Atmosphere, Resonance, and Immanent Transcendence. Rethinking the Aesthetic Experience as a Threefold

Overview & Synopsis

The paper reinterprets the concept of æsthetic experience, combining the neo-phenomenological notion of atmosphere with the concept of resonance, developed by Hartmut Rosa, and the concept of immanent transcendence, coined by Dorthe Jørgensen. It hereby distinguishes between three aspects of æsthetic experience, interpreting the æsthetic experience as a sensitive interplay of emotional spatiality (atmosphere), vibrant relationality (resonance), and sensitive cognition (immanent transcendence). The paper suggests that this threefold structure can account for a variety of our sensitive æsthetic experiences in atmospheric situations, some being mainly atmospheric, others mainly resonant, and others deeply meaningful in a more cognitive sense.