R - Chronotopes

R1 - Otium and the Experience of Immersion in Music

The project investigated musical immersion as a phenomenon of the manifestation of Muße and its limits. Based on the hypothesis that sound creates a virtual experience of time and space, we focused on discourses on and compositional constructions of immersive experiences: first, in the late eighteenth century, when literature and musical works promote the idea of musical immersion as a new aesthetic paradigm; and second, in contemporary works of music that pick up on the immersive quality of virtual media experience.

Staff:
Johannes Bernet

R2 - Urban Otium in the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Century.
Flânerie in German Literature

Adding a new chapter to the history of the flâneur, this project analysed urban practices of otium in German literature and journalism. Travel writers’ and newspaper correspondents’ descriptions of London and Paris, but also Goethe’s observations of Rome, Venice, Naples and Palermo constituted the point of departure for our discussion of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century texts. Taking a closer look at their depictions, otium emerges as an analytical category that encompasses metropolitan ways of life as well as the spectator, both the city dwellers’ practices and the spectator’s otiose gaze.

Staff:
Dr. René Waßmer

R3 - Otium in the Forest: The Construction of a Concept in Past and Present

Prof. Dr. Daniela Kleinschmit,
Prof. Dr. Uwe Eduard Schmidt

This project explored the social construction of the forests as a space of Muße in the last two hundred years. Factors and processes which influenced this construction were identified, and their present representations were analysed. Based on the analysis of historical and present space constructions, influencing forest-related interpretations of individuals and societies, the project generated fundamental insights concerning past and recent developments in forest policy.

Staff:
Johannes Litschel
Dr. Andy Selter
Sibylle Roth

R4 - Spaces of Otium: Theory, Practice and Empirical Evidence of Modern and Contemporary Architecture

Prof. Dr. Hans W. Hubert

Looking at public spaces of contemplation, exhibitions, spas and libraries, this project discussed how contemporary architecture intends to create an atmosphere of otium for those using it. Following a thorough analysis, our aim was to discuss the relevant theories, debates and terminology informing otiose architectural design. By introducing empirical research on the perception of space and time, this project added to traditional approaches to architecture.

Staff:
Lorenz Orendi

R5 - Waiting and Expecting in Spaces of Otium: An Empirical Study on the Connection between Expectation, Atmosphere and Sense of Time

Staff:
Dr. Sonja Ehret