Conferenza ART - Zoltán Somhegyi
ART (Aesthetics Research Torino) Philosophical Seminar
Prof. Zoltán Somhegyi
(Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary)
February, 10. at 6 p.m.
Online
Link: https://unito.webex.com/unito/j.php?MTID=mfb0e74c16430ebe9e817a6dd4ff4ddef
PW: DqXm3sYZJ66
The Birth, Life and Possible Afterlives of Ruins
Aesthetics, Experience and Issues of Conservation around Architectural Decay
In this presentation I investigate some aspects along the immense “life-span” of ruins. Besides surveying the basic aesthetic features of architectural dereliction, I am also interested in the myriad possible forms of the afterlives of (former) buildings and ruins as well as their aesthetic and practical implications. These forms of afterlives may include – among others – the classical, ruinous appearance (and slow disappearance) of constructions, the various forms of their conservation, restoration or reconstruction, or even their re-vitalisation through conversion of function, re-purposing and adaptive restoration. Obviously however, there are no easy and straightforward answers to decide which of the above options (and many possible others) to choose when managing ruins, hence each singular case needs to be investigated individually, considering numerous factors. All types and forms of caring for pieces of architecture, decaying remnants, ruins or object of heritage can have great opportunities regarding the aesthetic potentials of the (former) edifice as well as serious hazards to avoid. Considerations on what the ruin can “gain” from diverse interventions are thus crucial, with important consequences to the aesthetic experience – and beyond.
Dr. habil. Zoltán Somhegyi is a Hungarian art historian with a PhD in aesthetics, and is Associate Professor of art history at the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary. As a researcher, he is specialised in eighteenth-nineteenth century art and theory, besides that his other fields of interest are contemporary fine arts and art criticism. He is the Secretary General and Website Editor of the International Association for Aesthetics, member of the Executive Committee of the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences, Consultant of Art Market Budapest: International Contemporary Art Fair, and Editor-in Chief of HAS – Humanities, Arts & Society Magazine. His recent books include Reviewing the Past. The Presence of Ruins (London – New York: Rowman & Littlefield International, 2020), Aesthetics in Dialogue. Applying Philosophy of Art in a Global World (Berlin, Peter Lang, 2020; co-edited with Max Ryynänen), Learning from Decay. Essays on the Aesthetics of Architectural Dereliction and Its Consumption (Berlin, Peter Lang, 2018; co-authored with Max Ryynänen) and Retracing the past. Historical continuity in aesthetics from a global perspective – 19th Yearbook of the International Association for Aesthetics (Santa Cruz, California: International Association for Aesthetics, 2017; editor and contributor).
ART (Aesthetics Research Torino) is a periodic philosophical seminar organized by the Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences of the University of Turin and the PhD Program FINO.
Coordinators:
Prof. Alessandro Bertinetto (University of Turin).
Prof. Federico Vercellone (University of Turin).
Members:
Dr. Paolo Furia (University of Turin).
Dr. Lisa Giombini (University Rome 3).
Dr. Gregorio Tenti (FINO Doctoral School).
Dr. Francesca Perotto (FINO Doctoral School)
Dr. Francesca Monateri (Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa)
Dr. Leonardo Pietropao (Università di Torino)
ART addresses different topics of the contemporary debate in Aesthetics: philosophy of beauty, philosophy of the arts, theory of sensory experience, philosophy of image and imagination, and history of aesthetics.
ART is supported by:
Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca sulla Morfologia Francesco Moiso (CIM)
Centro di Ricerca Interdipartimentale di Logica, Linguaggio e Cognizione (LLC)
Centro Studi Arti della Modernità
Centro Studi Filosofico-religiosi "Luigi Pareyson"
Laboratorio di Ontologia (Labont)
ART is sponsored by:
Italian Society for Aesthetics (SIE)
European Society for Aesthetics (ESA)