Six Million NOK for Unique Research Project

Siri Senje is herself a screenwriter and theatre director. According to her, drama series for television are the world’s most widespread narrative form today.
 – This project will explore the genre and focus on one of its subgenres, namely the popular yet controversial biographical drama, she says.

Senje’s research team aims to contribute to artistic and ethical reflection on the tension between fiction and fact in audiovisual storytelling.
 – The final artistic output will be a script for a four-episode drama series titled “Born to Be an Artist,” based on the “chaotic” years of Henrik Ibsen’s life. In addition, an experimental book will be produced, where the dramatic text is enriched with visual material from the creative process, Senje explains.

The drama series is also anchored in the audiovisual field through collaboration with the production company Maipo A/S.

Prestigious Grant

The funding comes from HK-dir’s Programme for Artistic Research (PKU), which supports Senje’s project with nearly six million NOK. PKU aims to strengthen the research culture and contribute to quality and competence development in educational institutions offering creative and performing arts programs.

This project will undoubtedly contribute to academic development and generate synergies across our department.

Each year, PKU awards grants to 2–3 artistic research projects and PhD positions, open to staff at all Norwegian art academies. Kristiania has not previously received such funds, but this year Professor Siri Senje from the School of Arts, Design and Media has secured close to six million NOK for her project “Writing the Writer – an exploration of truth vs. fiction in the biographical screenplay genre.”

 – “Writing the Writer” is strongly rooted in the unique writing environment at the School of Arts, Design and Media, particularly in our new Master’s programme in Creative Writing. I have entered into binding collaborations with several major Norwegian production companies in the field of audiovisual storytelling, Senje says.

The team behind the project comes from both film and design backgrounds, involving the Westerdals Institute for Film and Media and the Westerdals Institute for Creativity, Storytelling and Design.

 – I have also brought on board expert advisors such as Professor Ellen Rees (Head of the Ibsen Centre at the University of Oslo) and historian Ivo de Figueiredo. His Ibsen biography from 2006/2007 was a game changer in Ibsen research. My international board of advisors within the screenwriting field includes artists and researchers from the UK, India, and Australia, who will participate in symposia we will organize. This project will undoubtedly contribute to academic development and generate synergies across our department, Senje says.

Extensive Undertaking

Senje will be one of three screenwriters in the project, which will span three years. The project has also received external funding for a PhD position in creative writing. Through the writing process, the team will explore how the interplay between historical facts and fiction can produce a new type of knowledge about the subject — in this case, the world-renowned playwright Henrik Ibsen.

PKU has awarded Senje three million NOK (the maximum amount) for the project itself, plus an additional three million for the PhD position.

In addition to Senje, who is leading the project, the research team includes the following members:

• Associate Professor and screenwriter Ole Christian Solbakken

• Associate Professor and producer Olav Øen

• Associate Professor and graphic designer Fredrik Eive Refsli

• Iben Gylling, dramaturge and screenwriter from Copenhagen.

Gylling is a freelance contributor and a regular guest lecturer at the Westerdals Institute for Film and Media.