Aesthetic Framework Research Articles

The coloniality beneath the aesthetics: a study on the reclining female schema in modern Chinese photography

This study explores the reclining female schema in modern Chinese photography, analysing its emergence and localisation through an Orientalist lens. Traditionally associated with the ‘odalisque pose’ and often linked to the colonial representation of the harem, this visual schema became prevalent in China following the opening of treaty ports. Although China was never fully colonised, Chinese women, often involved in prostitution, were depicted in Western photography as exotic figures. Their commodified images were consumed by male audiences in both the West and China. The adoption of the reclining female schema by Chinese courtesans and photography studios reflects a subtle form of coloniality, as these women leveraged their visibility to enhance their marketability within a Western-influenced aesthetic framework. This study argues that while Chinese prostitutes actively participated in constructing their own imagery, their embrace of this foreign visual schema remained constrained by the male gaze. Therefore, this self-othering is also a result of being othered, inadvertently reinforcing colonial power structures. Through a comparative analysis of visual materials such as postcards and photographs, the research highlights the parallels between the portrayal of Chinese women and those from other colonised nations, thereby uncovering the underlying mechanisms behind these similarities. This examination underscores how colonial ideologies, often masked by aesthetic pleasure, shaped gender norms and cultural identity in China.

Photography, Memory and Postmigration:

Contemporary cross-border migration patterns often reflect historical colonial ideologies, with inequalities in freedom of movement closely tied to national identity, race, ethnicity, and gender. Representations of migrant women in news outlets frequently aim to symbolically position them as passive victims and depoliticized subjects dependent on external aid. While various facets of migration have been explored in critical media scholarship, more attention needs to be given to photography's role in depicting women's movement across geographical and cultural borders beyond traditional photojournalistic and humanitarian conventions. Some migrant women photographers, such as Maryam Wahid and Mitra Samavaki, use visual practices to contest the inadequacy and lack of representation of migrant women and subjective migration experiences. These photographers invoke metaphorical visual languages to position women in front of and behind the camera as narrators of their own stories. Considering this context, this paper explores the potential of self-authored visual narratives—created and circulated by migrant women photographers—to offer innovative insights into subjects' agency. I discuss these alternative representations, building on Ariella Azoulay’s new political ontology of photography, T. J. Demos’ approach to aesthetics of migration, and Anne Ring Petersen's postmigrant perspective. This study theorizes the relationship between migration, photography, and first-person perspectives by examining how the political is reinstituted into an aesthetic framework within photographic practices. In conclusion, these artists portray mnemonic and subjective aspects of their migration experiences, engaging in image-making to reflect on a world shaped by and through migration. These self-authored visual narratives transcend the codes of objectivity and humanitarian traditions by creating a political space for transforming, contesting, and negotiating aesthetic complexities associated with memory, self, and womanhood.

Evaluating the Temporal Effect of Image Features on Dynamic Aesthetic Experience of Generative art

The emergence of dynamic digital arts, such as dynamic generative art, has reshaped how aesthetic experiences can be studied, emphasizing their inherently dynamic and evolving nature. Within the framework of computational aesthetics, which seeks to model and quantify human perceptions of beauty, this study extends the focus from static to dynamic stimuli. We investigate the temporal relationship between evolving image features and aesthetic judgments, exploring how dynamic visual properties influence the progression of aesthetic judgments over time. By introducing temporal offsets in the analysis and employing linear and nonlinear statistical models, we examine continuous aesthetic ratings alongside an extensive set of image features. Our findings offer a novel perspective on the enduring impact of image features on aesthetic experience.

The Application and Impact of Plant Dyes in Renaissance Art: Historical Analysis and Cultural Significance

Plant dyes played a crucial role in the artistic practices of the Renaissance, possessing both cultural and symbolic significance. As naturally derived pigments, their application demonstrated advancements in craftsmanship and technological innovation, while also shaping artists’ creative paradigms, visual methodologies, and aesthetic frameworks. This study examines key Renaissance artworks to highlight the distinctive characteristics of plant dyes in color application and their innovative visual impacts, emphasizing their roles in oil painting and textile arts. The vivid and emblematic hues of plant dyes were intricately tied to the era’s religious, philosophical, and socio-cultural milieu, often symbolizing themes of nature, spirituality, and social hierarchy. Furthermore, the utilization of plant dyes was deeply connected with advancements in early botanical studies, the expanding art trade, and the development of craft industries like weaving and dyeing. The widespread adoption and enhanced accessibility of plant dyes during the Renaissance underscore the period’s intellectual engagement with the natural world and the resurgence of classical humanistic values. Adopting an interdisciplinary methodology, this research combines insights from art history, cultural studies, and material science to investigate the diverse influences of plant dyes on Renaissance art. This study provides fresh perspectives on the role of plant dyes in shaping artistic practices, uncovering the intricate interplay between art, culture, and the natural world during this transformative epoch.

New objects of research in algorithmic aesthetics: dance performance and choreographic art practice

The article explores the way in which new objects of study, such as dance performance and art–practice, emerge in algorithmic aesthetics. The advent of digital communicative practices shapes new means of formalization of dance performance scripts, which nowadays have various technological solutions, including algorithmic ones. Classical aesthetics is unable to describe the technological modernization of artistic expression. The author offers a general framework of algorithmic aesthetics to study of dance performance and art practice.

In situ] : re-thinking the role of musical improvisation performance in the context of the ecological and cultural crisis

If there is one thing that complexity theory has taught us, it is to consider phenomena not as isolated events with properties of their own, but to observe them from a different perspective: as relations in a vast network of interdependent systems. In this light, the role of contemporary music performance has changed, and will continue to change, precisely because the context in which it is created and takes place is constantly evolving. Artistic research can provide the tools to be aware of these changes and to actively re-act in this changing context, not by simply transposing the context or its elements into a representational or aesthetic framework, as happened with the avant-gardes of the 20th century, but by breaking cultural boundaries through transpositions into distant fields with isomorphic functional principles. It is precisely because of this characteristic, which reveals the intrinsic interdisciplinarity in artistic research, that it is possible to revolutionize the traditional conception of music performance and not confine it to an aesthetic regime, but rather expand it to include the context. However, since relationships are not unambiguous, it is not just a matter of revising the concept of performance, but also of reviewing the way we experience and live in the context, as artists, as human beings, and as elements of a circuit of which we are only a small part. In this paper, I will first examine how environmental and social changes have been reflected in performative changes and the ways in which the context of the ecological crisis and contemporary performance are interrelated. Then, I will focus on my research project, “[in situ]”, highlighting its site/situation-specificity, flexibility, immersivity, and interactivity, and explaining how it aligns with and differs from other contemporary music performance practices.

Exploring the Barrier between Language and Culture from the Perspective of Postmodernist Aesthetics - Taking the Translation of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Huang Jinyan and the Translation by Fan Ye as an Example

Focusing on the translations of Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude by Huang Jinyan and Fan Ye, this paper explores how language shapes and reflects cultural differences, thus influencing cross-cultural communication from a postmodernist aesthetic perspective. The opening chapter briefly describes the relevance of postmodern aesthetics to translation studies, with a special focus on the strategies of naturalization and alienation in magical realist translations and their role in conveying cultural connotations. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of the two translations reveals the differences in the translators’ strategies in dealing with the complex symbols and cultural elements of the original work: Fan’s translation tends to alienate, retaining the exotic and magical qualities and preserving the uniqueness of Latin American culture, but it may increase the barriers to comprehension for Chinese readers; Huang’s translation is inclined towards naturalization, which is closer to local reading habits and enhances the readability of the text, but it may diminish the cultural shock and depth of the original text. The core of the article emphasizes that translation is a dual process of cultural selection and re-creation. It requires the translator to strike a balance between preserving the original style and transmitting the cultural essence within the framework of postmodern aesthetics. The article further discusses the crucial role of this balance in enhancing cross-cultural communication and expanding horizons. It also proposes guidelines for future translation practice and research, advocating for a harmonious and symbiotic translation strategy that respects the original work while adapting to the target culture, particularly in the translation of cross-cultural literature.

The Role of Community Aesthetics in the External Communication Discourse System of Chinese Films Under the Background of the “Belt and Road” Initiative

As a cultural product, films bear the mission and responsibility of shaping the national image and conveying the spirit of China in international cultural exchanges. However, since the proposal of the “Belt and Road” initiative in 2013, the dissemination of Chinese films in countries along the route has remained unsatisfactory, thereby underscoring the urgency of reconstructing the discourse system for the external communication of Chinese films. To address this issue, it is of the utmost importance to establish a creative orientation that is focused on reshaping China’s image, fully exploring Chinese stories and the essence of the Chinese spirit, and developing a discourse system that is centered on Chinese narratives and supported by the theoretical framework of community aesthetics. Moreover, it is vital to engage in comprehensive collaboration in cultural exchanges with countries along the Belt and Road. This necessitates the adaptation of Chinese film promotion and distribution strategies to align with the characteristics of the new media era. Leveraging the aggregating power of new media platforms and online communities is essential for the creation of a sustainable and Chinese-style industrial model for the global dissemination of Chinese films.

The Role of Community Aesthetics in the External Communication Discourse System of Chinese Films Under the Background of the “Belt and Road” Initiative

As a cultural product, films bear the mission and responsibility of shaping the national image and conveying the spirit of China in international cultural exchanges. However, since the proposal of the “Belt and Road” initiative in 2013, the dissemination of Chinese films in countries along the route has remained unsatisfactory, thereby underscoring the urgency of reconstructing the discourse system for the external communication of Chinese films. To address this issue, it is of the utmost importance to establish a creative orientation that is focused on reshaping China’s image, fully exploring Chinese stories and the essence of the Chinese spirit, and developing a discourse system that is centered on Chinese narratives and supported by the theoretical framework of community aesthetics. Moreover, it is vital to engage in comprehensive collaboration in cultural exchanges with countries along the Belt and Road. This necessitates the adaptation of Chinese film promotion and distribution strategies to align with the characteristics of the new media era. Leveraging the aggregating power of new media platforms and online communities is essential for the creation of a sustainable and Chinese-style industrial model for the global dissemination of Chinese films.

Art, literature and performance in the age of social media: Exploring alternative aesthetics in home cinemas of Malabar

This paper introduces a new aesthetic framework to the media culture. It aims to examine the home cinema trend initiated in Malabar throughout the 2000s. Video films, referred to as home movies in Malabar, are a novel development in popular culture. The industry has generated several titles and elevated many producers, entrepreneurs, performers, and technicians to prominence. The phrase ‘home movie’ signifies an intermediary realm between television and cinema. The video business is propelled by local markets initially originating from Malabar, is expanding swiftly to other regions, particularly Gulf nations. The success of the home movie movement hinges on the acceptance or rejection of its dedicated followers who anticipate the eventual release of a new picture on DVD. We contend that these home videos originate from the Mappila, an indigenous Muslim group, and via these films, the artists endeavor to encapsulate the community’s existence inside the frame. These films chronicle and reconstruct socio-political and cultural events occurring both inside and without the nation’s boundaries, particularly in the Gulf nations. The community was promptly impacted by the home cinema, since they saw these films as closely connected to their culture and daily existence, accurately portraying the community.

Redefining Vygotsky’s early works as a theory of aesthetics

The paper critically examines Lev Vygotsky’s art-related texts from 1915 to 1924, challenging interpretations based in Psychology by asserting that his aesthetic framework transcends outdated objectivist references, offering a nuanced philosophical perspective. Situating this within post-1917 Revolutionary Russia, the study explores its alignment with the visions of a ‘Revolutionary’ theatre for the ‘new human being’ in the Russian Futurist movement. It underscores Vygotsky’s pursuit of empirical evidence for understanding theatre’s impact on individuals and society, highlighting Marxist dialectics as the backbone of his aesthetic thought. Moreover, it establishes a connection between Vygotsky’s thought and Formalism, rooted in their shared emphasis on art’s structural features and links his ideas with Futurism, exploring their shared belief in the transformative power of form as a crucial element in provoking social change. The paper defines Vygotsky’s aesthetics, focusing on integral aspects of artistic reception, particularly emotion and imagination. It traces the shifts in Vygotsky’s understanding of these terms from his early reliance on psychoanalysis to the incorporation of dialectic and, later, cultural-historical perspectives, thus integrating Vygotsky’s later theories on human psychology into his aesthetic theory. The paper concludes by exploring the resonance between Vygotsky’s redefined aesthetics and contemporary Cognitive Theatre Studies. It draws attention to methodological convergence and shared insights on the interplay between natural and cultural influences, such as image schemas and conceptual blending, emphasising the enduring relevance of Vygotsky’s perspective on artistic structure and theatre’s transformative socio-political impact.

Modular narratives and visual digital culture in contemporary cinema. The case of Open Windows (Nacho Vigalondo, 2014)

In the present day, digital visual and convergence culture permeate the modes of production, circulation, and consumption of audiovisual representations, following the postulates of authors such as A. Darley or H. Jenkins. In this context, A. Cameron defines modular narratives as those in which classical narrative causality is replaced by a database aesthetic, dividing the narrative into discrete elements subject to manipulations of order, frequency, and duration. Focusing on the case of Open Windows (Nacho Vigalondo, 2014), this study aims to explore the imprints of digital visual culture on contemporary Spanish cinema incorporating modular narratives. The methodology employs an analysis model adapted to this narrative and aesthetic specificity within the framework of Computational Media Aesthetics. The film's mechanisms of representation are scrutinized through a multi-screen interface, where simultaneous events are juxtaposed within the same visual field. Finally, the discussion encompasses the necessity of applying such models to the analysis of audiovisual content associated with digital visual culture, as well as their potential utility for future research.

Environmental Ethics in Foreign Language Teaching: an Eco-social Aesthetics Multimodality Dimension

As the twenty-first century world ecology state has created the urgent need for wholistic educational projects to be implemented, this article focuses on the actual issue of teaching environmental ethics through teaching foreign languages with an emphasis on the multimodality aspect of both verbalized and non-verbalized eco-social aesthetics as media for ecological meaning development, which constitutes its aim, thus contributing not only to foreign language education but to overall sustainability literacy within the framework of higher education. As a result of the authors’ analysis of research papers in the corresponding field, the status of the pedagogical concept ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS as a fundamental one in modern linguodidactics has been substantiated. An experientially tested outcome approach to teaching environmental ethics within the framework of eco-social aesthetics in the process of teaching foreign languages (English, in our case) has been outlined. It has been revealed that in response to the current eco-social crisis, it is both verbally and non-verbally represented eco-social aesthetics in its multimodal dimensions that can serve as a highly efficient and intellectually challenging vehicle for pursuing integrated environmental, social, educational and cultural sustainability objectives. It has been proved that the application of an art-based eco-social aesthetics foreign language teaching increases students’ eco-language and eco-social skills, as well as a sense of connectedness with their environment. The work is methodologically based on both global educational objectives for environmental language education and internationally established CLIL principles. Our findings demonstrate that the developed ecolinguodidactic strategy with its focus on students’ engagement with the environmental social concerns through multimodal eco-art aesthetics and its verbal representations greatly encourages learners’ critical thinking, decision making and foreign language acquisition.

Examining the nuances of Huizhou architecture and building decoration elements within the framework of rural development and urban aesthetics through the application of object detection and explicative analysis

Examining the nuances of Huizhou architecture and building decoration elements within the framework of rural development and urban aesthetics through the application of object detection and explicative analysis

Re-gendering Art: A Study of Ravi Varma’s Shakuntala Writing a Love Letter on a Lotus Leaf

As a reflection of social patterns, culture is bound to change and the representations from the past distorted in the present need to be decoded to remove the staleness and fixation on various notions passed as absolute truths. This dichotomy inspires an investigation into an iconic representation of womanhood from the stature of an episode from mythological epic Mahabharata and the paintings of Shakuntala by the painter Prince Ravi Varma of erstwhile Travancore in the state of Kerala in colonial India to unravel the stories that characterized popular imagination of women in history. The theoretical framework of aesthetics in the depiction of human forms that define perceptions of gender directs this study to avail a close reading to evaluate the growth of empowerment of women within the dialectics of history and culture. ‘Ekphrasis’ studies mainly how visual arts are represented in literature and here interestingly visual art becomes the ekphrasis of the written text. A proposal of the theory of ‘elimination’, the study intends to debunk the societal gaze of the feminine form as fragile hindering the strength of character by analyzing the hidden details in art. The relevance becomes manifold in the twenty-first century as the new generation is ardently trying to break stereotypes. The limitations of binary ideas of masculine and feminine are interwoven mainly with physical characteristics. The pressure to mimic these attributes leads to the exclusion of anything beyond that idea which disturbs the balance of gender equality and justice.

Innovative Design of Bamboo Weaving Products - Perspective from Hunan Province

The development of innovative model for bamboo weaving products in Hunan is needed since there is no rules to follow that can be used as a unified point of references. The objective of this research is to investigate, to determine and to assess the innovative model for bamboo weaving products in Hunan. In term of the methodology of the studies, a variety of different literature and current models were integrated to highlight the variation in consumer responses to the visual form of the product. Through a research project employing a mixed-methods approach, work began on how crafts-people and designers elicit these responses. Interviews with craftspeople, designers and consumer surveyors played a key role in this process. The findings indicate that this model is not only replicates the previous model created for the consumer response, but also incorporates new perspectives and insights. It also provides a more comprehensive model of innovative design that places Hunan's bamboo woven products within an aesthetic framework and describes activities other than design that are important in shaping the shape of the product.

Diversifying Quranic revision methods using gamification-based teaching material for tahfiz education

This study discusses the development procedure of the global tahfiz game (GTG) as a teaching aid for the Quranic revision subject for tahfiz students based on the gamification concept. Comprehensive design and development research (DDR) was used as the research method. The analysis includes conceptual and material development, expert evaluation, testing, and the final product. The development of concepts and materials used in this gamification was based on the theoretical framework of mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics (MDA), with the application of tahfiz education elements. To examine the ability of GTG prototype to tackle the users’ needs, we have conducted the usability analysis. The expert teacher's mean score for the trial run on this gamification was high at 4.85. The trial run score for student participants was also high (4.45). The result demonstrated that most of the constructs are perceived at a high level by respondents. Thus, this indicated the high usability of GTG to be used as a teaching aid for a Quranic revision subject. The gamification of Quranic tahfiz based on board games has been finalized through recommendations and improvements based on the evaluation. The study findings are expected to be useful for educational institutions or researchers in developing teaching materials using the MDA framework for gamification, particularly in the field of Islamic education.

Telemetric Feeling in Tita Salina and Irwan Ahmett’s The Ring of Fire (2014–Present)

Abstract: This essay traces recent and ongoing works and projects of the artist duo Tita Salina and Irwan Ahmett, alongside the etymological history of the science of telemetry. Focusing on three works ( Ziarah Utara , 2018–present; Iron Placenta , 2021; and The Call of Fragility , 2022), in this essay I contend that the duo’s The Ring of Fire (2014–present) meta-project marks the “telemetric turn” in their practice, wherein the use of open-source satellite data and augmented embodiment have become increasingly frequent methods and motifs in their work. Analysing this turn in Salina and Ahmett’s practice in relation to Matthew Fuller and Eyal Weizman’s notion of “investigative aesthetics” and McKenzie Wark’s three-part framework of technics, ethnography, and aesthetics, the essay discusses how documentary and performance, storytelling and investigation, remote sensing and lived realities, come together in Salina and Ahmett’s work to offer a possible theorisation of a new telemetric function and artistic method: telemetric feeling.

"Encumbered with useless graces": Ornamentation and Aesthetics in Eighteenth-century Scottish Music

Throughout the eighteenth century, a steady stream of Italian musicians travelled to Scotland, in search of artistic and commercial success. Inspired by the enterprise of their Scottish counterparts, many published collections of “Scots Tunes,” such that by the end of the century a rich body of repertoire had emerged. Italians and Scots alike valued this repertoire for various reasons: for some, these tunes represented an idealised vision of pastoral simplicity; for others, a fossilised record of the music of past generations; for others still, these tunes were a vehicle for the expression of nationalistic sentiment. This repertoire presents a challenge to Early Music practitioners today, who must contend with the fact that this music has been transmitted through textual sources and oral tradition. To this end, many musicians engage with elements of Scottish Traditional performance practice – a practice that often diverges from, and is at times incompatible with, dominant understandings of eighteenth-century performance practice. In this thesis, I summarise some of the ornamentation techniques employed by Scottish Traditional musicians, investigating their possible influence on Italian Scots Tunes sources. I contend that comparative analysis of these sources can inform performances of this repertoire, by revealing implicit relationships between notation, performance practice and aesthetic judgements. Further, I survey current trends in the historical performance practice of Scots Tunes, interrogating the ways in which this repertoire is framed by modern conceptions of “folk” music. I observe that this repertoire continues to be valued within a variety of aesthetic frameworks, which are themselves revealed, upheld, and reproduced through performance practice.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ЕТИКЕТУ У СФЕРІ БІЗНЕСУ

The article analyzes etiquette in the context of social relations and its role in society. In the business sphere, ethics and etiquette complement each other. The issue of business etiquette is an important component of the professional behavior of entrepreneurs and businesspeople. Etiquette is a system of behavioral rules that regulates the external manifestations of human relationships. Most etiquette norms arise from the moral and aesthetic needs formed by humanity. The norms of ethics and aesthetics require the development of communication rules between people, which is also necessary in the business sphere. Etiquette primarily concerns behavioral categories, while ethics refers to moral categories. This means that a polite person is not always moral, but a moral person must be well-mannered and polite. Thus, the norms of etiquette and morality that have developed in society are mechanisms for regulating the long process of forming relationships between people. Without adherence to ethical norms, neither economic, political, nor business relations can exist. The article explores the concept of etiquette, specifically focusing on its significance within social relations and its broader role in shaping societal interactions. In the realm of business, etiquette and ethics are interdependent and serve as vital tools that help businesspeople navigate the complexities of professional conduct. Etiquette, being a structured set of behavioral guidelines, plays a crucial role in regulating how individuals present themselves and interact with others, ensuring that professional exchanges occur smoothly and respectfully. This concept stems largely from the moral and aesthetic frameworks that have evolved over centuries, reflecting the innate human need for order, decency, and civility in all forms of communication. In the business environment, the lines between ethical and etiquette-related behavior often intertwine. While ethics addresses deeper moral obligations, etiquette focuses on outward actions and mannerisms. It is important to note that these two concepts, while distinct, are mutually reinforcing. For instance, a polite individual may not necessarily exhibit ethical integrity, but a person grounded in strong moral principles will likely adhere to courteous behavior. The long-standing traditions of etiquette offer a system through which professionals can cultivate trust, foster cooperation, and create a foundation for sustainable relationships – whether in business or politics. Without these codes of conduct, the structure of professional interaction would falter, leading to a breakdown in both economic and political engagements. Therefore, the implementation of etiquette is not just an option but a necessity for the functioning of modern business practices.