CFP: Philosophy, Design and Aesthetics

The Department of Aesthetics at the University of Warsaw is excited to announce a forthcoming research seminar dedicated to the critical exploration of aesthetic discourse in relation to design. This seminar offers a unique platform for scholars to engage with contemporary debates on the aesthetics of design.

The event will be held in Warsaw, Poland, from April 10th to 12th, 2025, in collaboration with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (SWPS).

Keynote Speakers
Mads Nygaard Folkmann (University of Southern Denmark)
Michalle Gal (Shenkar College)

In questioning the existing limitations of philosophical discourse on the aesthetics of design, the research seminar seeks to address the following questions:

• What justifies the analysis of design within the paradigms centered around art? Are there any alternative frameworks that are more appropriate for the analysis of design?
• How can design be perceived as an integral part of daily life, extending beyond its conventional categorization?
• Can we establish the parameters of design’s axiology by focusing on actions rather than objects?
• What new philosophical concepts could counteract design’s unsustainable world-making?
• In aesthetic appreciation, how should the technological aspect of design production be accounted for?
• How do the technological and material components of design objects influence their aesthetic appreciation and/or their broader axiological significance?

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

• The intersection of art, philosophy, and design
• Theories of value of design
• Everyday aesthetics and design
• Aesthetic experiences in use
• The user as a co-designer
• Environmental sustainability and the philosophy of design
• Aesthetic/axiological dimensions of technology and innovation
• Aesthetics and philosophy in contemporary design research

To read the full call for abstracts and obtain more information, please visit the seminar website: https://designaesthetics.wfz.uw.edu.pl/

We invite scholars to submit abstracts of up to 300 words for blind review by the conference committee. Submissions should be sent to [email protected] by the extended deadline of December 15, 2024.