Program Overview

Program Overview

The university program focuses on the concept of aesthetics as applied to sport, a significant component of everyday life. Sport is examined as a dialogue between participants and non-participants, with each moment being unique and transformational.

Program Description

This studio will delve into the idea of aesthetics in sport, exploring how sportspersons channel instinct and practice to create unique instances. The program will discuss aesthetics not as a process, but as an event that occurs instantly in the moment of viewership, shared between the sportsperson and the spectator.

Key Concepts

• Beauty
• Presence
• Community
• Fanship/Fandom
• Spectacle
• Representation
• Fashion
• Performance
• Subculture
• Branding

Selected Readings

• Adorno, T. (2013) Aesthetic Theory. London: Bloomsbury Revelations
• Anderson, B. (1983) Imagined Communities. London: Verso
• Aristotle (1996) Poetics. London: Penguin Classics
• Barthes, R. (1964) Elements of Semiology. London: Atlantic Books
• Brecht, B., in Willett, J. (ed.) (1964). "A Short Organum for the Theatre". Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic. London: Methuen
• Danto, A. (2007) The Abuse of Beauty. Chicago, IL: Open Court
• Hickey, D. (1995) "The Heresy of Zone Defense", in Air Guitar (1997) Los Angeles, CA: Art Issues Press
• Magee, W. (2017) "Why is Casual Culture Still Relevant in Football and Fashion?", Vice
• Mumford, S. (2018) "The aesthetics of sport and the arts: competing and complementary", in Majumdar, B. (ed.) Sport in Society: Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics (pp.723-733)
• Sennett, R. (2013) Together: The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Cooperation. London: Penguin

Program Focus

The program will examine the concept of aesthetics in sport, exploring its significance and impact on both participants and spectators. It will delve into the unique moments created by sportspersons and the shared experience of spectators, discussing aesthetics as an event rather than a process.