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The Cinematic Thinking Network is pleased to present an opportunity to engage with the work of philosopher Richard Shusterman.
Exhorting philosophy as a way of life, Socrates eschewed the practice of philosophical writing as a corrupting distraction. But writing soon became philosophy’s privileged medium. To what extent and in what ways can philosophy take advantage of new media technology — not simply through the digital production of articles, books, and blogs but also through visual media?
Experimentation in visual media seems especially appropriate for the philosophical field of aesthetics. Richard Shusterman, internationally renowned for his work in pragmatist aesthetics and somaesthetics, will present examples from his recent work in the medium of video as part of his continued efforts to revive the idea of the philosophical life while expanding philosophy’s reach and public.
The videos take two very different forms: experimental performance art (in collaboration with the Parisian artist Yann Toma) and a three-part educational documentary concerning Shusterman’s philosophical work and its inspirational sources (directed by the Polish filmmaker Pawel Kuczynski). This video work has been exhibited in Europe, the U.S and China but not yet in Australia. After introducing a sampling from both genres, Shusterman will engage the audience for Q&A.
Richard Shusterman is the Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar Chair in the Humanities and Director of the Center for Body, Mind, and Culture at the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Florida Atlantic University. He is the author of Body Consciousness: A Philosophy of Mindfulness and Somaesthetics (Cambridge University Press, 2008) and Thinking through the Body: Essays in Somaesthetics (Cambridge University Press, 2012), co-editor of The Journal of Somaestheticsand editor of the forthcoming series “Studies in Somaesthetics” with Brill.
The Cinematic Thinking Network has 100 members from around the globe and hosts a yearly workshop on film-philosophy as well as occasional one-off symposia and guest lectures. Further information, including instructions on how to become a member, can be obtained at http://cinematicthinkingnetwork.org or by contacting Lisa Trahair (l.trahair@unsw.edu.au)
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