The Pulse of the Earth. The First Doctorate in Art at Bialystok University of Technology

The Pulse of the Earth– a performative installation

In his doctoral dissertation’ The Pulse of the Earth, A Sound-Based Performative Object as a Development of Reflection on Land Art’, Jaroslav Daveiko from the Vilnius College in Lithuania explores whether the human body, through interactive media, can become an integral part of an artwork. Theoretical reflections of the doctoral candidate at Bialystok University of Technology are accompanied by a large-scale performative project, ‘The Pulse of the Earth.

– My work allows us to understand the importance of planet Earth. It is not just the ground we walk on but an essential part of our existence – explains Jaroslav Daveiko, PhD – When the earth begins to vibrate with the rhythm of a human heartbeat interacting with the installation, its meaning is revealed!

‘The Pulse of the Earth’ combines modern technology with art. The audience experiences it through all senses, as the object intrigues with sound, vibration, and material.

The installation consists of a vertical frame and a horizontal steel plate. The entire structure is mounted on a foundation containing soil from the author’s family region. The project is technologically enhanced with biometric sensors, low-frequency speakers, and transducers. The platform measures the heartbeat of a person standing on its surface and converts it into vibrations transmitted to the Earth. In this way, the object becomes part of the landscape, activated by both human interaction and technology.

Vilnius connections and collaboration with Bialystok University of Technology

Jaroslav Daveiko, a graduate of the Vilnius Academy of Arts (2008), is a faculty member of Vilnius College and the creator of numerous multimedia installations and interactive objects. Daveiko has long been fascinated by land art, which brings art from galleries into the natural environment, creating multimedia installations that engage audiences and enrich human interaction with nature. He has collaborated with the Faculty of Architecture at Bialystok University of Technology for over 15 years.

As the artist emphasizes, it was precisely the excellent relationship with the university that determined the choice of BUT as the place to defend his doctoral dissertation:

– I am a Polish citizen of Vilnius, and maintaining my Polish identity is very important to me – says Jaroslav Daveiko. – I have longstanding contacts and active collaboration with the staff of the Faculty of Architecture at Bialystok University of Technology. Together, we have carried out many international projects, including seminars and exhibitions in the land art trend, which is particularly close to me.

The ‘The Pulse of the Earth’ installation is built on soil collected from the outskirts of the artist’s family home in Vilnius. As the artist explains, this is meant to symbolically connect the Earth and the heart, so that the viewer “feels that the Earth is not just a background but an important part of our existence.” After a short exhibition on the BUT campus, the installation will be moved to Vilnius.

A historic doctorate in the field of art

Jaroslav Daveiko’s doctoral dissertation explores reflections on “the possibility of sensually experiencing the rhythm of the Earth through interactive media” and examines how the human body can become an integral part of an artwork. The dissertation analyses, among other topics, the Earth’s rhythm, the symbolism of the heartbeat, corporeality in art, and human relationships with the landscape.

– This work perfectly aligns with global trends and innovatively draws on several currents – emphasizes Prof. Jarosław Perszko, DSc, PhD, Director of the Institute of Art at the Faculty of Architecture, Bialystok University of Technology. – Above all, it is a public-space work within the land art movement, whose impact is enriched by the personal perspective of the creator, which, in my view, makes the piece exceptionally valuable. Jaroslav Daveiko explored the relationship between humans and nature and translated it into a perfected form.

The public defense of Jaroslav Daveiko’s doctoral dissertation took place on 21 November 2025. The proceedings were conducted by the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Architecture at Bialystok University of Technology. The dissertation was supervised by Prof. Jarosław Perszko, DSc, PhD (Faculty of Architecture, BUT) and co-supervised by Assoc. Prof. Tomasz Sobisz, DSc, PhD (Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk).

The reviewers of the dissertation were Assoc. Prof. Małgorzata Dorota Kręcka-Rozenkranz, DSc, PhD (Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk), Prof. Kamil Kuskowski, DSc, PhD (Academy of Art in Szczecin), and Prof. Ryszard Zygmunt Ługowski, DSc, PhD (Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw).

According to the reviewers, the art installation ‘The Pulse of the Earth, whose effect emerges “solely in the act of participation,” creates an intimate bond between the viewer’s body and the natural environment, making the Earth an active medium of communication.

This is the first historic defense of a doctoral dissertation in the field of art, discipline of fine arts and art conservation, at Bialystok University of Technology, and also a tangible confirmation of the University’s rights to train academic staff in a new, artistic dimension. Bialystok University of Technology has the authority to award doctoral and habilitation degrees in 10 scientific disciplines belonging to engineering and technical sciences, agricultural sciences, arts, and social sciences.

Author: Monika Rokicka

Read more:
BUT Knowledge Base. The Pulse of the Earth. A Sound-Based Performative Object as a Development of Reflection on Land Art. Abstract

Photos from the public defense of Jaroslav Daveiko’s doctoral dissertation at BUT on 21 November 2025.