Philosopher at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

My research examines the interaction of culture and art with perception, emotion, and knowledge. Basically, I am interested in how the mind works and I employ theories from philosophy of mind and 4E (embodied, embedded, extended, and enactive) cognitive science to explore this. Recently, I have been working on how emotions, such as interest or wonder, drive our exploration of the world.

  • More about my current affiliations here: about me.

Interdisciplinary Research Group

The Arts and Minds Lab brings together a vibrant team of researchers from diverse disciplines. In such a lab setting, ideas are not just discussed from the comfort of an armchair but actively explored through dynamic research across disciplinary boundaries and including real-world engagement.

  • Theories of Seeing: An Introduction

    4E | Phenomenology| Pragmatism| Predictive Processing / Media| Aesthetics| Book

    Hier klicken

  • Report on a 4EA Theory of Art

    Transformative Aesthetics| Neuroaesthetics| Enactivism| ART*IS| Project| Fingerhut

    Hier klicken

  • The Aesthetic Self Effect

    Experimental Philosophy| Emotions| Preferences| Moral Values| Personal Identity| Paper

    Hier klicken

  • Art and Embodied Aesthetic Emotion

    Kara Walker| Philosophy of Psychology| Exploration| Evaluation| Draft Paper

    Hier klicken

  • Report on Art in Urban Settings

    Public Art| Urban Design| Neurourbanism| Aesthetics| ART*IS| Project| Fingerhut

    Träume

News & Talks

June 2025, I will give a keynote on “An Enactive Media Theory of the City” at the Summer School Embodying Visual Culture at the University of Palermo (June 10-12).

May 2025, I will give a lecture on “Art as Transformation” (in German) at Museum Barberini at the occasion of the exhibition Kosmos Kandisky (May 1). More soon here.

April 2025, I will present the research of the Research Platform Neurourbanism at the opening of the Einstein Circle: Urban Mental Health Strategy (UMHS) and at the International Urban Mental Health Summit (April 9-11).

March 2025, I teach a Mind and Brain/Philosophy Master course on “Aesthetic Emotions.” The class is filled now, but you can follow our activities on this discord server.

February 2025, I am attending the final symposium of the “Emotional cities” H2020 program in Lisbon and present my research on neurourbanism at Bruno Miranda’s lab.

January 2025, I am on research leave for Italy to explore the impacts of Manifesta 12 on Palermo and public urban art (13-17/20-21) and will meet with Francesco Parisi to work on a 4EA Theory of the arts in Messina (23-25).

Research

My work centers on New Cognitive Media Theory, a framework I developed to explore how images, film, urban spaces, architecture, and art shape cognition, perception, and affect. Grounded in embodied cognitive science, this approach examines media-technological developments, aesthetics, and artistic practices through the lens of philosophy of mind and cognitive science.

I initially formulated New Cognitive Media Theory with a particular focus on images and film. More recently, my research has expanded to the philosophy of the city and the built environment, which I approach through neurourbanism—investigating architecture as a central medium of the mind and its impact on mental health and well-being. Additionally, I explore art and transformation, particularly how works of art offer models for the future that we grasp via aesthetic emotions.

This website presents my work across these interconnected fields.

2025 will be dedicated to finishing a book on The Urban Condition. Yet, I will continue to work on papers and presentations on beauty and wonder, as well as the “Your Emotional City!” citizen science project.

Arts and Minds Lab

At Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin I have a research group on transformative aesthetics, the Arts and Minds Lab. This is where most of my research happens. We focus mainly on one question — addressed both theoretically and experimentally — How do the arts (architecture, images, new media) transform us over time? How does art directly address our relationship to the world and aims at a remediation of those relationships.

To understand how our current technology, cultural artifacts and urban living impact the mind, we span different disciplines (data science, psychology, cognitive neuroscience) by being part of the Research Platform Neurourbanism, which cooperates with citizen scientists and practitioners. The same holds for our art research with the European consortium ART*IS that encompasses art schools as well as well as institutes for neuroscience and psychology of art, for which we also coordinate joint activities with artists, museums, galleries, etc.

Talks and Teaching

I currently teach at the Department of Philosophy are HU Berlin. I have been a deputy Professor for Philosophy of Mind at the LMU Munich and also regularly teach a block course on “Art, Aesthetics, and Media” at a Goldsmiths Master Program. I will either commence teaching as Guest Professor at the Department of Philosophy at HU Berlin or at LMU Munich starting this fall semester. Learn more about my teaching here.

I give most of my talks at conferences and academic workshops. But I will also list some more internal presentations in our projects as well as more public panel discussions and talks at museums and citizen projects.