PHILOSOPHY IN THE ARTS : ARTS IN PHILOSOPHY CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HEART IN ARTISTIC RESEARCH (AR) AND PERFORMANCE PHILOSOPHY (PP). PEEK-Project(FWF: AR822). by Arno Boehler

Arts-based-philosophy is an emerging research concept at the cutting edge of the arts, philosophy and the Sciences in which cross-disciplinary research collectives align their research practices to finally stage their investigations in field-performances, shared with the public. Our research explores the significance of the HEART in artistic research and performance philosophy from a cross-cultural perspective, partially based on the concepts of the HEART in the works of two artist-philosophers, in which philosophy already became arts-based-philosophy: Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Aurobindo’s poetic opus magnum Savitri. We generally assume that the works of artist-philosophers are not only engaged in “creating concepts” (Deleuze), but their concepts are also meant to be staged artistically to let them bodily matter in fact. The role of the HEART in respect to this process of “bodily mattering” is the core objective under investigation: Firstly, because we hold that atmospheres trigger the HEART of a lived-body to taste the flavor of things it is environmentally engaged with basically in an aesthetic manner (Nietzsche). In this respect the analysis of the classical notion for the aesthete in Indian philosophy and aesthetics, sahṛdaya––which literally means, “somebody, with a HEART”––becomes crucial. Secondly, because the HEART is said to be not just reducible to one’s manifest Nature, but has access to one’s virtual Nature as well. The creation hymn in the oldest of all Vedas (Rgveda) for instance informs us that a HEART is capable of crossing being (sat) & non-being (asat), which makes it fluctuate among these two realms and even allows its aspirations to let virtual possibilities matter. Such concepts show striking similarities with contemporary concepts in philosophy-physics, e.g. the concepts of “virtual particles” and “quantum vacuum fluctuations” (Barad).

This research is funded in whole or in parts by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). Grant DOI: 10.55776/ AR822

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The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Artistic Research Center (ARC-mdw) will be the research seat of this project. In the 2022 QS World University Rankings, mdw has been appointed the second place worldwide in the performing arts category. https://www.mdw.ac.at/qsworlduniversityranking2022/ Three Professors of mdw are part of this project, ao.Prof. Johannes Kretz (head of ARC-mdw), Prof. Florian Reiners (Professor for Speech at MRS), em.o.Univ.Prof.Dr. Susanne Valerie Granzer (Professor for acting MRS) as well as PI Böhler. As an international leading center with a PhD program for artistic research, ARC-mdw will be able to provide a research environment that will meet highest international standards for AR and PP.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH COOPERATION PARTNERS OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT: PHILOSOPHY IN THE ARTS. ART IN PHILOSOPHY.Cross Cultural Research on the Significance of the Heart in Artistic Research and Performance Philosophy

SVARAM (https://svaram.org/) is a grassroots community, rural development project in Tamil Nadu, initiated in 2003. It has been recognized by the UN Initiative “Music as a Global Resource” as one of its first 50 projects worldwide. Aurelio, one of our key-researchers, is director of SVARAM and will provide us the infrastructure of this place with its expertise for our field-research in Auroville and the public presentation of POS#7 in Tamil Nadu India.

ADISHAKTI Laboratory for Theatre Art Research is a contemporary theatre research and repertory place near Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu India with an own theatre. It reaches out to other performance groups and artists to evolve their own workshops, residencies, retreats, seminars and performances in their space that encourage hybrid expression. ADISHAKTI will provide us its theatre venue, accommodation and food for the field

BRUT Wien is a vivid production and performance venue for the performative arts in Vienna. Since its inception in 2007, it has been among the most influential places in the independent performance, dance, and theatre scene in the German speaking area. In the attached LoI BRUT confirms its willingness to include our 4 art-labs in the brut season program “Handle with care.” Furthermore, BRUT will host the format “PHILOSOPHY ON STAGE #6 in spring 2026. For the presentation of POS#6, BRUTWien will provide infrastructure and the stage of BRUT Wien, technical and organizational support, dramaturgical assistance, press and marketing.

The Department of Philosophy at the University of Vienna will provide us a vivid research environment in the leading philosophy department in Austria. Böhler is supervising there a team of 8 doctoral students in philosophy. The lecture series “On the Significance of the Heart in AR” will be accomplished at the Department of Philosophy in co-operation with ARC-mdw.

Volkstheater Wien is Vienna’s people theater. As one of the leading theatres in Vienna, it will provide us the ROTE BAR to install there a public *Heart-Lab*, in which Böhler, Granzer, Jägle will thematize crucial aspects of our research to the interested public https://www.volkstheater.at/spielstaetten/rote-bar

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