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Taking as its starting point the notions of space and time, this year’s edition proposes a broad reflection on the confluence between philosophical aesthetics and the manifold ways of making and thinking about art. The early meaning of the term aisthesis, irreducible to the realm of art and to the concept of beauty, refers to sensorial perception, a meaning recovered by Kant in his “transcendental aesthetics”, where time and space as pure forms constitute the conditions of possibility for the sensorial apprehension of the world. However, the specific nature of the judgement of taste and of aesthetic experience, as well as the singularity of each artistic object, raise many other questions. Accordingly, the theme of the VIII Iberian Meeting on Aesthetics is stated in the plural.
Firstly, it aims to invite reflection on aisthesis, the philosophical problematic of sensorial perception, but also on the multiple meanings and practices of aesthetics and the arts that allow us to sense, imagine and think spaces and times.
Secondly, in the history of aesthetic thought there have been several attempts to partition the system of arts based on a distinction between spatial and temporal categories (Lessing being a paradigmatic case). However, just as relevant, or even more relevant, than the classic distinction between the spatial arts (painting, sculpture, architecture) and the temporal arts (poetry, music) is an understanding of the mutual contamination between the two poles of this duality. Let us question, then, in what way has this distinction been extended, complexified or subverted in the contemporary era.
Thirdly, one should consider the different ways in which artistic practices work with and through the temporality and spatiality of images, sounds, music, movement, the various materials and techniques that are part of creative processes. The arts represent or create forms of experiencing space and time, but they are also linked to historical time and to concrete places, whether through the lens of memory or as part of an experimentation that looks to the future, at times in a visionary way. Outside the realm of art in the strict sense, aesthetic experiences of everyday life, of atmospheres, of urban space, of nature or of the relationship with the landscape also call for spatio-temporal concepts that should be examined.
Finally, the plural meaning of the theme “Spaces and times in aesthetics and in art” also aims to generate reflection on the role and place of aesthetics in the present time. In the face of constant technological, social and political transformation, in the face of planetary crises and threats, such as climate-change, the recent pandemics and war, how have contemporary discussions in the field of aesthetics and the arts placed themselves? How do they relate – or not – to the legacies of modernity? And can we glimpse the lines of thought and action foreshadowed in the near future?
We invite all interested parties to submit paper proposals for the parallel panels of the VIII Iberian Meeting on Aesthetics, whose key goal will be to promote reflection on these issues and others that intersect with them. As a reference, topics include, but are not limited, to the following:
1. Modes of constitution of space and time in aesthetic experience
2. The function and representation of space and time in the different arts
3. Transdisciplinary disruptions, crossovers and mediations in contemporary art
4. New technologies, the cyber world and the spatio-temporal transfigurations of art
5. Memory and the recollective function of art
6. Other geographies, other histories
7. Utopias, dystopias and heterotopias / Uchronias, dischronias and heterochronias
8. Atmospheres, environments and affective moods
9. Urban space and its spatio-temporal thresholds
10. Aesthetics and arts in the face of contemporary challenges
Oral papers submission
The original paper proposals must be submitted by June 15, 2022 to viiiestetica@fcsh.unl.pt, with the subject headline: “VIII Iberian Meeting on Aesthetics”. Each submission should also include the following information: full name, institutional affiliation, telephone number and postal address. Proposals must be submitted as a pdf attachment, without author name or affiliation, as they will be subject to blind peer-review, and must include:
- Abstract (maximum 500 words)
- Bibliography (no more than five references)
- Five keywords
The selection will take into account the scientific quality of the proposals and their relevance to the Meeting’s theme. Acceptance will be communicated by July 31, 2022. The official languages of the Meeting are Portuguese, Spanish and English. The time allowed for each paper is 20 minutes, followed by a 10-minute discussion.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 June 2022
Send abstracts to: viiiestetica@fcsh.unl.pt
Registration fees
60€ Regular
30€ Students
40€ SEyTA members (and FCSH/NOVA members)
20€ Student members of SEyTA (and students from FCSH/NOVA)
NOTE: The event is expected to take place face-to-face. Should the pandemic situation not allow it, the format will be reconsidered in September 2022.