This thesis is about the perceptual nature of aesthetic experience and the importance of nature as a paradigmatic object of aesthetic perception and aesthetic experience more broadly conceived. For this reason, it merits serious attention by philosophers working in aesthetics, as has been argued since Ronald Hepburn’s seminal essay “Contemporary Aesthetics and the Neglect of Natural Beauty”. If aesthetic experience is anything, it is at least perceptual. It is a mode of perceptual experience that is the result of having been attentive to and having discriminated between, the aesthetic and non-aesthetic, and invites room for reflection on, and connections to be made with, cognitive and emotive processes. Rooting the aesthetic in perception allows us to recognize and understand that it has an impact on our daily activities, rather than being restricted either to a particular kind of object, to the knowledge we might have about it, or to intense, rarefied aesthetic experience. If an object is to be an aesthetic object it need not be an artwork, indeed, one might even argue that nature is more interesting an aesthetic object from the perspective that it is indeterminate, not the result of human intentionality, and from an existential point of view, one that acknowledges our dependence on it. In the course of the argument, I thus resist the idea that the aesthetic experience of art is necessarily prior to the aesthetic experience of nature. The perceptual account put forward is based on a realist account of aesthetic properties that considers aesthetic properties to be perceptual properties and that considers aesthetic experience to be perceptually rich. I link it to the idea of ‘whole formalism’, a perceptual, aesthetic account that is nestled in the wider thought that aesthetic perception relates, although not causally, to other features of experience, such as emotion, and knowledge. Perceptual, aesthetic experience is thus not reduced to an austere account of aesthetic formalism. The thesis begins by analysing historical accounts of aesthetic perception, beginning with Plato, Aristotle and Aquinas. It builds on this analysis by reinterpreting crucial concepts to the discipline of aesthetics, such as disinterest and formalism that originated in the eighteenth century and are relevant to the idea of aesthetic perception. It then brings the idea of aesthetic perception up to date by addressing the current debate about cognitivism and non-cognitivism about aesthetic experience where nature is concerned. By tracing the idea of aesthetic perception historically, I will have also shown the role of nature as a paradigm of aesthetic experience through history and that nature is a repository for rich aesthetic experience and for rich experiential engagement with it.

Perception of a performance is an active process which allows to set important education aims even for the smallest ones the children of pre-school age. So it is very important to develop ability to comprehend a play, not only to be able to empathize emotionally but to reason the actions and share the impressions of the experience and sense them in their own artistic activities. This work tries to deduce how the children of 5-6 years old are able to comprehend the plot and esthetical aspects of a play as well as express their impressions and comprehension through the verbal language and painted pictures. In order to sort out these things, the children of the pre-school age were observed during the performances and after them they were interviewed and open type of questions were given to randomly chosen children. After analyzing and interpretation of the received information, it was revealed that investigative were able to understand the plot of the play, were able to express what they liked in the play most, they even comprehended the main idea of the plays. But it was too difficult to generalize the plot and comprehend the continuity of the development of the plot. The children used laconic, not full sentences and stray thoughts. That means that it is difficult for children of 5-6 years old to express their impressions in concrete words. While evaluating the esthetical aspects of the play they drew attention to components of the play as scenery... [to full text]

Dissertation contains theoretical research which allowed to describe and to evaluate possibilities of application of phenomenological method in music education and to foresee the approaches of the teacher who works based on this method, focusing on teacher’s narrative. Seeking to highlight the specificity of a student’s aesthetic perception, the context of musical education at a music school had been chosen when an individual meeting of a teacher and a student in the lesson of a particular musical instrument takes place. Because of its singularity for every person to accept it as their own meaning of experience, as a phenomenon, music is favourable to grasp phenomenal aesthetical experience of students. Unique aesthetic experiences of the students and approaches of the teachers, which are vital to recognise the aesthetic perception of a student, were analized using phenomenological method. It is examined, how and by what linguistic means teacher conveys the musical meaning. Using unstructured interview with the teachers and students and also by observing the lessons, empirical research was conducted, revealing the importance of the narrative as a method, which helps to highlight unique experiences and to grasp the aesthetical perception of the students. It also showed the influence of teacher on a student as a result of internecine interaction while transferring the musical meaning in the process of musical education. The teacher, transferring the musical meaning through... [to full text] / Disertacijoje pateiktas teorinis tyrimas, leidęs apibūdinti ir įvertinti fenomenologinio metodo taikymo muzikos mokymui galimybes ir numatyti mokytojo prieigas dirbant šiuo metodu, daugiausia dėmesio skiriant mokytojo naratyvui. Mokinio estetinio suvokimo specifiškumui išryškinti pasirinktas muzikos mokymo muzikos mokykloje kontekstas, kai per konkretaus muzikos instrumento pamoką vyksta individualus mokytojo ir mokinio susitikimas. Muzika, kaip fenomenas, yra palanki užčiuopti fenomenaliems mokinių estetiniams potyriams dėl savo ypatumo asmeniui ją priimti kaip savo patirties reikšmę. Taikant fenomenologinį metodą analizuojami unikalūs mokinių estetiniai išgyvenimai ir mokytojų prieigos, būtinos mokinio estetiniam suvokimui atpažinti. Nagrinėjama, kaip ir kokiomis kalbinėmis priemonėmis mokytojas perteikia muzikinę reikšmę. Atliktas empirinis tyrimas, naudojant mokytojų ir mokinių nestruktūruotą interviu bei stebint pamokas, atskleidė naratyvo kaip metodo, padedančio išryškinti unikalias mokinių patirtis ir užčiuopti jų estetinį suvokimą, svarbą. Taip pat parodė mokytojo įtaką mokiniui kaip tarpusavio sąveikos rezultatą perduodant muzikinę reikšmę muzikinio ugdymo proceso metu. Mokytojas naratyvu perduodamas muzikinę reikšmę, viena vertus, mokinį nukreipia į norimą suvokimo objektą, kita vertus, per metaforą ir vaizduotės interpretacijas atveria galimybes mokiniui tą reikšmę suvokti savaip ir perteikti ją per raišką. Atskleista, kaip, remiantis fenomenologinėmis... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

This study investigates the functional and aesthetic needs in adaptive clothes, with emphasis on trousers for wheelchair users. A pair of trousers were provided by Design by Björk to be investigated and distinguish if the desired consumers' needs are met. It’s important to acknowledge the importance of aesthetic and functional attributes in clothing, to not separate standard and adaptive clothing design. In addition, the socio-psychological impact clothes have on wheelchair users was researched, to emphasize the need for an inclusive fashion industry. In the research process for the study it is acknowledged that previous studies encourage further focus on aesthetically pleasing elementents in adaptive clothing. The aim is to increase awareness of how important this aspect is for the consumer in interaction with functionality. A mixed method approach made with convergent parallel design was used to collect data, utilizing surveys and interviews. It is presented that wheelchair users value the functional, aesthetic and comfortable aspects in clothing equally, and that it is important to not compromise with any aspect in the design process. The study confirms that clothing can have a negative impact on the wheelchair users psychological and physical wellbeing, which is highly related to the lack of clothing in the market range that meets the wheelchair users needs. A sample sketch was developed with suggested improvements for a pair of trousers provided by Design by Björk. The result demonstrates that adding adjustable attributes to the trousers can contribute to increased comfort, aesthetic and functional needs of the consumers.

No description available.

As the digital age matures, we seek to understand the Generation X and Generation Z, precisely their visual perception and emotional responses to the different dimensions of online aesthetics - classical and expressive. The development of digital products and environments with a specific user experience in mind is beneficial for creating the most suitable outcome. Emotional responses to the different aesthetics can have an impact on consumers' behaviour as well as on their opinion and the image of the digital content presented. Previous research has proven that age has an impact on visual perception and online experience, but little is known about differences in needs and approaches between the important web user groups of Generation X and Generation Z when presented with a web interface. Our research focuses on their emotional responses and initial reactions towards website interfaces that have been influenced by a specific aesthetic style and seeks to find observations to improve the online experience of these two generations. The study examined individuals from Generation X and Generation Z by conducting semi-structured interviews. We focused on two aesthetic extremes - classical design and expressive design. Participants were shown websites with high levels of the two contrasting aesthetics and asked to review their feelings caused by the websites and thoughts about the designs. Three categories of sites were used to expand the scope of websites: e-commerce, articles, and portfolios. This study found no major concrete differences between the generations and how they perceived the aesthetic extremes and reacted to them. Both generations preferred web interfaces with classical aesthetics. However, we have identified some critical structural needs that our participants have expressed irrelevant to the aesthetic direction of the page. Pages with entertainment value benefited from a more expressive aesthetic and the sites where functionality is a higher priority benefitted from a more classical aesthetic. We also came to the conclusion that none of the generations preferred a single specific aesthetic direction, therefore, no definite aesthetic preferences for either generation could be drawn. Nonetheless, small differences in emotional responses were defined. Generation Z was more open towards more expressive and visually engaging sites compared to Generation X which sought comfort in their online experience and therefore preferred classical aesthetics.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:44:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Eduardo Fofonca.pdf: 7074043 bytes, checksum: 7422586ee008113edb9b94ac543629a1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-07 / Contemporaneous society lives ubiquity to its fullest. However, the ubiquity alone does not reflect the reality of today's society, but when it appropriates the flexible ability of communication in social organizations, integrated to the digital culture, reconfigures a deployed hypermobility, or the ubiquity of networks, thought, information, knowledge, communication. In this sense, the changes mediated by hypermobility and digital literacy of technological ubiquity also resonate intensely in educational action and learning, precisely because these are integrated into this movement as an aesthetic of contemporary times. In this perspective, this research developed under the program of graduate studies in education, art and history of culture, college of education, university mackenzie, nears the approach to aesthetic perception in educational practice of languages the "pedagogy of (multi) literacies" and the ubiquitous learning. To enable these approaches, some essays (rojo, 2009, 2012a, 2012b, 2013; santaella, 2003, 2007, 2013th, 2013b) were fundamental to understand the boundaries of languages, its (multi)literacies, education, in the view the ubiquitous learning and the intense effect on the dimensions of interdisciplinarity, of digital culture. Thus, in a first discussion plan, with the development of the research, there was a need to overcome the basic limit on digital culture studies, which were already experiencing a lot of research to then investigate the implications of these contributions to analyze the aesthetic perception of languages educators. This approach was possible, methodologically, from the principles of qualitative research in lankshear and knobel (2008), based on the concept of aesthetic perception of maffesoli (1999), especially in the expansion of this view held by scherer (2005). According to scherer (2005), the representation that is established in the aesthetic perception is possible by releasing and contemplation in the analysis, which for both authors (maffesoli, 1999; scherer, 2005) becomes significant by constant motion. Thus, this movement, in the research, is reconfigured and by a new reading becomes inherent to the perception that the (multi) literacies provides aesthetic languages in the field of the construction range of meanings. This referral was realized as a result of applying a structured questionnaire with a broad construction of statements and references, which were focused on the provides aesthetic languages in the field of the construction range of meanings. This referral was realized as a result of applying a structured questionnaire with a broad construction of statements and references, which were focused on the main concepts of this study. Methodologically, the composition of the research subjects, was developed voluntarily by art teachers and languages of three campuses that comprise the federal institute of paraná. As data resulting from this qualitative analysis, it became clear that educators have already developed educational practices out over the teaching of languages integrated to new literacies and multiliterates practices. However, they envisioned a need for continuous formation that may develop increasingly an interdisciplinary aesthetic dimension, enabled from the ongoing dialogue with other fields of knowledge. Still, they brought the concern of a pedagogical work focused on the digital culture, placing it open in your daily life for this integration. So, they demonstrated through their perceptions effective proximity of the aesthetic movement of ubiquity in learning, realizing a current importance and recognizing an educational action with (multi)literacies practices in modern / A sociedade contemporânea vive a ubiquidade em sua plenitude. Todavia, a ubiquidade sozinha não reflete a realidade da atual sociedade, mas quando se apropria da flexível habilidade de comunicação nas organizações sociais, integrada à cultura digital, reconfigura uma hipermobilidade desdobrada, ou seja, a ubiquidade das redes, do pensamento, da informação, do conhecimento, da comunicação. Neste sentido, as transformações mediadas pela hipermobilidade e pela ubiquidade tecnológica da cultura digital também repercutem, intensamente, na ação educacional e na aprendizagem, justamente pelo fato destas estarem integradas a esse movimento como uma estética da contemporaneidade. Nesta perspectiva, a presente investigação, desenvolvida no âmbito do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação, Arte e História da Cultura, da Faculdade de Educação da Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, aproxima a abordagem da percepção estética na prática educativa das linguagens à Pedagogia dos (Multi)letramentos e à aprendizagem ubíqua. Para possibilitar estas abordagens, alguns estudos (ROJO, 2009, 2012a, 2012b, 2013; SANTAELLA, 2003, 2007, 2013a, 2013b) foram fundamentais para um entendimento entre as fronteiras das linguagens, seus (multi)letramentos, a educação, na ótica da ubiquidade na aprendizagem e, o intenso efeito nas dimensões da interdisciplinaridade, da cultura digital. Desta forma, num primeiro plano de discussão, com o desenvolvimento da pesquisa, havia a necessidade de ultrapassar o limite de base nos estudos da Cultura Digital, que muitas pesquisas já vinham vivenciando para, então, investigar as implicações destas contribuições para uma análise da percepção estética dos educadores das linguagens. Esse enfoque foi possível, metodologicamente, a partir dos princípios da pesquisa qualitativa de Lankshear e Knobel (2008) e, com base, na concepção de percepção estética de Maffesoli (1999), sobretudo, na ampliação desta concepção realizada por Scherer (2005). Conforme Scherer (2005), a representação que se estabelece na percepção estética é possível pela liberação e contemplação nas análises, que, para ambos os autores (MAFFESOLI, 1999; SCHERER, 2005), torna-se significativo pelo movimento constante. Desse modo, este movimento, na pesquisa, é readequado e, por meio de uma releitura, torna-se inerente à percepção que os (multi)letramentos estéticos propiciam ao campo das linguagens na amplitude da construção de sentidos. Este encaminhamento foi percebido como resultado na aplicação de um questionário estruturado, com uma construção ampla de enunciados e referências, as quais enfocaram as principais concepções deste estudo. Metodologicamente, a composição dos sujeitos da pesquisa, foi desenvolvida de maneira voluntária pelos docentes de Arte e Línguas, de três campi que integram o Instituto Federal do Paraná. Como dados resultantes desta análise qualitativa, ficou claro que os educadores já desenvolvem práticas educativas que vislumbram o ensino das linguagens integrado aos novos letramentos e às práticas multiletradas. Todavia, vislumbraram a necessidade de uma formação continuada para que possam desenvolver, cada vez mais, uma dimensão estética interdisciplinar, possibilitada a partir dos diálogos constantes com outras áreas de conhecimento. Ainda, estes, trouxeram a preocupação de um trabalho pedagógico voltado à cultura digital, colocando-se abertos em seu cotidiano para esta integração. Assim, demonstraram através de suas percepções, uma efetiva proximidade do movimento estético da ubiquidade na aprendizagem, percebendo uma importância atual e reconhecendo uma ação educacional com práticas de (multi)letramentos nos cenários de aprendizagem contemporâneos Learning scenarios.

Notre recherche s'intéresse avant tout à étudier les représentations de l'Afghanistan telles qu'elles se présentent dans un corpus de récits de voyage recouvrant les XIXe et XXe siècles. D'un point de vue général, nous avons constaté de nettes constances mais aussi de grandes variations dans cet ensemble de représentations. L'imaginaire de l'Afghanistan au XIXe siècle se construit sur sur de grandes thématiques liées au statut et à la culture des voyageurs de l'époque, qui sont tous, à des degrés divers reliés aux dynamiques du "grand jeu" des empires coloniaux en Asie. C'est pourquoi une appréhension géopolitique très particulière caractérise tous ces récits. Le travail des premiers voyageurs, presque tous des britanniques, est donc focalisé sur une recherche en matière de cartographie, de géographie et d'histoire politique. Cependant l'imaginaire occidental de l'Afghanistan au XXe siècle se différencie largement de celui du siècle précédent. Tout d'abord, le profil des voyageurs se diversifie. D'autre part, une grande variation dans l'orientation des écrivains-voyageurs, dans leurs centres d'intérêt et leur perception des habitants et des lieux est perceptible, malgré le maintien de certaines constantes. En fait, une double dimension éthique et esthétique caractérise la représentation de l'Afghanistan dans cette période / This research project explores the representations of Afghanistan in a corpus of travel narratives from the nineteenth and twentieh centuries. Overall, we can see great variations but also certain constants in the representations of this country. The Afghan imaginary in the nineteenth century is constructed on major themes related to the status and culture of travellers of the time, all related to the dynamics of the "Great Game" of the colonial empire in Asia; This is why a very particular geopolitical perspective characterizes all these narratives. The work of early travellers, almost all British, was focused on research in cartography, geography and political history. The Western imagination of Afghanistan in the twentieh century differs greatly from that of the previous century. First, the profile of travelers diversifies. On the other hand, greater variation in the orientation of writer-travellers, in their interests and their perception of the inhabitants and places is perceptible, despite the constants. In fact, a dual ethical and aesthetic dimension characterizes the imaginary of the Afghanistan in this period. In general, the representations of this country in the twentieh century, that is to say between the years 1920 and 1978, are characterized by the predominance of an "Edenlike" vision of the country, its inhabitants and its landscape

We have many developmental theories contributing to our understanding of children as they meander steadfastly toward maturation. Yet, none have reported on how young children interpret the qualitative meaning and importance of their own music-making experiences. Music created by average, not prodigious, young children is perceived by adults as “play” music rather than “real” music. But do young children take the same view as adults? When Piaget speaks of the young child’s qualitatively unique view and experience of the world (Ginsberg & Opper, 1988), can we assume that his statement encompasses young children’s predispositions related to music-making? Music is understood to occur when people act intentionally to produce and organize sound into rhythm and form. The guiding questions for this study are, What evidence is there to show that, when following an adult music leader, young children can engage in authentic music-making behavior and produce identifiable musical structures that move beyond random sounds or ‘noise’? What evidence is there to show that children's music-making behavior develops according to developmental stages? trek This qualitative field study observed and videotaped over 100 children between 2 and 7 years old who chose to engage in music-making behavior in a socially-rich school environment during structured activities guided by an adult “music leader.” The data gathered from this study suggest that young children’s motivation to make music derive from predispositions unrelated to notions of cultural and artistic expression thereby differing from adult musical needs and are instead based on more primary responses to their own developmental needs and their social environment. Functioning as “music leader,” the PI appeared to serve as an indispensable interface for assuring authenticity in the children’s music-making at all stages of development. The older children did not introduce any novel behavior specifically related to making music. However, due to the progression of cognitive and social maturity across the range of ages, new extra-musical behavior (EMB) slowly emerged at each developmental stage always seeming to enrich the experience relative to a particular group.