Aesthetics 2025

The Arts Engagement and Aesthetic Experience – Bridging the Gap between Arts and Science conference, held from 28 September to 2 October 2025 at Monte Verita in Ascona, Switzerland, was a resounding success.

Participants from different disciplines came together to discuss how the arts and sciences can inform, challenge, and enrich one another. The event fostered engaging discussions, creative collaborations, and an atmosphere of genuine curiosity and connection. The unique setting of Monte Verita, with its historic grounds and stunning natural surroundings, provided the perfect space for both rigorous academic exchange and informal discussions.

We are very grateful to everyone who contributed by presenting, engaging in discussions, and sharing their perspectives. Your feedback and active participation made the event a success. That blend of scholarship, collegiality, and sense of community is exactly what we hoped to achieve.

Let’s hope this becomes the first of many such gatherings, where arts and science come together to push boundaries and inspire one another!
Please enjoy the photo gallery from the conference.
With warm regards and gratitude,

Emily & Ionela

FINAL AND UPDATED CONFERENCE PROGRAM HERE

Download Aesthetics 2025 Program (PDF, 23.2 MB)

Shuttle Service Update – 28 September 2025

For those traveling via Locarno on 28 September, we are pleased to inform you that a shuttle service will run from Locarno train station to Monte Verità at the following times: 2:00 pm, 2:40 pm, 3:20 pm, 4:00 pm, 4:40 pm, and 5:20 pm.

If one of these times fits your travel schedule, you are welcome to make use of the service. Please note that each shuttle has a maximum of 8 seats, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Pick-up details can be found here: https://csf.ethz.ch/monte-verita/by-train0.html

In collaboration with Congressi Stefano Franscini and ETH Zurich, the Social Brain Sciences Lab invites you to submit your work to the Arts Engagement and Aesthetic Experience – Bridging the Gap between Arts and Science conference, to be held between September 28th to October 2nd, 2025, at Monte Verità, Ascona, Switzerland.

The main aims of the conference are to:

• Create a multidisciplinary platform to exchange cutting-edge research findings and practices on the topics of arts engagement and aesthetic experience to foster a dynamic and productive academic environment for the dissemination of empirical knowledge.
• Encourage multidisciplinary collaboration between academic scholars from different disciplines, such as the arts and science to enable constructive discussions and a holistic understanding of biological and psychological factors that contribute to arts engagement and aesthetic experience.
• Promote metascience research methodologies, and practices to enhance to the transparency, reproducibility and efficacy of research work within the scientific community investigating the arts engagement and aesthetic experience.

Programme

To foster diversity, senior and junior researchers are featured as speakers from a wide range of disciplines related to the study of aesthetic experience. The conference will feature a mix of keynote addresses, invited talks and poster presentations all centered on bridging the gap between the arts and sciences. The conference aims to bring together visual and performance artists, art educators, psychologists, and cognitive neuroscientists to discuss three main topics: empirical findings, theoretical advancements, and methodological innovations.

Keynote Speakers

Beatriz Calvo-Merino (City, University of London)

Anjan Chatterjee (University of Pennsylvania)

Fredrik Ullén (Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics) 

Confirmed Invited Speakers

Manuel Anglada-Tort (Goldsmith University of London)

Ionela Bara (ETH Zürich)

Zaira Cattaneo (University of Bergamo)

Julia Christensen (Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics)

Emily S. Cross (ETH Zürich)

Kohinoor Darda (ARISA Foundation)

Ophelia Deroy (Ludwig Maximilian University)

Young-Jin Hur (University of the Arts London)

Manuel Hendry (Zurich University of the Arts)

Christine Knoop (Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics)

Guido Orgs (University College London)

Andrea Orlandi (Sapienza University of Rome)

Letizia Palumbo (Liverpool Hope University)

Robert Pepperell (Cardiff Metropolitan University)

Hanna Poikonen (ETH Zürich)

Eftychia Stamkou (University of Amsterdam)

Edward Vessel (The City University of New York)

Johan Wagemans (Katholieke Universiteit, KU Leuven)

Abstract Submission Guidelines and Key Dates

Submissions

We are currently welcoming submissions for poster contributions from disciplines exploring aesthetic experience, spanning both artistic and scientific perspectives. Students and early career researchers who present a poster of their work at this conference are eligible to be considered for one of two Poster Awards (500 CHF each) in recognition of outstanding academic contributions to the conference through their poster presentation.

Dates and Deadlines

All presenters have now been notified of poster/talk acceptance, and final abstracts for the program were required to be submitted by 15 July, 2025.

Please be sure to register for the conference on the Monte Veritá website by 10 August at the absolute latest (this is required for the on-site planning team). All poster/talk presenters should have been sent instructions regarding how to register directly from Ionela. However, if you have lost those instructions, or if you are hoping to attend as a non-presenting particiapnt, please find a link to the (slightly complex) registration instructions Download here (PDF, 313 KB).

Please note this PDF also includes information about booking accommodation at Monte Veritá or elsewhere in Ascona, as well as how to register for the meal package at the conference.

NB - the meal and accommodation booking platform closes precisely 15 days prior to the conference start (13 September) - we urge all participants to please ensure you finalise your bookings on this website well before then!

Organising committee

The conference is organized by Emily S. Cross and Ionela Bara at Social Brain Sciences Lab, ETH Zürich

Venue Information

The conference will take place at Monte Verità, Ascona, Switzerland. The Monte Verità conference centre has a campus-like structure, comprising a hotel, conference halls, restaurant and park. Monte Verità offers a convenient full board package (including hotel, lunches, and dinners) at an estimated rate of 225 CHF per day. This estimate is provided by the Monte Verità organizers. 

Further details are available at external page here.

How to get there:

https://csf.ethz.ch/monte-verita/by-train0.html

Alternatively, as Ascona is a popular resort area, you may choose to book nearby accommodation (such as an Airbnb or other hotel/b&b). Please note that staying in Ascona may entail a walking distance of 20-30 minutes to the Monte Verità conference complex.

Registration and Conference Fee

The conference fee is 120 CHF. Registration for the conference is now open and closes on 10 August 2025. See above for how to access the registration site and please write to Ionela or Emily if you experience any difficulties.