Dec 24th, 2018 - Richard Shusterman, “Photography as Performative Process” (Si-mian Lectures on Humanities No. 441)

2018-12-24  

Title: Photography as Performative Process

Lecturer: Richard Shusterman (Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar Chair in the Humanities and is the director of the Center for Body, Mind, and Culture at Florida Atlantic University)

Chairperson: WANG Jiajun (Associate Professor, Department of Chinese language and literature, East China Normal University)

Date: 10:30 am, December 24th, 2018 (Monday)

Venue: Room 3102, Building of School of Humanities, Minhang Campus, ECNU

Sponsor: Si-mian Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities, ECNU

  

Abstract of the Lecture:

Theories of photography in both the continental and Anglo-American traditions identify the art and aesthetics of photography narrowly with the photographic image. My lecture argues that this view neglects an important dimension of the photography of human subjects. The performative process of setting up and taking the photographic shot by the photographer and the performance of posing of the photographic subject. These performative practices require certain somaesthetic skills and the interaction of these performative processes can create rich aesthetic experiences that are shared by the participants in the photographic performance. I illustrate these ideas through my experiences in photographic art and performance with L’homme en or, the Man in Gold.

  

Brief Introduction of the Lecturer:

Richard Shusterman is the Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar Chair in the Humanities and is the director of the Center for Body, Mind, and Culture at FAU. He is mainly engaged in the studies of philosophy and aesthetics and is the leader of the American pragmatism philosophy and aesthetics. The most important academic contribution is his body aesthetics, which has a huge international influence. He was regarded as the most important American pragmatist after Dewey and Rorty. His concept of physical philosophy and body aesthetics has become a hot issue in the current international academia.He has published books such as: Practicing Philosophy: Pragmatism and the Philosophical Life, Performing Live, Surface and Depth: Dialectics of Criticism and Culture, Body Consciousness: A Philosophy of Mindfulness and Somaesthetics; etc.