Research

Already in the first funding phase, the collaboration of the applicants and the on-site team with the fellows was based on the principle of annual themes. These were meant to designate neither separate research fields nor individual disciplinary competencies, but rather aimed at the collective clarification of concepts and examination of the respective research subjects. Particular attention was paid to the historicity of the various concepts in their distinct disciplinary versions, with a focus on the continuity and transformation of concepts, and especially on epochal shifts and transitions.

The centre’s projects in art history, literature, and history of science explore the historicity of the terms in their respective media and disciplines. In particular, they focus on the continuities and transformations of concepts, especially in the context of epoch-making events and transitions.

Discussions in the first funding phase (2019-2023) generated research topics that we will be exploring concertedly in the second funding phase (2023-2027). Based on current spatial transformations in the context of the energy transition, one working group addresses the long history of energy landscapes. Another working group is creating a handbook on aesthetic concepts of force, exploring the multitude of aesthetic conceptions of force. These initiatives will safeguard the results of the group's work and open them up for current discussions.

A plethora of publications has resulted from the research conducted by the CAS. Since 2019, the series Imaginarien der Kraft (De Gruyter) has been published, including monographs and selected anthologies on fundamental questions concerning aesthetic reflections on force. In addition, the fellows and the project team publish their research results in relevant specialist journals, anthologies and individual publications. The list of these publications is being updated continuously.