The lecture intends to explore the biological foundations of art, and in particular how the concept of art itself can (and should) be extended to the non-human animal world. By offering theoretical reflections and practical examples, the lecture will challenge the notion of art as a human-only phenomenon.

Prof. Dr. Dario Martinelli (1974), musicologist and semiotician, is Director of the International Semiotics Institute, Professor at Kaunas University of Technology, and is also affiliated to the University of Helsinki and the University of Lapland (adjunct professor in both cases). Currently he is also CRO for the Lithuanian Research Council for a 3-year project on Music and Politics, that will be implemented until December 2016 .

His academic interests include Musicology, Popular music studies, Film studies, Semiotics, Animal studies, and he is currently developing a new research path called “Numanities”, devoted to the rethinking of the role and paradigm of humanities in nowadays society. Along with his mentors, his main points of reference, as scholar, include Felice Cimatti, Philip Tagg, Roberto Marchesini, Umberto Eco, Marc Bekoff, Tom Regan, Peter Singer, Francesco Casetti, David Bordwell and of course Charles Darwin.

https://dariomartinelli.wordpress.com

Date:
Thursday, 19 May 2016
7 p.m.

Location:
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
Karl-Haußknecht-Straße 7, Hörsaal
99423 Weimar 

The lecture is organised by the Chair Media Environments (Prof. Ursula Damm) and kindly supported by Lehrfonds, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.