record

Thesis Info

LABS ID
00566
Thesis Title
Quality of Aesthetic Experience and Implicit Modulating Factors
Author
Wendy Ann Mansilla
2nd Author
3rd Author
Degree
Philosophiae Doctor
Year
2013
Number of Pages
138
University
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Thesis Supervisor
Andrew Perkis
Supervisor e-mail
andrew AT iet.ntnu.no
Other Supervisor(s)
Touradj Ebrahimi, touradj.ebrahimi@epfl.ch
Language(s) of Thesis
English
Department / Discipline
Department of Electronics and Telecommunications
Languages Familiar to Author
English
URL where full thesis can be found
www.dropbox.com/s/o9vyzlnris31ok8/Mansilla_Thesis_Final_print_3.0_low.pdf?dl=0
Keywords
Model of Aesthetic Evaluation, Quotidian Aesthetics, Pleasure Technologies, Implicit Experiences, Emotional Use of Colour, Exposure Effect, Human-Computer Interaction
Abstract: 200-500 words
Since the Dadaist refusal of the conventional standards in art, followed by several movements rejecting art as a commodity, and recently, the popularity of Internet and digital art - artworks have become difficult to recognize as artworks in themselves. Modern works of art are no longer readily only seen today, more often fully experienced. The processing of an aesthetic experience needs a new understanding in terms of the changing context of art and the experiential perspective of art recipients. In the multimedia arena, the valid assumption is that, evaluations of aesthetic experiences are mostly based on the accessible information on the surface of the medium. Several research groups in Psychology, Marketing and Philosophy question the singularity of exterior-level assumptions demonstrating that there are implicit variables that are contributing to an individual`s experiences. The aesthetic evaluation of contemporary art or digital media presentation involves a complex interplay of various factors in any aesthetic encounters. Since the latter of 1800s empirical aesthetics has had a tradition of examining the influence of visual or surface features on aesthetic judgements. However, the influence of implicit variables and aesthetics on the perception of quality remains largely unexplored especially in the fields of computer graphics and human computer interaction. This thesis is addressing this shortcoming. It investigated that the effect of various implicit features and modulating factors, for instance the use of colour in eliciting emotion, the presence of familiar characters or alter ego, prior experiences and mental concepts (food craving versus pleasure technologies) contributing to the final quality evaluations and formation of aesthetic experiences in digital media. The current work is multifaceted, and examined several factors known to influence aesthetic quality evaluation. Several stimuli were produced to facilitate these studies most of which were actual artistic digital installations exhibited in various art festivals and exhibitions (i.e. Chroma Space, Flick Flock, and Candy). Each set of studies presented in this thesis is prefaced by an introduction to the main theoretical and empirical issues addressed, and the reformatted copies from the original manuscripts are provided. In addition, the implications of the results on the field of empirical aesthetics, computer graphics and human computer interaction are discussed. Finally, a discussion of the current state and future direction of this thesis is provided.