Neuroesthetics Talk Series: Vittorio Gallese (Parma)
The discovery of mirroring mechanisms in the human brain and the functional hypothesis modeling these mechanisms – embodied simulation – offer the opportunity to shed new light on the empathic reactions triggered in beholders by images, in general, and by visual art images, in particular. During this seminar I will challenge the cognitive primacy in our reactions to art. The hypothesis being proposed will be that a crucial element of aesthetic response consists of the activation of embodied mechanisms encompassing the simulation of actions, emotions, and corporeal sensation; and that these mechanisms are universal. This basic level of reaction to images is essential to understanding the effectiveness both of everyday images and of works of art. Historical, cultural and other contextual factors do not preclude the importance of considering the neural processes that arise in the empathic understanding of visual artworks. Professor Vittorio Gallese, Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, http://www.unipr.it/arpa/mirror/english/staff/gallese.htm All are welcome!
Neuroesthetics Talk Series
This talk is part of a series of public events organized by the the Association of Neuroesthetics in collaboration with the Berlin School of Mind and Brain and the Institut für Raumexperimente (Studio Olafur Eliasson).The sciences, the humanities and the arts approach the natural world and our experience of it from different perspectives. Although traditionally considered separate disciplines, the desire for more holistic understandings has intensified the exchange between them. “Neuroesthetics” is one such node of interdisciplinary exchange, bridging various approaches to questions of art and human experience. On the one hand, rapid development in the neurosciences have produced an extensive database of insight that can further our understanding of both artistic appreciation and the processes of creativity. On the other, artists and those in the humanities continually engage with questions of experience, value and knowledge and their expertise is becoming increasingly relevant to scientific explorations aiming to understand these vital human characteristics. The European Association of Neuroesthetics, which is based in Berlin, has been founded to promote this exciting dialogue and lasting cooperation between the arts and the sciences. Building on the belief that both the arts and neuroscience have purchase on understandings of the human condition, a public talk series together with the Berlin School of Mind and Brain (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), and the Institut für Raumexperimente (Studio Olafur Eliasson) was launched. At (roughly) monthly talks speakers from various disciplines will be invited to present their work. The events are intended as a platform for dialogue – linking artists, scientists and scholars –as well as a space for interdisciplinary research to be presented and shared publicity.
