The Third Tear In Everyday Aesthetics,
2010
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City
The Third Tear In Everyday Aesthetics, Katya Mandoki
Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)
Although totally overlooked by mainstream aesthetic theory, various paths were nevertheless left open for addressing everyday aesthetics, a natural yet surprisingly controversial topic. Why they were never taken until recently, when the theme of everyday aesthetics is now becoming fashionable, can be explained not only by the obvious fact of philosophical aesthetics’ restrictive focal point on art but, among other reasons, by a kind of fetishism that demands an object of recognized value for legitimating an aesthetic inquiry. This new popularity entails, however, certain theoretical risks such as clinging to traditional art-centric and beauty-centric categories to explain the everyday and …
Recent Publications,
2010
Rhode Island School of Design
Interpretations: Deep, Reasonable, And Free,
2010
University of Pennsylvania
Interpretations: Deep, Reasonable, And Free, Paul Guyer
Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)
No abstract provided.
Another One Bites The Dust!,
2010
Rhode Island School of Design
Another One Bites The Dust!, Gabriela Salazar
Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)
The contemporary landscape is rife with ruins, from circumscribed tourist attractions to urban decay and demolition sites. When examined, our aesthetic experience of these sites ranges from historical distancing to the sublime and, when found in our local communities (e.g., Providence, RI), to discomfort, displacement, and horror. In particular, this paper is interested in how certain forms of demolition, from slow and messy to explosively dramatic, can be understood as compressed and heightened experiences of the traditional sublime ruin. Additionally, as contemporary artists often use the vernacular of the ruin in their work, this paper considers how three artists, Gordon …
Musical Presence: Towards A New Philosophy Of Music,
2010
University of London
Musical Presence: Towards A New Philosophy Of Music, Charles Ford
Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)
Most recent writings about the philosophy of music have taken an analytic or linguistic approach, focusing on terms such as meaning, metaphor, emotions and expression, invariably from the perspective of the individual listener or composer. This essay seeks to develop an alternative, phenomenological framework for thinking about music by avoiding these terms, and by extrapolating from the writings of Hegel, Husserl, and Heidegger. On the basis of discussions of musical time, its multiple levels of matter, and its internal dialectics, the essay presents a particular understanding of “style” as the primary basis for mediation between production and reception. It concludes …
Interpretation, Sincerity & "Theory",
2010
University of Louisville
Interpretation, Sincerity & "Theory", John Gibson
Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)
No abstract provided.
Response To Critics,
2010
Rutgers University
Response To Critics, Laurent Stern
Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)
No abstract provided.
The Curatorial Muse,
2010
Rhode Island School of Design
The Curatorial Muse, Michael J. Kowalski
Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)
An appreciation of the tension between the predicate, "to curate," and the subject, "the curator," is essential to understanding the convergence of creation, criticism, and administration in the graphic arts of our time. Curators were ideally positioned to step to the fore when the idea-versus-object dichotomy began to collapse in the work of Duchamp. The roots of activist curating can be found in Western Classical culture. The prevalence of conceptual art at the end of the twentieth century, combined with the explicit denigration of physical craft by artists, created a void into which activist curators moved. The curator's role as …
The Value Of Fictional Worlds (Or Why 'The Lord Of The Rings' Is Worth Reading),
2010
Mount Holyoke College
The Value Of Fictional Worlds (Or Why 'The Lord Of The Rings' Is Worth Reading), James Harold
Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)
Some works of fiction are widely held by critics to have little value, yet these works are not only popular but also widely admired in ways that are not always appreciated. In this paper I make use of Kendall Walton’s account of fictional worlds to argue that fictional worlds can and often do have value, including aesthetic value, that is independent of the works that create them. In the process, I critique Walton’s notion of fictional worlds and offer a defense of the study and appreciation of fictional worlds, as distinguished from the works of fiction with which they are …
