Empirical aesthetics explores the psychological and neuronal underpinnings of aesthetic experiences and the arts. The Empirical Visual Aesthetics Lab (EVAlab), which was founded by Helmut Leder in 2004 and has been recognized as the first department with a specific research focus on Visual Empirical Aesthetics, is celebrating 20 years of pioneering research in this field. In this context, we will host a summer school to accompany the festivities.
In combination with the symposium, the aim of the summer school was for young researchers and tomorrow’s new leaders in the field to closely interact with key protagonists of Visual Empirical Aesthetics of the past 20 years, as well as scientists from the EVALabs, to learn about cutting-edge research in the field, get insight into ongoing projects, and discuss their own research ideas and approaches.
The EVA Labs Summer School aimed to bring together PhD students and early post-docs from around the world with a strong interest in empirical aesthetics, neuroaesthetics, and the psychology of the arts with world-class experts in the field. The Summer School will provide a comprehensive learning experience with lectures, seminars, and networking opportunities, fostering collaboration and innovative exchange in the field.
Within the framework of the 20th anniversary celebrations of the EVALabs (September 2024), PhD students from the VDS CoBeNe helped to organise a summer school for a group of international early career researchers. Amidst the festivities, this opened up the empirical aesthetics research field for the upcoming generation. Stretching over two days, the summer school included talks by 12 established experts in the field, a hands-on eye tracking workshop and a social dinner at Badeschiff Wien. The programme provided the perfect balance of focused work and relaxed conversation, offering a unique opportunity to connect with other like-minded early-career researchers and expand one’s professional network in a comfortable setting. Young inspiring researchers met luminaries of the field and had the opportunity to share their new ideas and perspectives with the speakers in a more informal atmosphere. Fruitful discussions were had by all, and the groundwork was laid for future cross-generational collaborations!
Looking back at the events in retrospect, it was hugely rewarding for everyone involved and we thank CoBeNe for providing the additional funding that contributed to this success.
To also put it in the words of the participants:
Project team:
The festivities were hosted by Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Psych. Dr. Helmut Leder and by Ass.-Prof. Matthew Pelowski, PhD. The accompanying events to the summer school were organised by our PhD students (Kirren Chana, Margot Dehove, Theresa Demmer, Anna Lena Knoll, Stephanie Miller ) with the VDS CoBeNe PhD-Organised Event Grant.