Research

AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE

An empirical investigation in phenomenological psychology 

Aesthetic experiences can be profoundly meaningful. They can offer new perspectives on the way we feel about ourselves and the world in which we live even though they can be diffuse, complex, and difficult to describe. In this project, we investigate imaginary aspects of such experiences as they unfold in the work of art. We also study how an encounter with a work of art holds the possibility of a deep experience of beauty. By empirically investigating both beauty and the imaginary via interviews in dialogue with theory, we will develop a new framework of understanding the power of art.

Funding: Carlsberg Foundation Distinguished Fellowship Prize

Period: May 2020 – May 2023

Principal investigator: Associate Professor Tone Roald

Participating Researchers: PhD student Anders Essom-Stenz, PhD student Benedikte Kudahl, Research assistant Frederik M Bjerregaard-Nielsen, Research assistant Isabel Sidenius Botwel and Associate Professor Tone Roald

AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE AND THE PRE-REFLECTIVE SELF

An investigation in phenomenological psychology 

Art has the capacity to shape and alter who we are. As part of the research center on the psychology of aesthetics, it is the aim of this project to show how experiences with art influence the so-called “pre-reflective” part of who we are. The pre-reflective self has frequently been proposed as particularly present in experiences with art. It refers to the intertwined bodily and affective dimensions of subjectivity, and will be investigated through empirical studies at major art museums based on well-established methods in phenomenological psychology. Through qualitative descriptions of experience (obtained via interviews and observation) and theoretical analyses, we will formulate a theory about the complex combinations of movements, gestures, facial expressions, and emotions as components of aesthetic experience. This way we will explain the psychological importance of art on the pre-reflective self.  

Funding: Danish Council for Independent Research

Period: March 2017 – September 2020

Principal investigator: Associate Professor Tone Roald

Participating Researchers: Associate Professor Bjarne S. Funch, Postdoc Simon Høffding, Professor Simo Køppe, Postdoc Kasper Levin, PhD student Jannik Mosekjær Hansen and Associate Professor Tone Roald