Artistic Experience Research Articles

He Yunchang’s artistic practice: A beam of light into the future

This article explores the work of He Yunchang (Yunnan, 1967), an artist who brings together lived and artistic experience to reflect on the conflicts of contemporary society. He makes use of his body to transcend physical and psychic boundaries, and by embodying structural violence he pushes sociopolitical frameworks to imagine and project a better future. Focusing on a selection of his performances, undertaken between 1999 and the present day, this article explores He Yunchang’s desire to open a utopian path by means of artistic creation. I suggest that his work demonstrates that nothing is impossible. He Yunchang undertakes titanic ritualistic performances, both metaphorical and physical. These evoke ancient myths, legends and ascetic practices and show the potential of all individuals and communities to improve our world. He Yunchang explores the butterfly effect and situates art in a sociopolitical context, making manifest its capacity to beam light into the future. This article analyses the artist’s exploration of subject’s capacities to change a dystopic reality.

Act of Fiction: Simultaneously Experienced Multiple Perspectives of (Un)reality When Engaging with Narrative-Based Art

Abstract The authors propose a new conception of the mechanism that occurs during a narrative-based art experience—the “Act of Fiction.” They claim that there is no “suspension of disbelief” but rather something more similar to our decision-making systems, enabling us to simultaneously be present in the real and the unreal (fictional). The article’s first part contains a narrative account in which an Act of Fiction takes place; it exemplifies what it also describes. The second part provides an analysis of this phenomenon through a review of current literature and our position on it. The third part proposes an outline for a primary examination of what might be happening in the brain in the experience of an Act of Fiction. The authors conclude by suggesting directions for future research.

Eliciting Children’s Perceptions of Migration through a Puppet-Making Task

This study adopted a qualitative case study approach to investigate the perceptions of immigrant children who participated in a puppet-making workshop about the story of an immigrant puppet, called Amal. The study involved 11 participants, 5 girls and 6 boys aged between 9 and 12 years, who joined the Children Like Us puppet-making workshop organized by the Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM) Izmir Al Farah Child and Family Support Center in Turkey. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews from the children. The interviews were conducted face-to-face by the second researcher. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. The results revealed that the migrant children expressed enthusiasm and joy in participating in the puppet-making workshop and used the Little Amal character to convey their perspectives on migration. The study offers useful methodological implications; it shows how artistic experiences can facilitate the expression of thoughts and feelings for children.

Stanislavsky’s Failed Bildungsroman

Disabled for the last nine years of his life, Konstantin Stanislavsky struggled to verbalize his artistic experience and record it in writing. This experience mostly concerned acting, itself extremely hard to conceptualize and explain, and, to his mind, the core of human existence. Stanislavsky looked for the proper literary vehicle to contain this abundance. Initially, he hoped he had found adequate means in the form of the educational novel – the Bildungsroman. However, in the course of his writing, he gradually abandoned this form, as well as any literary aspirations he may have had. What we can find in An Actor’s Work are only remnants of the original concept. Nevertheless, they are still present. Looking closer at these ruins can bring interesting insights into the aura and mood of Stanislavsky’s theorizing about art.

“It was like I was not a person, it was like I was the nature”: The impact of arts-in-nature experiences on the wellbeing of children living in areas of high deprivation

BackgroundNature can weaken the negative effects of deprivation on health, shifting away from pathogenic models of health and supporting the wellbeing of disadvantaged groups. Nevertheless, children living in deprived areas are nine times less likely to have access to nature compared to more affluent children. Schools can facilitate equity of access to nature, thereby playing a crucial role in addressing health inequities. What has received scant attention in existing literature is how access to, and engagement with, nature can be facilitated through arts experiences. Methods‘Eco-capabilities’ is a pilot study exploring the impact of the arts-in-nature practice - ‘Artscaping’ - on the wellbeing of 101 children (aged 7–10) living in areas of high deprivation. Qualitative and arts-based methods were used to understand children's, artists' and teachers' experiences of participating in the intervention. Quantitative methods were used to gain preliminary information on children's self-reported measures of wellbeing pre- and post-intervention. FindingsChildren's wellbeing was supported by the development of: self-confidence and self-esteem; agency; slowliness and calmness; and connectedness with nature. Although children's self-reported measures of wellbeing did not reach statistically significance, the most noticeable changes were that children felt happier with their life as a whole, spending time outdoors and doing things away from home, and more optimistic about what future holds for them. ConclusionsThis study developed the proof of concept for the arts-in-nature intervention. Future research should focus on scaling-up this intervention in primary, secondary and special schools in a wider range of geospatial contexts. Future research should also prioritise the collaboration between artists and teachers to ensure the sustainability of this practice beyond the scope of the research.

Experiences of acquired brain injury survivors participating in online and hybrid performance arts programmes: an ethnographic study

ABSTRACT Background Performance arts can benefit people with acquired brain injury (ABI). This study explored the online delivery during COVID-19 restrictions, of a performance art intervention through the experiences of participants, artists and facilitators. Methods Two community-based programmes were delivered. Online ethnographic observations and semi-structured interviews with participants, artists and facilitators were completed. Results The programmes benefited participants by addressing loneliness and isolation; building confidence through peer support; improving physical limitations through movement; improving communication through music and vocal work; and using poetry, visual arts, metaphor and performance to make sense of participants’ experiences. Participants had mixed experiences of participation, but it was an acceptable alternative to in-person arts interventions for those who overcame digital challenges. Conclusions ABI survivors can engage in online performance art programmes and find participation valuable for their health, well-being, and recovery. More work is needed to explore the generalisability of these findings, especially given digital poverty.

The role of the body in the experience of installation art: a case study of visitors' bodily, emotional, and transformative experiences in Tomás Saraceno's "in orbit".

Installation art, with its immersive and participatory character, has been argued to require the use and awareness of the body, which potentially constitute key parts of the artwork's experience and appreciation. Heightened body awareness is even argued to be a key to particularly profound emotional or even transformative states, which have been frequently ascribed to this genre. However, the body in the experience of installation art has rarely been empirically considered. To address this gap, we investigated the body's role in the experience of Tomás Saraceno's in orbit installation. Based on a list of self-report items created from a review of the theoretical literature, we-for the first time-captured (quantitatively and qualitatively): what kind of subjective bodily experiences visitors (N = 230) reported, how these items grouped into clusters (using network science), and how these relate to emotion, art appraisal, and transformative outcomes. Network analysis of the items determined four communities related to "interoception," "presence," "disturbance," and "proprioception." Proprioception (e.g., awareness of balance/movement/weight) turned out to be a significant determinant of art appreciation in our study, and, together with "disturbing" body experiences (feeling awkward/watched/chills), coincided with transformation. We also assessed individual differences in body awareness yet did not find that these moderate those relationships. We suggest future research on installation art based on a more unified assessment of the role of the body in embodied-enactive aesthetics and its relation to the intensity and impact of art experience in general.

Ballet without Borders by Vyacheslav Samodurov: the Formation of the Dancer’s Style on the European Stage

Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Samodurov is the embodiment of Russian modern ballet. The period when he worked with the companies of the Dutch National Ballet and the Royal British Ballet was a key one not only for Samodurov as a dancer, but also had a significant influence on his future activities as a director and choreographer. Samodurov’s productions have original and recognizable stylistic features and are of interest to audiences and critics, and are studied by theater and art historians. Samodurov’s productions have original and recognizable stylistic features and are of interest to audiences and critics, and are studied by theater and art historians. At the same time, the path of Samodurov-dancer has not received a comprehensive comprehension from the perspective of the evolution of his style and image. This fact determines the relevance of the topic of the article. The purpose of the research is to identify the role and influence of the foreign period of the master on the formation of his individual style as a choreographer. The novelty of the article lies in the fact that for the first time a study of a scientific nature raises the question of combining the art of Samodurov’s national ballet school and the experience he gained in the European ballet. On the basis of analysis of the available facts of Samodurov’s biography, memoirs of his colleagues from the European companies, and information obtained in conversations with the choreographer, generalizations were made which testify to preservation of V.V. Samodurov’s creative experience. A generalization has been made to show that the artistic experience of Samodurov, gained during his period of collaboration with foreign companies, has been preserved in his contemporary work as Artistic Director and Director of the Ekaterinburg State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (also known as the “Ural Opera Ballet”).

Impact of using Artificial Intelligence in visual art performance: Artificial Intelligence on the Design Industry

This study examines AI's huge impact on visual art performance. This study examines how AI's history, tools, and uses in visual art have transformed processes and immersed audiences. Machine learning, computer vision, and GANs let artists create, curate, and alter visual art with unprecedented creativity. AI creates visual art performance concepts, styles, and aesthetics. AI helps artists analyze massive data sets, find trends, and try new art forms. Case studies demonstrate how AI has been used in many artistic disciplines to create groundbreaking performances, interactive installations, and fascinating experiences. AI-powered inventions have changed art genres and captivated viewers. Collaborative art has pushed creativity and innovativeness. Audiences can participate in the creative process and co-create meaning and narrative in personalized, immersive, and interactive AI-powered art experiences. AI in visual art performance affects biases, ownership, copyright, transparency, and accountability. The paper advocates for ethical, legal, transparent, and interpretable AI systems in the arts to promote equality and fairness. Examine future AI visual art performance adjustments, enhancements, and challenges. It enhances AI algorithms for artistic expression, emotions, and aesthetic. AI researchers, visual artists, composers, dancers, and performers will create more complex, interactive cross-disciplinary works. Interpretability, bias reduction, and ethics research advance the field.

Aesthetics of Hallucination: Ontology of Visual Kaleidoscopes From the Age of Myth to Virtual Reality

Throughout this text we will analyze some human concerns that are the subject of analysis in different fields of knowledge such as philosophy, art, science and technology. These concerns revolve around what is reality? what is fiction? what are the effects of hallucination? and what is virtuality? through different cultural products such as art, literature, cinema, psychoactive or entheogenic experiences, up to the most recent proposals of Virtual Reality and their forms of interaction. We will try to envision and propose new ways of perceiving reality, seeking a balance between the real and the virtual world. We will take a tour from the way we process reality and create fictions around it, to the illusionism that has constituted an important part of our search for consciousness, mediating between rationality and experimentation in the construction of new realities to finally make a proposal on Virtual Reality based on the therapeutic use of hallucinogens.

Humans versus AI: whether and why we prefer human-created compared to AI-created artwork

With the recent proliferation of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models capable of mimicking human artworks, AI creations might soon replace products of human creativity, although skeptics argue that this outcome is unlikely. One possible reason this may be unlikely is that, independent of the physical properties of art, we place great value on the imbuement of the human experience in art. An interesting question, then, is whether and why people might prefer human-compared to AI-created artworks. To explore these questions, we manipulated the purported creator of pieces of art by randomly assigning a “Human-created” or “AI-created” label to paintings actually created by AI, and then assessed participants’ judgements of the artworks across four rating criteria (Liking, Beauty, Profundity, and Worth). Study 1 found increased positive judgements for human- compared to AI-labelled art across all criteria. Study 2 aimed to replicate and extend Study 1 with additional ratings (Emotion, Story, Meaningful, Effort, and Time to create) intended to elucidate why people more-positively appraise Human-labelled artworks. The main findings from Study 1 were replicated, with narrativity (Story) and perceived effort behind artworks (Effort) moderating the label effects (“Human-created” vs. “AI-created”), but only for the sensory-level judgements (Liking, Beauty). Positive personal attitudes toward AI moderated label effects for more-communicative judgements (Profundity, Worth). These studies demonstrate that people tend to be negatively biased against AI-created artworks relative to purportedly human-created artwork, and suggest that knowledge of human engagement in the artistic process contributes positively to appraisals of art.

Discurso feminista e identidad americana en la danza moderna: Martha Graham y el significado social del cuerpo femenino

. Este artículo reflexiona acerca de los conceptos del discurso feminista y de la identidad americana en el contexto de la significación social del cuerpo danzante tal y como está representado en las coreografías de la bailarina americana Martha Graham. Aquí abordamos el impacto de las obras revolucionarias Heretic (1929) Lamentation (1930), Primitive Mysteries (1931), Frontier (1935), Letter to the World (1940) y Appalachian Spring (1944), explorando su significado social con referencia a la demarcación de la masculinidad y de la feminidad en la visión de danza de Graham. La iconografía visual, las partituras extraordinarias y la atmósfera sensorial creada por y para estas coreografías seminales son experiencias únicas de una danza artística específica que construye el discurso feminista. La contribución de Martha Graham a la formación de la danza moderna y sus característicos movimientos de ‘contract and release’ que forman la Graham Technique, en la que la energía se localiza en el centro del cuerpo, está saturada de emoción humana. El discurso feminista incorporado en estas coreografías habla del amor y de la muerte, de la opresión y de la libertad, de las limitaciones del género y de la lucha por identidad. Su contribución iluminadora a la danza contemporánea se basó en sus frases de movimiento corporal únicas y en su cuestionamiento sin concesiones de los cuerpos construidos socialmente. Martha Graham creó un nuevo vocabulario de movimiento que revolucionó la danza y se configuró debido al ‘cultural embodiment, cultural communication and the whole shift in the Western lifeworld at the beginning of the twentieth century’ . Palabras clave. Martha Graham, Graham Technique, danza moderna, significado social, discurso feminista, cuerpo femenino, grupos sociales, identidad americana, paisaje musical, cuerpo danzante femenino.

UKRAINIAN THEATER IN PEREMYSHLY (1941 – 1944): STRUCTURE AND ACTIVITIES

The aim of the research is to discover the organizational-administrative and creative-artistic aspects of the activity of the Ukrainian Theatre in Peremyshl in the years of the Hitlerite’s occupation of the town. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, system-formation, scientific character, verification, the author’s objectivity, moderated narrative constructivism, and the use of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization) and specially-historical (historical-genetic, historical-typological, historical-systemic, etc.) methods. The scientific novelty of the article consists in the argumentation of the fact, that, for the first time, in the historiography of the Ukrainian theatrical art on the basis of the previously unknown archival documents, the genesis, organizational development, repertoire, administration, and actors’ staff of the Ukrainian Theatre in Peremyshl in the years of its occupation by the Hitlerites are clarified. Conclusions. Summing up, the fact that the historical genesis of the Ukrainian Theatre in Peremyshl was connected with the activity of “Lesia Ukraіnka theatrical society” (1925 – 1939) and the Soviet State regional drama theatre (1940 – 1941). The history of the Ukrainian Theatre in Peremyshl can be divided into three stages: 1) the stage of the formation of the theatre in a form of the Theatrical circle and Drama section of UAC (1942 – first half of 1943), 2) the stage of the theatre’s reorganization into a professional establishment (August‑October, 1943), 3) the stage of the theatre’s vigorous activity on professional bases (November of 1943 – July of 1944). The Ukrainian Theatre’s artistic experience was manifested by several dozens of first-night performances and almost one hundred of other productions in Peremyshl and the neighboring villages and towns.

Estrategias para la gestión del arte sonoro vinculado al espacio público latinoamericano

This article is based on the results obtained from a research on the production processes of sound art aimed at public space in the Latin American context. The objective was to determine the common strategic processes of this type of proposals in the region, so that we could understand their interests and aesthetic characteristics from the functional and logistical perspective of cultural management. Throughout this text we present a theoretical framework that supports and contextualizes the object of study in the delimited environment of Latin America, this is configured from a methodology with qualitative interests based on literary references and personal experiences of contemporary Latin American artists. As a result, we present the proposal of a first version of a production model, which consists of a systematization of strategies taken from creative andoperative methodologies of concrete case studies: works of public sound art occurred in five geographical positions of Latin America throughout the XXI century.

Formation of Associative Thinking of Future Conductors in the Process of Processing Music of Theater Genres

The specifics of the conductor's work on works of music and theater genres were studied, the components of this process and the importance of associative thinking were determined. The specifics of the genre of operetta, musical comedy, which consists in the fact that the main role in the productions of plays is played by the director, who builds the dramaturgical concept of the play, and in most cases is also the author of the script, is considered. Attention is drawn to the obligatory implementation of the stage work of the director in close contact with the conductor, who is responsible for the musical component of the performance. It is noted that the foundations of a conductor's professional skill are laid in the process of professional training and are consolidated during artistic practice in musical theaters. Attention is focused on the role of theatrical performance in the education of associative thinking in future conductors. The specifics of the conductor's work in the operetta theater and the opera theater are characterized as a means of analyzing the creative experience of outstanding artists. The role of the conductor's associative thinking is defined not only in psychological (as thinking with the help of images and associations) and art history aspects (as a subfactor of the synthesis of arts), but also from a sociological point of view — as corporate thinking based on interpersonal interaction of participants in the creative process, joint activity which is aimed at achieving a specific result. The need for creative adaptation of the score for a specific composition of the musical theater orchestra is substantiated. The nature of the conductor's creative interaction with the director, soloists, choir and orchestra is highlighted. Problematic aspects of students' artistic practice in musical theater are outlined and ways to overcome them are proposed. Attention is focused on creative competitions as one of the means of professional formation of conductors. Four pedagogical conditions and basic principles of formation of associative thinking of students of the opera and symphonic specialty are defined. The importance of associative thinking as a professionally necessary quality of a musical theater conductor is proven. It was found that the work of a musical theater conductor requires the formation of a set of professional competencies (professional skills, musical abilities, personal qualities, individual and psychological characteristics)

Illuminating palaeolithic art using virtual reality: A new method for integrating dynamic firelight into interpretations of art production and use

Approaches to Palaeolithic art have increasingly shifted beyond the traditional focus on engraved or depicted forms in isolation, to appreciating the sensorial experience of art making as integral to shaping the form of depictions and the meaning imbued within them. This kind of research appreciates an array of factors pertinent to how the art may have been understood or experienced by people during the Palaeolithic, including placement, lighting, accessibility, sound, and tactility. This paper contributes to this “sensory turn” in Palaeolithic art research, arguing that the roving light cast by the naked flame of fires, torches or lamps is an important dimension in understanding artistic experiences. However, capturing these effects, whether during analysis, as part of interpretation, or presentation, can be challenging. A new method is presented in virtual reality (VR) modelling – applied to Palaeolithic art contexts for the first time - as a safe and non-destructive means of simulating dynamic light sources to facilitate analysis, interpretation, and presentation of Palaeolithic art under actualistic lighting conditions. VR was applied to two Magdalenian case studies: parietal art from Las Monedas (Spain) and portable stone plaquettes from Montastruc (France). VR models were produced using Unity software and digital models of the art captured via whitelight (Montastruc) and photogrammetric (Las Monedas) scans. The results demonstrate that this novel application of VR facilitates the testing of hypotheses related to the sensorial and experiential dimensions of Palaeolithic art, allowing discussions of these elements to be elevated beyond theoretical ideas.

THE HISTORY OF THE ECOLOGICAL POSTER MUSEUM CREATION AT THE KHARKIV STATE ACADEMY OF DESIGN AND ARTS

The article attempts to analyze in a chronological dimension (1991–2021) the history of creation and functioning of the International Triennial of Ecological Poster “4th Block”, the largest artistic and environmental action in Ukraine, aimed at drawing attention to environmental problems in the world and the spiritual and moral foundations of life. The features of each triennial are consistently reflected, the changes in time of the pictorial component of the modern poster as they move away from Chernobyl tragedy are traced, its artistic and communicative features and innovations used by designers to promote important universal human aspirations are identified. The basis of the study was the materials of albums-catalogs of eleven triennials held, the collection of graphics and posters itself, the book of memoirs of the founder of the triennial. Attention is focused on the natural process of transforming the collection of posters and graphics into a museum that can become the center of modern design culture. A special role of the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts in the organization and support of the “4th Block – Museum, Archive, Laboratory” was noted. An institution of higher education with a powerful creative and scientific potential, its own traditions and original teaching methods, KSADА constantly organizes the educational process in such a way as to acquaint students with history and new trends in contemporary art, including graphic design. This approach attracts new generations of the artistic elite of Ukraine to participate in a dialogue between representatives of different cultural regions and broadcast their own artistic experience to the world space in order to spread the best ideas of mankind. The article presents the conclusions from this study and the prospects for further research in this direction.

실러와 니체의 예술충동 이론과 인간중심 표현예술치료

The purpose of this study is to examine the meaning of borderline intelligence youth's experience in Person-Centered Expressive Arts Therapy programs based on the artistic drives of Friedrich Schiller and Friedrich Nietzsche. The three participants experienced a total of eight expressive arts and then analyzed the meaning of the experience through in-depth interviews. In particular, since they are protected children in child care facilities, they have a strong initial resistance and low interpersonal skills. However, in this study, participants commonly accepted the expressive art experience as a meaning of self-understanding and acceptance as it is, and confidence to express themselves regardless of the gaze of others. Therefore, this study is expected to be of academic value in that the aesthetic experience of Person-Centered Expressive Arts Therapy shows the experience and meaning of awakening artistic drives in art impulse theory.

Embodiment of Modern Graphic Images in the Artistic Experiments of Oleg Denysenko (ecoline)

The creative work of the famous Ukrainian artist Oleh Denysenko has been repeatedly recognized abroad and in Ukraine by both representatives of artistic circles and collectors. For the entire period of his artistic practice, no thorough research of his work and experimental searches in graphics has been made, nor has the artist's creative style and graphic language been described. The artist's work was mentioned in some articles, superficially revealed in studies of the creative work of representatives of the Lviv graphic school working in certain graphic techniques and trends. The figure of O. Denysenko has long occupied a significant place among the representatives of Ukrainian printmaking and graphics. This is the case when the artist and his work are more recognized abroad than in Ukraine. Denysenko is a representative of artistic techniques that have existed for more than five centuries, who is not afraid to improve, experiment, and make new searches for graphic embodiment of images and philosophical considerations. The article explores artistic practices and experiments in graphics on the example of the series of graphic works «ecoline». Attention is drawn to the process of searching for new images, methods and visual techniques, as well as to the means of revealing artistic expression. An overview of the stylization, expressiveness of the graphic language and individual manner is given. The possibility of further studying the transformation of graphic images in other techniques and plot compositions is considered. The basis of experimental searches, the emergence of figurative and symbolic interpretations, and the author's innovations are revealed.

Contribution of Affect and Cognition in Shaping Aesthetic Responses

The human experience of art is unique, being associated with exceptional and transcendent states of consciousness. These experiences are formed based on the interaction between the work of art itself, the observer, and the context. Using the multilevel modelling with crossed random effects analysis, we explored the connection between the affective and cognitive appraisals of a visual work of art and the aesthetic judgment. Two experiments were performed. In the first, lay persons appraised figural paintings with pleasant and unpleasant content. In the second experiment, abstract and realistic paintings were appraised. The results indicate a strong connection between affective appraisal and the aesthetic judgment, especially with the assessment of beauty. Cognitive appraisals are less closely connected to aesthetic appraisals. These results suggest that naive observers use everyday, practical perception when evaluating works of art, and that paintings which evoke "sweet", pleasant, hedonic emotions will be assessed as more aesthetically pleasing. The deviation of a painting from traditional art canons further strengthens the reliance on everyday perception in lay persons. The implications of these results are discussed.