Philosophy Commons^™

On Incomprehensibility, Nicholas Romanos

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

No abstract provided.

Uncovering The Flaws In A Philosophy Of Cover Songs, Brandon Polite

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

In this paper, I explore some flaws in P.D. Magnus’s book, A Philosophy of Cover Songs. First, I contest Magnus’s claim that in order to count as a cover, a version of a song must target a recording rather than a performance of that song. Second, I reveal a problem with his taxonomy of covers and defend “mimic covers” from his view that they aren’t worthy of aesthetic interest. Finally, I question the adequacy of his ontology of songs by considering a class of songs that his view cannot accommodate.

Reflections On Cover Songs: Replies To Polite, P. D. Magnus

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Brandon Polite poses a number of interesting criticisms of my account of cover versions. Some I am happy to acknowledge and take on board, but with others I feel he goes too far. I take this chance to clarify and extend my account.

Evolving Design Critique For A Changing Industry, Sejin Hwang, Amy Ai, Leo Bang, Yuchen Chen, Kathryn Chen, Tiffany Chang, Stephen Jiang, Chloe Jo, Eileen Lee, Nicole Lu, Ray Liu, Kevin Wei, Elaine Zhang, Ellano Zhou

Student Work

This class serves as an exploratory practice in response to existing studies evaluating critique environments in the design industry. Previous studies identified three key limitations in the critique process: (1) a lack of experience for novice designers working with non-designers when reviewing their work, (2) an ineffective final review structure, and (3) a need for a more constructive and engaging feedback-sharing environment.1 To address these challenges, the course was designed to “critique” critique activities and develop strategic solutions to transform the way design work is reviewed, analyzed, and critiqued. The course was part of a pilot fall semester program called …

A Note On The Weather, Arnold Berleant

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

No abstract provided.

Contemporary Fanfiction As Decoupled Participatory Sensemaking, Mingxi Xu, Christian Kronsted

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Within the last fifteen years, a new form of community-driven literary practice has developed on the internet, namely fanfiction. Fanfiction is unlicensed community-authored writing about established intellectual property, made for fans by fans. In this paper, we provide an overview of contemporary fanfiction circulated on the most popular fanfiction platforms (Wattpad and Archive of Our Own). We also bring in recent cognitive science studies on creativity and art, where there is an emerging consensus that creativity is not a product of an individual mind that imposes its intentions onto a static object. Instead, creative processes tend to be co-emergent between …

In Praise Of Dessert, Yujia Song

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Is there something special about dessert? Is it the sweetness or sumptuousness or something else? This essay explores the aesthetic layers in our experience of dessert. It will turn out that dessert promises much more than sensuous pleasures. As we savor our dessert, we reach outside the humdrum of everyday life for a taste of all the good things life has to offer. Although dessert is by its nature superfluous, it is precisely its being “unnecessary” that makes it necessary for us.

Editorial, Yuriko Saito

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

No abstract provided.

Notices, Editorial Office

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

No abstract provided.

Recent Publications, Editorial Office

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

No abstract provided.

Design(Ing) Disruptions: Towards Intimacies Between Feminist Situated Knowledge, Gossip And Design, Senjuti Sangia

Masters Theses

This project highlights and problematizes the knowledge traditions and politics foundational to problem-solving paradigms in design education and practice. By emphasising the ontological nature and turn in design (Willis, 2006, Fry, 2012) , this thesis critically appraises the aforesaid formulations by extending intersectional feminist theories to dominant design epistemology. Drawing on the sociological framing of the matrix of domination, I investigate the dichotomy of the designer and user- as designers, users, and communities find themselves at different junctions in the matrix of domination. Further, I critique design frameworks from the analytical lenses of feminist situated knowledge, In so doing, I …

Atmosphere In The Images Of Contemporary Chinese Illustrators In Exchange With Western Styles Of Depiction, Volkmar Mühleis, Yingda Dong

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

In our contribution, we would like to discuss the depiction of atmosphere in the drawings of contemporary Chinese illustrators, regarding their exchanges with comparable Western styles. Therefore, we first address general structural questions of how to conceptualize the atmosphere in Eastern and Western cultures and then focus on concrete examples of images and contextualize them.

Aesthetic Evaluation Of The Atmosphere In Everyday Environments-A Case Study In Ashiyahama Seaside Town, Japan, Mao Matsuyama, Jaeyoung Heo

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Since the emergence of environmental aesthetics, this field has been expanding its focus into various objects and environments including human-made objects. But still, it seems that we prefer aesthetically good environments and experiences because the word ‘aesthetic’ often automatically implicates some kind of positive value. However, as Timothy Morton suggests with the concept of dark ecology, we have to find a way to love “the disgusting, inert, and meaningless” that we have created and rely on as well, instead of dreaming a romantic and idealized world.

n this interdisciplinary research with aesthetics and environmental science, we will investigate the aesthetic …

The Construction Of Intercultural Temporal And Spatial Atmospheres In Sino-Italian Art Exchange Exhibitions: The Exhibition “Forms Of Time” As An Example, Rui Ji

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Since the 1990s, Sino-Italian art exchange exhibitions have achieved fruitful results. They juxtapose and integrate different heterogeneous cultures of the two countries, forming an intercultural spatial and temporal atmosphere. This paper analyzes one of these exhibitions, “Forms of Time,” and explores how to build the atmosphere. A joint exhibition between the Chinese artist Tong Yan Runan and Italian artist Giorgio Morandi was held at the Bologna City History Center in 2017. Combining the intercultural origins of Michel Foucault’s heterotopia and the principle of “heterotopias/heterochronies,” this paper discusses two significant aspects. First, it analyzes the “heterogeneity” constructed by the two artists …

Vitality Semiotics: The Ever Beautiful And Its Potential For An Intercultural Approach, Martina Sauer

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Two landscapes from different cultures, Europe and China, that are both considered masterpieces are the focus of this study. To what extent are they each perceived as beautiful? Can the differences in aesthetic understanding tell us something about the respective cultures? Do the results have the potential to contribute to intercultural rapprochement between Europe and China? The possibility that these ideas can be fruitful for intercultural connections and understanding, and for a reevaluation of the interaction between humans and nature, will be considered and analyzed using the tools and theory of vitality semiotics (VS). To this end, its premises in …

Co-Creating Atmospheres: The Use Of Design For Vā/Wā, Community, And Common Sense, A.-Chr. Engels-Schwarzpaul, Emily Parr

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Design is usually understood as a professional activity by which objects and processes are given form through the deliberate and innovative deployment of aesthetic means. While design disciplines are branching out beyond their traditional concerns, and co-design increasingly involves nonprofessionals, designers’ conceptual engagement with the perceptual processes set in train by design remains limited, even though they know them to be important from experience. Aristotle’s common sense, for instance, is not commonly discussed in the design literature—yet its communal aspects could enrich not only co-design. Another expansion of perception beyond the individual occurs in atmospheres, which we register when …

Designing Atmospheres: An Aesthetic Practice Across The Pluriverse?, Burkhard Meltzer

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Experiences of sensing of and finding oneself in a place largely depend on the design of atmospheres. Against the background of an increasing interest in ecological perspectives across various disciplines and regions, this text revisits Gernot Böhme’s respective aesthetic concept from the early 1990s. Arturo Escobar’s recent publication, “Designs for the Pluriverse,” which aims at restructuring relations between local design practices and global connections, will serve as a contemporary space of resonance for this exploration. How far might the aesthetic concept of atmosphere help to bridge gaps within today’s pluriversal thinking?

Creating Atmospheres As A Pedagogical Task, Kora Butz

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

This article focuses on the question: how do children experience atmospheres? A literary excerpt shows that children have no distance to their surroundings and therefore can be influenced and shaped by atmospheres to a much higher degree than adults. This view is supported by some recent neuroscientific studies. Atmospheres could turn out to be a forming influence in the child´s development, even slightly modifying the bodily constitution of later life. This puts a deep responsibility on parents and pedagogical staff. As a pedagogical task we must investigate what kind of atmospheres can contribute to a healthy way of bringing up …

Beauty As Care. Designing Atmospheres For Healthcare Places, Elisabetta Di Stefano

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

According to German philosopher Gernot Böhme, the “aesthetics of atmospheres” is highly important in architectural design. This holds particularly true in the design of hospitals and sanatoriums, where users require special care and attention. Moreover, in these marginal places of everyday life, not only the production of appropriate atmospheres but also the aesthetics of care can transform into a tool capable of influencing patients’ health. This essay aims to establish a connection between the aesthetics of atmosphere and the aesthetics of care, which stem from different philosophical backgrounds, namely phenomenology and everyday aesthetics. By examining their interrelations through the lens …

How Atmospheres Communicate: Aesthetics Of Burial Grounds And Car-Showrooms, Jürgen Hasse

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

On the one hand, atmospheres constitute themselves from situations. On the other hand, they are also produced for a specific purpose, in order to communicate feelings and the meanings associated with them. This article elaborates theoretical foundations of a recent philosophy of atmospheres. It turns out that aesthetic form not only follows function but that function also follows form. In the emission of atmospheres, there is a dialectic between surface aesthetics and depth aesthetics. Two examples illustrate the affective power of atmospheres. In the example of cemeteries, plants act in a special way as an immersive media of communication. In …

Designing A Smart Atmosphere In São Paulo: Public Spaces And The Green Image, Christiane Wagner

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

It has been suggested that urbanization does not create ways of life but rather offers models that satisfy the expectations of public life. These models can result from the ways that architects, designers, artists, and social actors shape the urban atmosphere setting. In this context, this paper focuses on how São Paulo has worked toward designing a smart city with elements that advance complex issues and promote climate change solutions. This paper explores the processes of aestheticizing and expanding public spaces through an empirical qualitative analysis in which the visual value of a space is evaluated based on cognitive and …

In-Between Places: Richard Long's Walk-Works On Dartmoor And In Japan, Eriko Yamaguchi

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Contemporary British sculptor Richard Long creates sculptures for places that he encounters during walks. Each sculpture is place-specific, but rather than separating one place from another, a Long sculpture, besides connecting places, also creates a place in the in-between spaces. Long notes that his landscape sculptures “are out there in the world, somewhere.” His work engages directly with the materials that constitute those in-between places as a mark of his being on his way. His sculptures thereby encompass time, space, speed, the distance of his walk, his physical reality, and sensory experiences encountered during his walks. These will, however, soon …

V.1 Fall 2024, Center For Arts & Language, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

v.1 is a publishing platform for the ongoing work, ideas, discussions, debates, and aspirations of students at the Rhode Island School of Design. The Fall 2024 issue contains articles on RISD Alumni Graciela Batista's Commencement speech on friendship and community, Britain's Royal Festival Hall, birds crashing into glass buildings, an Ojibwe student's reflecting on his native identity, RISD student interviews, an abandoned Bed Bath and Beyond store, Ai Weiwei's Kui Hua Zi, life in Banaras, a student's Yankee Swap experience, the 2024 RISD Grad Show, and indentations, along with student creative writing and a feature on images students saw out …

The Temporality Of The Aesthetic Appreciation Of Food And Beverages, Hiroki Fxyma

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Taste and smell are gaining status in aesthetics, but theories concerning their basic appreciation are insufficient. This study aims to clarify the temporality of food and beverage appreciation. First, the temporality underlying this appreciation is classified into three categories: the time of the object, the time of the embodied cognition, and the time of the phenomenon. Next, four aspects of the time of the phenomenon are proposed: non-temporal, linear temporality, circular temporality, and point temporality. These four temporalities are not determined a priori but generated by the eater’s attention. This study provides a basis for discussing food and drink as …

Fentanyl: Social Somanaesthetic, Valery Vino

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

No abstract provided.

Black Bodies In White Spaces: Considering The Black Female Ballet Dancer In South Africa, Devon Bailey

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Considering apartheid in South Africa and the resistance that black (dancing) bodies were met with in white (ballet) spaces, there are clear, prevailing effects of the male gaze on how the bodies of black, female dancers are perceived in the arts. In this paper, I argue that the neglected and overlooked black female/oppositional gaze presents a strong challenge to the white male gaze in relation to how black, female, ballet dancing bodies are perceived, using the example of black, South African, female choreographer Dada Masilo’s interpretation of “Swan Lake.” I take Paul C. Taylor’s sarkaesthetic approach to show how Masilo …

Past-Oriented And Future-Oriented Frames Of Familiarity: Aesthetic Experience In Everyday Environments, Mami Aota

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Familiarity is an important concept that reveals aesthetic and ethical connections in everyday environments. However, it is unclear what a particular object of familiarity is in our daily lives. Identifying the object of familiarity is important for respecting residents’ perspectives in practices such as community redevelopment. This study uses two concepts, past-oriented and future-oriented framing, to clarify the process of identifying objects with which we feel familiar in our everyday environments. A past-oriented frame is invoked by a loss experienced in an everyday environment and refers to memories relating to our habits therein. A future-oriented frame is called upon by …

How Could Anybody Ever Feel At Home? Aesthetic Familiarity, Epistemic Comfort, And Displacement, Ariane Nomikos

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Places are at once inhabited by various individuals who are themselves members of diverse communities and whose experiences of the same everyday living environment can vastly differ. Everyone lives in some place, but not everyone is fortunate enough to feel as if they belong to that place, as if that place is their home. According to José Medina (2017), those who inhabit a place they are unable to make their home experience a unique form of displacement, that of being displaced within a place. This, he claims, is a problem for everyone—not just for those experiencing displacement within …

That's Beyond My Imagination!, Kiyohiro Sen Phd

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

According to one strongly supported view, fiction is a functional kind that communicates imaginings. Combining this definitional thesis with a plausible principle concerning functional kinds leads to the following evaluative thesis: features that contribute to communicating imaginings constitute good-making features as fiction, and features that impede this constitute bad-making features as fiction. However, this thesis is at odds with the actual practice of fiction. Critics can show their admiration for complicated works of fiction by stating, “That’s beyond my imagination!” I argue that in resolving this paradox of hard-to-imagine fiction, we should not deny the observation, but rethink the definitional …

Virtue Appreciation And Sustainability In Olafur Eliasson’S Ice Watch, Nicole Hall

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

This paper is a case study of Olafur Eliasson’s Paris installation of Ice Watch (2014-2018) that coincided with the Climate Change COP-21 conference at the United Nations in 2015, and whose message was poignantly felt as a reminder of global warming, the melting polar regions, and the current environmental crisis. In particular, I explore how and what might we learn from this installation, to consider and rethink the relationship between aesthetic value, ethical value, and the concept of sustainability. Considering that Eliasson’s work requires relational perceptual-intellectual double awareness, it is argued that virtuous appreciation, judgment, and evaluation emerge if engaged …