Presentation made live on 11/08/2022 at the Medialab de Madrid Matadero
The «Empirical Re-Aesthetics» is a project targeting the scientific validation of an originally artistic and poetic project, which proposes the return to a primordial Aesthetics. This would mean a comeback to the senses, in accordance with the original meaning of «aesthesis» in Greek. First only in the imagination, giving the chance to rethink the question of the thermal sensation, either because of the inevitable global warming (in the longer term), or because of the eventual energy crisis in Europe during the 2022 winter. Re-Aesthetics could imply a return to a real infernal aesthetic, either by an excess of heat or an excess of cold. The «Empirical Re-Aesthetics» aims to explore the bodily limits of temperature, the subjectivity of the optimal comfort points, as well as the limits that society is willing to tolerate… either by imminent necessity, or by environmental awareness. An exploration which is intended to reach deeper and deeper layers of reality, from the original «poiesis» to scientific validation, then with empirical-social validation, and finally, to political implementation.
Well, this was the initial project that is shown in the abstract and I hope to be able to modify it thanks to the feedback received from my colleagues.
A feedback from peers and experts, to better refine the approaches from a plurality of disciplines and visions about society, because the ultimate goal is to experiment scientifically and sociologically the sensations produced by this return to the infernal aesthetics and the primordial senses, by necessity, which implies a distance from the Aesthetics that became dominant, and which has a mainly intellectual, conceptual and speculative character.
The idea of this project is to validate the «Re-Aesthetics. It is a new Aesthetics of the Temperature, an artistic project that proposes a return to the old and original meaning of «Aesthetics», with an special emphasis on the perception of the thermal reception, both in excess and by absence, and reflect the impact that it implies for Humanity, the global warming coming in the longer term, and the most immediate threat of the coldest winter in decades within European homes, due to a lack of energy sources, which, since the Industrial Revolution of fossil fuels and electricity, have artificially heated homes , allowing an exceptional level of comfort, which perhaps Humanity cannot —nor should— afford. It is about revaluing from the Re-Aesthetics, the primordial sensation of the lowest immanent hells, highlighting the aspect of the human thermal sensation in a world where the global warming is intensifying, and focusing on the aesthetic and philosophical aspect of the problem, but as well, in its potential real applicability.
Where are the limits of Re-aesthetics? What could the society tolerate in this environment of abrupt energy scarcity? In other words, to what extent is it politically feasible to change the focus from the optimization of the subjective and selfish thermal sensation to a focus on objective necessity, in pursuit of the sustainability of the planet? Always considering the point of view of the overall health of the population, and a minimum level of comfort, and studying the social dynamics and reactions it could produce among the population, a change of such magnitude (in the living conditions).
Now, the idea is to go from the ideation, the conceptualization and the preliminary approach, to a technical validation (with air conditioning and computer engineers) and a social-scientific validation (a sociological validation, especially through the design of scientifically rigorous experiments), as well as medical supervision. That is, moving from sensation and poetry to Theory and science: building a bridge between these fields that many times some try to completely segregate.
The project is open to all kind of collaborators due to its interdisciplinary approach, but since I am an economist and philosopher, specialized in art and aesthetics, my shortcomings mainly lie in air conditioning engineering, as well as the scientific knowledge about climate and meteorology, and medicine.
The objective is to generate patterns for scientific experiments, as well as patterns of sociological questionnaires, and elaborate cartographic maps that could be materialized in physical works, and redefine the theoretical framework.
One concept that I find interesting about the project is the distinction I make between etic optimums of temperature and emic optimums of temperature.
The distinction between emic and etic was made by the anthropologist Marvin Harris (although Kenneth Pike used them before in another context), to distinguish between explanations that rationalize the actions made by the members of a community –or a specific individual–, from the explanations that an objective observer could make from the outside.
An emic optimum would be one that the subject justifies as adequate and convenient –in the case of the re-aesthetics, in relation to the temperature adjusted by air conditioning systems or heating systems, that the subject deems optimal. Instead, an etic optimum would be one that is determined to be socially adequate for each person, but in an external and objective way, according to the risk and health profile, but also taking into account the geoeconomics and social context of the country in question, and that could have a normative translation in its legislation, for example, determining a maximum temperature to which homes can be heated in winter and a minimum cooling temperature in summer, which should not be perforated.
Below I would mention a first theoretical framework that I have designed to deal with this whole issue, which makes it difficult to distinguish whether this new aesthetics is an aesthetic discipline or rather a science, but that is also the purpose of the project itself.
This cannot be explained quickly, because there are many terms, and it would be too dense for a session like this, of ten minutes, therefore, you can better look the following images in the link at the end.
In any case, this is a first step to create a new aesthetic discipline that is also a new science of temperature, with new mathematical models that incorporate, as sources of knowledge, medicine, geoconomics, engineering, sociology and politics.
If it is born now and not before, it is because the phenomena appear when one becomes aware of a change. White is perceived because there is black. The hot is perceived because the cold is perceived… and if this new aesthetics of temperature is perceived (which implies a return to the primordial aesthetics of the senses), it is because, after getting used to generate a temperature of comfort in our homes, now we see the discomfort of its deprivation.