Nicolas Romanacci, lecture:

-

FOR A PHILOSOPHY OF MEDIA (-ART)

Approaching applied cognitive aesthetics.
-
»Applied Cognitive Aesthetics« is a contemporary philosophical approach to an
investigation of media (-art). It is surely not the only, nor the best in general, nor a
new one regarding some main aspects and can be traced back regarding some of its 
basic structures to the 14th century, particularly to the nominalistic aspects in the
thinking of William of Ockham. I will relate comparable structures of nominalistic
thinking to the notions of the »linguistic turn« and the »pictorial turn«. That will lead
us to Nelson Goodman’s »epistemic turn«, the cognitivistic and constructivistic shift
in understanding all symbolic practice as a cognitive process and reconsidering
aesthetics as a branche of epistemology. Interpreting Goodman’s symbol theory and
epistemology as fundamental for an applied cognitive aesthetics, I will elaborate
some of its main ideas, particularly some »ways of reference«. From central
importance will be Goodman’s notion of exemplification, as it can be related and
applied to several aspects regarding the design process and the role and nature of
creativity and rules in art, science and education. Finally I would like to give an idea of a nominalistic conception of consciousness and relate it to the idea of media as an
extension of the human being, as discussed by artists like Paul Sermon.

-

Lecture at the 10th Annual Planetary Collegium International Research Conference, Consciousness Reframed: art and consciousness in the post-biological era. Experiencing Design, - Behaving media. 19.-21. november 2009.

-

http://www.planetary-collegium.org/

-

-

-

Nicolas Romanacci, article:

-

»Pictorial Ambiguity.

Approaching applied cognitive aesthetics from a Philosophical Point of View.«

-

published at:

-

IMAGE. Journal of Interdisciplinary Image Science. Issue 10 (2009).

Köln, Halem Verlag.

-

http://www.bildwissenschaft.org/journal/
-

-

-

Nicolas Romanacci, current research issue; lecture draft:

-

AMBIGUITY, MEDIA, ART
A philosophical approach to a dynamic interpretation of audio-visual symbol systems.

Ambiguity can be detected in various kinds of symbol systems, like e.g. in linguistic, pictorial, or musical systems. If we focus our attention on the realms of the perception of these systems, we can distinguish an auditory and a visual realm. An investigation of the occurances of ambiguity for these systems and realms is possible on three levels: a »theoretical level«, a »media level« and a »general level«. These levels can be
related to each other. (see: Romanacci 2009, »Pictorial Ambiguity«, forthcoming).

In my investigation I want to show how a differentiated analysis of the mentioned symbol systems and realms can offer a starting point for the analysis of the occurance of ambiguity in artforms, where combinations of these systems and realms are typical. For these cases I will use the term »Media Art«.

-

I would like to to give a brief overview of the findings on the »theoretical level«, here I will relate mainly to the studies of Israel Scheffler. Subsequently I will present (on the »media level«) some short case studies for each of the mentioned systems, with examples from Shakespeare over Giotto to J.S. Bach. Finally I want to analyse more detailed some Media Art works like »Stealth_Tiger« (Knowbotic Research) or Daniela Alina Plewe’s »Ultima Ratio«.

My central general statement will be, that it is useful to treat visual systems - especially pictorial systems - on their dynamic perceptual level and not as static material objects. Related to that notion, aspects of time will become crucial. To elaborate this point I will refer to some eye-tracking studies (e.g. Holsanova 2008). Based on my concluding general discussion of the status of ambiguity – especially in art - I want to delineate an idea of the relation between cognition and emotion.

-

-

Nicolas Romanacci, lecture:

Pictorial Ambiguity. From a Philosophical Point of View.

-

at the conference:

Bilder-Sehen-Denken

TU Chemnnitz, 18.03.2009 - 20.03.2009
Tagungsleitung: Prof. Dr. Klaus Sachs-Hombach

-

http://www.bildwissenschaft.org/index.php?menuItem=3

-

Pictorial Ambiguity. From a Philosophical Point of View.

-

In his »Philosophical Investigations« Wittgenstein takes the ambiguous »duck-rabbit-picture« to discuss the use of the term seeing. That leads him to his conception of »aspect seeing« which might be described as »half a visual experience, half a thinking«. E.H. Gombrich uses the same picture to introduce his major concerns: the nature of vision and of representation, and the problem of reconciling the objectivity of the latter with its conventionality and with the relativity of vision. »That we know what we see is no truer than that we see what we know«. Gombrich even claims that »Ambiguity – rabbit or duck? – is clearly the key to the whole problem of image reading.«

My investigation will touch again critically upon some questions concerning pictorial ambiguity. Two basic lines will be followed: First, how can pictorial ambiguity be discussed from a philosophical point of view. Second, how might philosophical insight be used specifically to enable a deeper and subtle analysis of pictorial ambiguity in art.

Basic reference point for my considerations will be the Philosophy of Nelson Goodman. Taking e.g. ambiguity as a »symptom of the aesthetic« (as one instance of »multiple and complex reference«). For the technical parts I will relate mainly to the studies of Israel Scheffler.

Furthermore I will investigate some examples. The »duck-rabbit-picture« will be met again, than some more classic cases will lead to the discussion of artworks. Giotto will be used as an intriguing case for discriminating different kinds of pictorial ambiguity. Some well known works like the Mona Lisa will be mentioned, also the notion of the »Ready-Made« and contemporary artworks. Some related cognitive science case-studies will be included.

Finally I will try to discuss the epistemological status of ambiguity in art. Again Goodman will be helpful, especially his notion that there might be various incompatible but perfectly satisfactory versions of the world. From this point of view pictorial ambiguity might be also seen as a cogitable case of exemplifying this philosophical problem through art.
-

-

-

12. internationaler Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Semiotik:

Das Konkrete als Zeichen.
9. bis 12. Oktober 2008, Universität Stuttgart.
Sektion: Zeichenmaterialität, Körpersinn und (sub-)kulturelle Identität.
Ernest Hess-Lüttich, Eva Kimminich, Klaus Sachs-Hombach, Karin Wenz

-

http://www.dgs-stuttgart-2008.de

-