Engagement and Absorption

This project investigates the rhythm and temporality of experiences characterised by deep engagement and/or absorption.

Teen with headphones enjoy the music

(Illustration photo: Colourbox)

Does time and timing matter?

Music is well known for its ability to engage, yet the nature of this engagement remains elusive. This project explores aspects of rhythm, temporality, and meaning in musical engagement, such as listening and performing. We work from various research angles, including musical sense-making and ethics, absorption in musical performance, spatiality and immersion, and relational interaction.

Methodologies

Methodologies are drawn from music studies, philosophy – phenomenology in particular – 4E cognition, media studies, music technology, music psychology, and affect theory. Work in this project unveils how different modes of engagement and absorption are core facets of musical experience and can lead to novel insights into human perception and action.

Selected publications

Enacting Musical Aesthetics: The Embodied Experience of Live Music (Open Access)