Aesthetic Preferences Research Articles

Influence of Complexity and Gestalt Principles on Aesthetic Preferences for Building Façades: An Eye Tracking Study.

Buildings are an integral part of our physical environment and have aesthetic significance with respect to the organizational integrity of architectural elements. While Gestalt principles are essential in design education, their relationship with architectural features remains understudied. The present study explored how Gestalt principles and complexity levels influence evaluations of building façades through the use of questionnaires and eye tracking. Twenty-four two-dimensional black and white façade drawings, manipulated using selected Gestalt principles (similarity and proximity) to achieve different levels of complexity (low, medium & high), were presented to 79 participants. The results suggested a negative linear relationship between aesthetic ratings and complexity levels across selected Gestalt principles. In addition, as expected, participants had the highest number of fixations, shortest fixation durations, and lowest aesthetic ratings for higher levels of complexity. Results involving Gestalt principles revealed that proximity-based designs received higher aesthetic ratings, demanded less time, elicited lower number of fixations, and resulted in shorter fixation durations. Conversely, similarity-based designs received lower aesthetic ratings, demanded more time, elicited higher number of fixations, and resulted in longer fixation durations. These findings offer insights into architectural aesthetic experiences and inform future research directions.

A Study of Modern Poetry Translation under the Perspective of Discourse Function: T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land in Multiple Translations as an Example

From the discourse function perspective of Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics, this paper compares and analyzes two Chinese translations of The Waste Land by Zhao Luorui and Zha Liangzheng (Mudan), exploring how the different translations creatively interpret and reconstruct the original text in accordance with the cultural context and aesthetic preferences of the target language. It further investigates how this reconstruction impacts and shapes the target readers' understanding and acceptance process. The study reveals that the translators' distinct orientations in translation strategies lead to significant differences in the translations regarding expressive effects and readers' experiences. Zhao's translation effectively maintains the discourse structure and linguistic style of the original text through a conservative and traditional translation approach. Conversely, Mudan's translation notably enhances the readability and acceptability of the translation with a flexible and innovative translation style. Overall, the latter translation is better suited to the aesthetic habits and cultural background of Chinese readers.

Hybrid CNN-transformer based meta-learning approach for personalized image aesthetics assessment

Personalized Image Aesthetics Assessment (PIAA) is highly subjective, as people's aesthetic preferences vary greatly. Traditional generic models struggle to capture the unique preferences of each individual, and PIAA often deals with limited samples from individual users. Furthermore, it requires a holistic consideration of diverse visual features in images, including both local and global features. To address these challenges, we propose an innovative network that combines the power of transformer and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) with Meta-Learning for PIAA (TCML-PIAA). Firstly, we leverage both Vision Transformer blocks and CNNs to extract long-term and short-term dependencies, mining richer and heterogeneous aesthetic attributes from these two branches. Secondly, to effectively fuse these distinct features, we introduce an Aesthetic Feature Interaction Module (AFIM), designed to seamlessly integrate the aesthetic features extracted from CNNs and ViT, enabling the interaction and fusion of aesthetic information across different modalities. We also incorporate a Channel-Spatial Attention Module (CSAM), embedding it within both the CNNs and the AFIM to enhance the perception of different regions in images, further exploring the aesthetic cues in images. Experimental results demonstrate that our TCML-PIAA outperforms existing state-of-the-art methods on benchmark databases.

HABERMAS MODEL AND AESTHETIC PREFERENCE EVALUATION OF HOUSE FACADES: INSIGHTS FROM ERBIL CITY

Introduction: Architecture is a discipline distinguished through diversity, message transmission, and communication. Purpose of the study: A notable phenomenon has been noticed in Erbil: most of the units in the typical housing complexes started to redesign or change the facade characteristics. These changes were the result of the psychological trait of aesthetic preference. This study aims to analyze aesthetic preference parameters to identify communicative action using the Habermas model of communicative action. The analysis of the effective factors contributed to the understanding of these changes. Methods: The methodology of this study combines case study formal analysis and a proper questionnaire survey. A statistical analysis of the obtained results was used to formulate research objectives. Results: Five parameters derived from the theoretical framework (unity, scale, color, proportion, and balance) serve as elements and principles of design that affect the aesthetics. As a result, the study concludes that unity, proportion, and balance are the main factors to create a pleasing aesthetic appearance on the house facades.

Sitting with the Death of a (Cherry) Tree

Abstract Making use of a case study in the contemporary deployment of Zen Buddhism as a framework for environmental activism and chaplaincy, this article considers the cultural politics and philosophical importance of ‘how Chan became Zen,’ revealing some tendencies towards the hegemony of Japanese cultural preferences in the representation and practice of Zen today. Concretely, it explores the significance of cherry trees as emblems of this tendency. Rather than simply reflecting a cultural or aesthetic preference for cherry blossom in Japanese culture, this article goes further to suggest that exhibiting a preference for any particular species of tree at all might be a distinctive feature of the development of Chan into Zen in the Japanese context, and that this actually represents a philosophical and doctrinal shift in the content of the paired traditions. If true, this observation suggests that the contemporary move to return Chan (rather than Zen) to the center of scholarly and practical attention is more than a correction of names in the international marketplace, but it also has some concrete implications for Buddhist practice today, including in the practice of eco-chaplaincy. Does the (re)turn to Chan mean that we have to give up the privileging of cherry trees? Even more provocatively, if it is necessary to surrender this privilege, might it also be necessary to re-cast Dōgen, the founder of Sōtō Zen in Japan, as Chan descendant rather than primarily a Zen ancestor? Along the way, this article considers the challenges encountered by Zen as a global presence, especially as it encounters indigenous cultures outside Asia. The rapid spread of Zen in North America has created some complicated dilemmas in settler politics and decolonial practice. Once again, the cherry tree emerges as an emblem of these issues.

The influence of college students' aesthetic cognitions on aesthetic behaviours: The Chain mediation effect.

This research investigates the psychological and behavioural mechanisms of college students' aesthetic behaviours. A survey was administered to 1,060 students attending general undergraduate universities and measured four structured scales: aesthetic cognition, aesthetic emotion, aesthetic value tendency and aesthetic behaviour. The responses were scored with a 5-point Likert scale. Structural equation modelling was used to construct the measurement model and structural model. The survey results indicate a positive correlation among the four variables. Second, aesthetic cognition has a direct and positive predictive effect on college students' daily aesthetic practices. Furthermore, aesthetic cognition influences aesthetic behaviour through the chain mediating effect of aesthetic feeling and aesthetic preference. Accordingly, we conclude that the concrete path and mechanism of college students' aesthetic cognitions affect their aesthetic behaviours. Specifically, college students' aesthetic cognitive abilities are conducive to their cognitions of positive aesthetic feelings and their cultivation of aesthetic standards, boosting the development of their daily aesthetic practice.

Beyond Objectivity in Audio Description

For many years, objectivity was considered a key norm of quality in audio description (AD), and it still features prominently in many AD guidelines. The primary motivation behind the concept is a recognition of users' autonomy in forming a mental image of the audiovisual content independently. Research has offered many alternative views on the issue that conceptualise the idea of objectivity/subjectivity as a continuum, emphasizing that different approaches can be appropriate depending on the given context of situation, giving rise to different AD styles that cater for a range of aesthetic preferences. Against this background, various cultural domains are experimenting with alternative approaches, challenging established AD practices and the assumptions it is built on. The articles included in this special issue all explore the various ways in which AD user needs can be met and illustrate the dynamic views that exist on objectivity, addressing key questions related to the operationalisation of objectivity, the challenge of interpretation for AD, the exploration of emerging subjective styles, and the concept of aesthetics of or in access.

Визуализация представлений о душе в украшениях национальных костюмов саха (якутов) и тувинцев

Introduction. The cultural heritages of the Sakha (Yakut) and the Tuvan are distinguished by a similarity of basic worldview ideas pertaining to the structure of the Universe, multi-storeyedness of each of the Three Worlds, the pantheon of deities, etc. Goals. The article aims to interpret semantics of ethnic jewelry as a visual narrative articulating the ideas of individual soul in traditional Sakha and Tuvan cultures. To facilitate this, the paper shall summarize the available descriptions of these ideas from ethnographic material, identify some facts confirming jewelry used to serve as markers of soul, consider semantics of traditional jewelry signs. The study hypothesizes as follows: when it comes to soul visualizations, folklore sources manifest repeated indications localizing one of the three souls (aorta, blood, belt, etc.) ― hence, the other two must also have some certain locations and related beliefs, too. Methods. With due regard of the dynamics in religious and aesthetic preferences, the employed interdisciplinary and comparative historical approaches comprise the structural/functional, interpretative, and axiological methods. The method of mosaic reconstruction proves as instrumental in revealing jewelry symbolism. Results. The paper confirms adornments (jewelry pieces) act as means to visualize some valuable worldviews, ideas of human soul and its whereabouts, prestige and behavioral norms. The former are defined as utmost identity signs for an inhabitant of the Middle World that serve as markers and protective amulets for each of the three human souls, also viewed as mediators between the sacred and profane worlds, triggers in ritual communication, and social status indicators. Conclusions. Being a universal form, circle (silver disk, bead, infinity knot, and button) denotes the place and function of each soul. For instance, the air one of the Sakha and the middle one of the Tuvan are placed in the head and identified with head adornments (jewelry pieces). According to Sakha beliefs, the maternal soul is localized in the mediastinum (pulse and blood ― heart and liver), while Tuvans place soul one into the navel. Yakut women of fertile age tend to mark this soul with solar breast jewelry, with no identified symbolic parallels in the Tuvan costume. Yakuts believe the third earthly soul be indicated with a belt buckle and dwell in the navel, while the Tuvan tradition says the good soul dwells in the belt. So, the Yakut have retained somewhat more archaic version of the symbolic corpus. And the differences are largely determined by the late influence of Manchu-Chinese culture and Buddhism on worldviews of southern Tuvans.

Exploring Taiwan’s Landscape Painting Aesthetic Preferences Through Evaluation Grid Method and the Continuous Fuzzy Kano Model

The primary objective of this study is to apply the Evaluation Grid Method (EGM) and the continuous fuzzy Kano quality model to explore the cognitive preferences of Taiwan residents regarding the beauty of Taiwan’s landscape paintings. The aim is to contribute to the development of social and cultural art and promote the widespread appeal of art products. Through a literature review, consultations with aesthetic experts, and the application of Miryoku Engineering’s EGM, this paper consolidates the factors that contribute to the attractiveness of painting art products among Taiwan residents, taking into account various aesthetic qualities. Simultaneously, the paper introduces the use of the triangular fuzzy golden ratio scale semantics, specifically the equal-ratio aesthetic scale semantics, as a replacement for the traditional subjective consciousness model. Departing from the traditional discrete Kano model that employs the mode as the standard for evaluating quality, this study applies triangular fuzzy numbers to the continuous Kano quality model to analyze the diverse preferences and evaluation standards of the public. The hope is that this research methodology will not only deepen Taiwan residents’ understanding and aesthetic literacy of painting art but also serve as a reference for the popularization of art products.

Aesthetic Preference of Timber Joints in Architectural Products

This study investigates how Australian consumers’ aesthetic preferences for timber joints in architectural products are influenced by their sociodemographic characteristics and the visual appearance of the joints. Visual appearance in architecture and product design is a vital factor in consumer response and success of a product; however, designed items are often created without aesthetic research rigour to better understand user acceptance. We see this as an opportunity for greater penetration of aesthetics for designed products and, in this instance, contemporary architecture. We provide extensive literature defining aesthetics and outline the theoretical framework for experimental computer-generated visual stimuli. An online survey was conducted with 114 participants, who rated five timber joints on seven visual appearance attributes. The findings reveal that Joint 1 (angular) and Joint 5 (curved) were the most preferred joints. Employment status was the only sociodemographic factor that significantly affected the aesthetic preference. The findings of the study were used to inform design decisions for building a pagoda in a cemetery in Melbourne. The study contributes to the literature on aesthetics and design by providing empirical evidence on consumer preferences for architectural products. The study also suggests an opportunity to bridge aesthetics with sustainability, as timber is a sustainable material that can be designed to resonate with consumers’ aesthetic sensibilities while adhering to environmental principles.

Brocade Papers in the Collection of Russian Books of Civil Printing of the 18th Century of the Russian State Library Book Museum

Among the decorative binding papers of the 18th century, brocade papers, so called because of their resemblance to expensive gold woven fabrics, can be recognized as particularly spectacular. The rich relief pattern, the combination of gold and silver lustre with a multi-coloured paper backing was the secret of their popularity in European countries for a whole century.The technique of paper gilding and embossing originated in the early 18th century in Augsburg. Subsequently, brocade papers were produced in various cities in Germany and mainly spread throughout Europe from there. Although brocade papers were also used by Russian masters, there are no special works about this binding material in the Russian historiography.The article is devoted to the description of the collection of brocade papers preserved as covers and forzats in Russian civil books of the 18th century in the collection of the Book Museum of the Russian State Library (RSL). The questions of terminology, production technology and systematization of brocade papers are considered. The main types of domestic publications characterized by the use of this material are calendars, published annually at the Academy of Sciences printing house in St. Petersburg, and descriptions of various celebrations, speeches “on occasion”, odes, “instructive words” and “reasonings”, produced by different printing houses and usually small in volume.The collection provides rich material for a more accurate understanding of the role of the printing house and the aesthetic preferences of the reading public in the external design of books in the period of the birth of bookbinding in Russia. Decorative binding papers are valuable not only for the researcher of old-printed books, librarian, collector or restorer, but also for the cultural historian in a broad sense, as content, stylistically and technologically they reflect general trends in the production of wallpapers, fabrics, furniture and trade packaging. On the basis of the description of the quantitative and qualitative composition of the collection of the RSL Book Museum a methodology of working with brocade papers is proposed, which can be applied to the collections of other fund holders as well.

Aesthetic Evaluation and Validation: Umbilicus Reconstruction after DIEP Flap.

The most common method for autologous breast reconstruction is the deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap. The umbilicus can be managed in various ways, including re-inset, neoumbilicus, and umbilectomy without reconstruction. This study evaluated the aesthetic differences in umbilicus reconstruction choice and variation in patients' postoperative satisfaction with their abdomen. A retrospective review of 1,019 patients treated with DIEP flap breast reconstruction between August 2009 and January 2022 was conducted. Patients were stratified by management of the umbilicus: preservation and re-inset of the native umbilicus, umbilectomy with delayed reconstruction, and umbilectomy with no reconstruction. A crowdsourced survey was created to assess the aesthetic preference of each photograph using a Likert scale. There were 1,063 responses to the umbilicus preference crowd source survey. Patients who had delayed umbilicus reconstruction after umbilectomy were rated to be significantly more attractive (4.397 ± 1.697) than both preservation of the native umbilicus (4.176 ± 1.669) and lack of the umbilicus (3.994 ± 1.733; p < 0.001 and <0.001, respectively). In an analysis of the BREAST-Q scores, delayed reconstruction patients had a similar change across measures when compared to the re-inset group. The delayed group had a significantly higher change in overall satisfaction and well-being with abdomen when compared with the no reconstruction group (p = 0.006 and 0.027, respectively). This study demonstrates that umbilectomy with delayed reconstruction yields a significantly higher aesthetic rating and comparable patient satisfaction when compared to re-inset of the umbilicus.

Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Interior Design Education: A Case Study on Creating Office Spaces for “Avrupa Yakası” TV Series Characters

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into interior design education is a growing trend. This study presents a warm-up assignment where students used AI design tools to develop a concept of contemporary office designs inspired by characters from the TV series “Avrupa Yakası.” The goal was to prepare students for an office design project while introducing them to AI applications. The AI-generated designs reflected character personalities and aesthetic preferences. Findings show the AI’s capability to translate textual cues into visual designs, but limitations arise due to insufficient definitions in the AI’s memory. The study highlights AI’s potential for assisting in design inspiration but also emphasizes the need for continuous AI database development. This initiative contributes to understanding AI’s role in design education and its evolving impact on creative processes.

A simple agent-based model for planning for bicycling: Simulation of bicyclists' movements in urban environments

Bicycling can improve the sustainability and liveability of cities, many of which desperately require better active transport infrastructure. Urban and transport planners need to examine how improvements in infrastructure change bicyclists' behaviour. With this knowledge, investment in bicycling networks can be more efficient and encourage the use of bicycling for transportation. This study developed a simple Agent-Based Model (ABM) to simulate bicyclists' movements in response to the built environment and road network characteristics in the City of Penrith, in the Greater Sydney Area, Australia. In this case study, the GAMA platform was used to build the ABM and Strava and Riderlog data were used to calibrate and validate the model. The model outputs give insights into bicyclist movements through the road network. The incorporated built environment characteristics include the type of bicycling infrastructure, tree canopy, slope, land use mix, and vehicle traffic. These choice factors also allowed the computation of rider levels of comfort and safety on each trip. Potential refinements of the model include additional bicycling behaviour factors (such as aesthetic preferences), and bicyclists' interactions with each other and other modes of transport.

Maritime silk road heritage: quantitative typological analysis of qing dynasty export porcelain bowls from Guangzhou from the perspective of social factors

The formation of decorative patterns on export porcelain has risen to the research dimension of cross-regional culture. The interplay between social elements and the formal evolution of export porcelain bowls from the Qing Dynasty in Guangzhou remains nebulous. This study elucidates these underlying cultural dynamics through the lenses of utility and societal implications, thus addressing how societal components contribute to the molding of tangible cultural heritage. Key findings include: (1) A dominance of the ring-foot design in the bases of Qing Dynasty export bowls; (2) The diameter and height of the Qing Dynasty export bowls show relatively concentrated characteristics, reflecting a systemic production trend and relative consistency in form; (3) Some of the Qing Dynasty bowls exceed the parameter range of typical tableware, reflecting the adaptability and innovation of production mechanisms in responding to special market demands. The morphological evolution of the Qing Dynasty export bowls is a true reflection of the interweaving of multiple factors such as comfort design and aesthetic preferences, while the uniformity in shape is a comprehensive reflection of meeting market demands and advances in production technology. This study extends the research dimension to the interaction between standardized production techniques and socio-cultural demands.

A Freer Couplet by Gui Fu: Memory, Style, and Virtue in Qing Calligraphy

Couplet in Clerical Script by Gui Fu at the National Museum of Asian Art’s Freer Gallery of Art, dated to 1793, involves important references to early textual artifacts. This article focuses on how such references engendered historical experience for scholars in the social circle of Gui. A gift to Huang Yi, the calligraphy first evokes the sensorial experience of an inscription at Huishan Temple in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. In addition, its uniform and vigorous brushstrokes point to the origin story of clerical script. Weng Fanggang, a colleague of Gui, further took up the eleventh-century concept of “substantial and thick” to code the style into an expression of sincerity. The calligraphic work details how Qing intellectuals appropriated ancient texts to commemorate social relationships, pursue stylistic innovation, and justify aesthetic preference.

Римите в поезията на Константи Илдефонс Галчински (особености при превода на български език)

The article is devoted to the rhymes in the poetry of Polish author Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński and the ways they have been translated into the Bulgarian language. First, distinguishing features of the poetic text and the concept of rhyme are discussed, after which basic characteristics of rhymes in Polish poetry are noted. An overview of Gałczyński’s translations into Bulgarian leads to the main focus of the paper which concerns translators’ difficulties in converting the original rhyming pairs into the target language. The analysis is based on three translations of one poem: “Rozmowa liryczna” (“Lyrical Dialogue”), made by two prominent translators, Parvan Stefanov and Dimitar Pantеleev between 1960 and 1984. The observations indicate that the Bulgarian versions of the poem modify the original rhyming patterns due to the specificity of each language, as well as the translators’ individual aesthetic preferences. Almost all rhyming lexical units in the Polish text are adjacent and feminine, while there is a significantly more frequent use of cross and masculine rhymes in the three Bulgarian versions. Also, the translators refuse to preserve several irregular rhymes. The article concludes that the approaches of Stefanov and Panteleev are related to general trends in translating rhymed poetry from Polish into Bulgarian. Among them, the increased presence of masculine rhymes, largely dictated by the analytic nature of the Bulgarian language, seems prominent.

Application and trends of motifs and styles on mosque ornamentation in Malaysia: from traditional to global

Mosque architecture in Malaysia has experienced a phase of development from the 16th century to the present. Moreover, mosque design and styles have various typologies which are heavily influenced by sociocultural factors. The diversity of the architectural design of this mosque also displays the development of Islamic culture and civilization which contains various historical backgrounds and influences, as well as having different timelines. However, this diversity of architectural language creates confusion about identity in the Malaysian mosque scenario. The study also found that there is a lack of documentation studies on the development of ornamentation that includes mosque architecture from the traditional to the global era. Therefore, this study aims to document the development of mosque ornamentation in six different eras in Malaysia and obtain the evolution in the application of motifs and styles. The study consists of 28 case studies of a selected iconic mosque which represent six different eras and adopted mix method strategy including content analysis and frequency analysis to track the pattern of changes and trends. The research findings show that changes in ornamentation involve several factors such as regional, colonialism, political, economic, and sociocultural has shaped the influences and styles of Malaysian mosques. This study also important in explaining the development of aesthetic preference and the application of ornamentation across the eras as well as classifying the style of ornamentation in each era of architecture to enrich the discourse of architecture in Malaysia and build a framework of ornamental design features that have a national identity.

Aesthetic preference in the production of image sequences

IntroductionThis research uses the production method to study aesthetic preference for sequences of human body postures. In two experiments, participants produced image sequences based on their aesthetic preferences, while we measured the visual aesthetic features displayed in the compositions.MethodsIn Experiment 1, participants created static image sequences based on their preferences. In Experiment 2, participants sorted images into apparent motion sequences they preferred to view.ResultsIn Experiment 1, good continuation of successive bodies and body-like objects was the preferred order. In Experiment 2, participants preferred abstract images with local sequential symmetry and human body postures exhibiting global sequential symmetry.DiscussionOur findings are compared to those of previous studies that employed the more widely used method of choice. Our experiments propose novel methods and conceptualizations for investigating aesthetic preferences for human body movement and other types of stimulus sequences.

Evaluating children's preferences of the orphanages' outdoor spaces: Integrated multi-method ‘Jourchin’ approach

Understanding how children perceive their physical surroundings is critical to providing a setting that supports their activities and aesthetic preferences. This study aimed to investigate orphans' preferences regarding the outdoor space of their living environment by introducing the ‘Jourchin’ approach. This approach is an illustrative model consisting of both qualitative and quantitative methods, including observation, semi-structured interview, subject-produced drawing, and photo-elicitation, to show a holistic and reliable result.The ‘Jourchin’ approach applied to three privately-run orphanages in Kerman, Iran, for a period of one year. The participants of this study were 126 orphans aged 7–17 years of both genders who lived in these orphanages at the time of research.This study demonstrates that children use the outdoor space to play, exercise, and have fun. Although they were relatively satisfied with the current situation and the facilities of the outdoor space, the outcome of the ‘Jourchin’ approach indicates that children would like to see more natural elements (flowers, trees, and plants, etc.), and prefer the availability of playground equipment, as well as sports fields and facilities in their outdoor environments.Children believed that adding new and more landscape features and play equipment would make the outdoor space more beautiful, pleasant, and a better environment for them, which causes them to enjoy using it and increase their satisfaction.