded Design Advanced Research Training (DART) scheme, which is coordinated by Middlesex University. Selected papers were published in the Journal of Visual Arts Practice 6 (2). The remaining papers were published in the open-access e-journal Working Papers in Design vol.3. The conference addressed the theme of New Knowledge in the Creative Disciplines, in order to explore what is understood and accepted as new knowledge in research and in creative practice, and what their role and relationship might be. The theme can be interpreted differently with regard to research and to practice. Firstly, the concern for 'new knowledge' arises because research is defined in terms of the original contribution to knowledge or understanding. Secondly, through the creation of new artefacts, products, services etc, creative practice can be understood to create new realities and experiences, and thus new knowledge. Through the contribution to knowledge, research aims to advance its field. However, practice also is interested in an advance of its respective field and claims to achieve this advance through its own processes and outcomes. In the creative disciplines, the advance of the field is for example associated with the creation of new artefacts, such as paintings, design products, performances, compositions, films etc. This has raised questions about the format of the contribution of knowledge in research and practice, about its format, and about how new knowledge is created. The experiential knowledge conference served to bring together researchers and practitioners from different disciplines to engender challenging multi-vocal debates around the theme of knowledge, and to facilitate exchange and cross-fertilisation between the creative disciplines and other practice-led disciplines such as education, health, and knowledge management. It's commitment to disseminate the outcomes are demonstrated by the twin-track publication of its proceedings: the Journal of Visual Art Practice encourages high-quality reflection on the full spectrum of issues which concern those who teach in the visual art field; to engage with a wider and more diverse constituency within that expanded field, both nationally and internationally; and to establish a distinctive voice for visual art practice in relation to current debates about the future function of further and higher education, both in the UK and overseas. the e-journal Working Papers in Design is an international peer-reviewed journal for research in visual culture, published by School of Creative Arts at the University of Hertfordshire. It aims to stimulate discussion into all aspects of visual and material culture and to disseminate the research of its authors freely and widely. It seeks to provide resources that facilitate the highest level of debate amongst researchers, academics, practitioners and students.