Research Report 2019–2021
The research report 2019–2021.
The Research Reports of the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics provide an overview of the Institute’s scientific work and objectives. The latest Report (2019–2021) not only covers the research and achievements of our departments of Language and Literature, Music, Neuroscience, and Cognitive Neuropsychology, and of our four Research Groups. It also provides insights into the pursuits and resources of the Institute’s Library, Experimental Laboratories, ArtLab, and—beginning in 2020—our artist-in-residence program INHABIT. Rounding off the Report is a compilation of Institute events, scientific lectures and lecture series, and other activities that took place during the given reporting period.
The Institute’s Research Report is published in English only. A download link can be found at the bottom of this page.
Preface by Fredrik Ullén
The Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics hereby presents its third Research Report. With David Poeppel having left the Institute for a new position as head of the Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience, and Winfried Menninghaus retiring at the end of 2022, this report marks the conclusion of the first era in the history of the Institute. I extend my gratitude to both David and Winfried for their tremendous contributions during these decisive years.
The future of our Institute looks bright and very exciting indeed, with new recruitments ahead of us. On the one hand, we are retaining our balanced interdisciplinary structure, with two humanistic and two empirically oriented departments. On the other hand, we will be focusing our research on the performing arts—i.e., music, dance, and other temporal art forms. This will not only provide excellent possibilities for incoming scientists to collaborate with existing departments and research groups, but will also enable us to develop and make optimal use of our experimental infrastructure, including the ArtLab facility.
Another reason for optimism, of course, is that we are at long last entering a post-pandemic phase (fingers crossed). I thank my colleague Melanie Wald-Fuhrmann in particular for navigating the Institute so excellently as Managing Director during the often-challenging past several years of COVID-19. We look forward to returning to normal scientific interactions, and to once again opening the Institute to the public as a meeting place, with lectures, concerts, and other inspiring events.
Lastly, my thanks go to all of our outstanding coworkers—from the scientific faculty, service units, and administration—for their enthusiasm, creativity, and commitment to this unique research institution at the intersection of the humanities and the empirical sciences. The scientific outcomes of our efforts during the last years are summarized in this report. We hope you will find it a thought-provoking and stimulating read.
Frankfurt, September 2022
for the Board of Directors:
Fredrik Ullén
Managing Director
Download
The Research Report can be downloaded here: ae.mpg.de/rr
(PDF in English, 166 pages, approx. 19 MB)
The print edition can be ordered via e-mail to presse@ae.mpg.de.