Predicting instabilities: an embodied perspective on unstable experiences with art and design

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Neuroscience
• Philosophy of Mind

Background:

• Predictive Processing (PP) frames perception as a continuous effort to minimize prediction errors by updating internal models or seeking novel sensory input.
• Perception and action are intrinsically linked within the PP framework, suggesting a dynamic interplay between sensing and doing.
• Organisms generally seek predictability, yet humans often engage with stimuli that intentionally disrupt habitual sense-making, leading to 'Semantic Instability' (SeIns).

Purpose of the Study:

• To update the understanding of Semantic Instability (SeIns) through an embodied and situated lens.
• To differentiate art perception from problem-solving, particularly regarding the dynamic integration of contradictory elements.
• To explore how embodied Predictive Processing theories can explain the motivation behind engaging with unstable, yet rewarding, sense-making processes.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical update of the Semantic Instability (SeIns) concept.
• Analysis of art perception through the framework of embodied Predictive Processing.
• Discussion of embodied cognition and situated perception in relation to aesthetic experiences.

Main Results:

• Art perception involves dynamically integrating contradictory elements without necessarily resolving them, unlike problem-solving.
• Semantic Instability (SeIns) in art engagement can be a source of aesthetic pleasure and intellectual interest.
• Embodied Predictive Processing offers a framework for understanding the appeal of nonlinear, insightful sense-making during art experiences.

Conclusions:

• Engaging with art fosters a unique form of sense-making characterized by dynamic integration of contradictions and Semantic Instability (SeIns).
• The pleasure and insight derived from art stem from the process of navigating SeIns, rather than its resolution.
• Embodied Predictive Processing provides valuable insights into the motivations and mechanisms underlying aesthetic engagement and its inherent rewards.