Of Sponge, Stone and the Intertwinement with the Here and Now
This concise book introduces the notion of ‘experience’ as a key concept in a methodology of artistic research. The author traces a genealogy of ‘experience’ from William James, John Dewey and Alfred North Whitehead to Brian Massumi, placing this concept in a framework of research in visual art. The argument is founded in the practice of artistic research and in the reflection on the interweaving of thinking and making. This publication is a slightly extended version of Wesseling’s inaugural lecture at Leiden University in September 2016. Of Sponge... includes a collaboration with the Austrian performance artist and PhD researcher Lilo Nein.