The concept aesthetic practice offers a novel perspective on philosophical aesthetics by shifting the focus from objects and singular experiences to ongoing, repeatedly performed activities. Practice highlights the aesthetic relevance of doing and making, temporality, continuity, multimodality and intersubjectivity. Aesthetic practices can be, for example, engagement with the arts, popular culture, craft, sports and games, or some aspect of one’s everyday environment where a fundamental motivating factor is pleasure gained through the activity. Through active and long-term aesthetic engagement, people transform their identity and lifeworld, and explore values, the world, and their own position in it.
In addition to contributions from philosophical aesthetics we welcome proposals from neighbouring fields, the arts, psychology, cultural studies, game studies, sport studies, sociology, history, media and communication studies, etc., as long as they address phenomena from a perspective of aesthetic practice.
Paper topics may include but are not limited to:
- The concept of aesthetic practice; critical assessments
- Everyday aesthetic practices and arts: boundaries and overlappings
- Habits and practices
- Practice and style
- Rhythms of practice
- Everyday rituals as aesthetic practice
- Intersubjectivity in aesthetic practices
- The aesthetic dimension of everyday practices
- The aesthetic dimension of labour and work
- Childhood aesthetic practices
- Aesthetic communicative practices
- Social aesthetics
- Care aesthetics
- Arts as aesthetic practices
- Aesthetic practices in fandom and popular culture
- Playing games as aesthetic practice
- Sports as aesthetic practices
- The role of technologies in aesthetic practices
- Shared practices in internet communities and social media
Invited keynote speakers
- Alessandro Bertinetto, University of Turin
- Clare Carlisle, King’s College London
- Jussi Saarinen, University of Jyväskylä
- Feng Zhu, King’s College London
See https://www.jyu.fi/en/events/exploring-aesthetic-practices for full details and updates.
If you have questions, feel free to email us at estprax@jyu.fi.
Johan Kalmanlehto
Postdoctoral researcher
University of Jyväskylä
Department of Music, Art and Culture Studies
johan.kalmanlehto@jyu.fi
