2.12. Prof. Dr. David Howes @ Sonic Talks
On Tuesday, 2 December 2025, at 6 p.m., the organisers of »Sonic Talks« in cooperation with Media Theory and History of Science invite you to a special lecture: Renowned anthropologist and legal scholar Prof. Dr. David Howes (Concordia University, Montréal) will speak in the lounge of the University Library about his groundbreaking research in the field of Sensory Studies.
In his lecture Howes will explore the field of sensory studies with a view to current developments and future challenges in the area of creative, artistic, and scientific research into sensory experiences. Under the theme “Sensory Revolutions in the Design Arts,” he will focus on the question of how perception, design, and social practices transform each other.
Howe's research ties in with the Real.Sense.Lab, which is based at the Bauhaus University and was co-founded by Prof. Nathalie Singer. At Real.Sense.Lab, grown environments (nature and urbanity) and social spaces are rediscovered and renegotiated using current, performative perception techniques and strategies. The focus is on training listening, seeing and spatial perception through movement and articulation.
https://www.uni-weimar.de/realsenselab/
About David Howes:
Prof. Dr. David Howes is Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Founding Director of the Centre for Sensory Studies at Concordia University. As one of the central thought leaders in the anthropology of the senses, he has had a significant influence on international sensory studies and developed it into an independent interdisciplinary field of research. In addition to his work at Concordia University, Howes is also an adjunct professor at McGill University's Faculty of Law in Montréal.
His numerous publications include 16 books, among them milestones such as »The Varieties of Sensory Experience« (1991) and »Sensorium« (2024). His research spans medical anthropology, legal anthropology, museology, intercultural aesthetics, and the history and theory of law. Howes is co-founder of the journal »The Senses and Society« (2006) and editor of influential book series such as »Sensory Formations and Sensory Studies« (Routledge). Field research has taken him to Papua New Guinea, northwestern Argentina, and the southwestern United States. He recently completed an extensive project on »Law and the Regulation of the Senses« and is currently leading the research project »Explorations in Sensory Design.«
David Howes – »Sensory Studies 2026. Sensorial Revolutions in the Design Arts«
Time: Tuesday, 2 December 2025, 6 p.m.
Welcome and introduction:
Prof. Dr. Henning Schmidgen (Media Theory and History of Science) and Prof. Nathalie Singer (Experimental Radio)
Location:
Lounge of the University Library
Steubenstraße 8
99423 Weimar
The lecture will be held in English.