Investigating pictorial references by creating pictorial references: an example of theoretical research in the field of semiotics that employs artistic experiments as a research tool

This paper describes a doctorial dissertation that explores one of the semiotic fundamentals of many art and design works: the nature of pictorial references to abstract content.1 This approach combines theoretical investigation with artistic experiments. It is one of the rather rare research set-ups in which an artistic process is employed as a heuristic tool.