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Academic talks
(Left column) Invited presentations From Animal Aesthetics to AI-Mediated Art: Toward a ‘Probabilistic Universal Aesthetics’ Symposium ‘Unbound Dialogue,’ KU Leuven, TRANSfarm (31 January, 2025) A bird's-eye view on aesthetics. Interdisciplinary workshop on Aesthetic Experience Cognitive Science Master's program at Aix-Marseille Université, (January 2024), France. https://mascoconf2024.sciencesconf.org/ Expertise as a Source of Adaptive Variability in Aesthetic Preferences? Research workshop ‘From Evolution to Cognition to Fiction’. Institut Jean Nicod, École Normale Supérieure, Paris (June 2023). Evolution of the arts and aesthetics. Research workshop “Comparative Aesthetics: Future Prospects”, University of Vienna, Vienna (June 2023). Modern art’s divergence from evolutionary aesthetics: some evidence for the role of prestige biased art appreciation among experts. Seminar at Brain and Cognition research unit, KU Leuven (2019) Expertise moderates evolutionary and coevolutionary aesthetics (with Siegfried Dewitte). Rencontres Art & Sciences: Neurosciences, Epistémologie et Nouveaux Paradigmes, Centre Universitaire des Saints Pères, Paris, France (2016) A cultural evolution approach to art appreciation. Pre-wintercamp doctoral colloquium, Center for Research in Marketing and Consumer Science, University of Leuven, Belgium (2012) The evolution of fiction and the cognition of prediction. Evolutionary and Cognitive Perspectives on Fiction in Storytelling and Visual Arts Graduate Workshop, Ghent University (2012) From "just-so" stories to an evolutionary account of storytelling. Fiction or future? Symposium on Evolutionary Perspectives in Empirical Studies of Literature and Media, Conference for IGEL – Internationale Gesellschaft für Empirische Literaturwissenschaft, University of Utrecht, the Netherlands (2010) Sensory exploitation articulates existing hypotheses about art. Symposium on the evolution of art, Ghent University, Belgium (2009) Organization of workshop Organization and conceptualization of two-day international expert workshop “Cultural Attraction and Sensory Exploitation” with Stefaan Blancke, funded by the FWO – Research Foundation Flanders (via Heben-network), Ghent, Belgium, 2014. Refereed presentations Risky Courtship. Joint CBEN/MVE Meeting, Maastricht University, Netherlands (October 2024) From DNA to AI: A positive feedback LOOP between energy extraction and information processing. Part of Roundtable on 'Evolutionary Thinking' at the Conference The Anthropocene: from boundaries to bonds. Interdisciplinary crossovers in knowledge development, University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland (2023) Vocal Learning and the Dimensionality of the Environment. EVOLANG13, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium (2020; cancelled due to corona) The Conundrum Of Modern Art: Prestige Driven Coevolutionary Aesthetics Trumps Evolutionary Aesthetics Among Art Experts (with Siegfried Dewitte). IAEA - International Association of Empirical Aesthetics, University of Vienna, Austria (2016) Cultural Transmission and Signaling Theory (with Stefaan Blancke & Siegfried Dewitte). HEBeN – Human Evolution and Behavior Network workshop, Ghent University, Belgium (2015) Art Insiders Appreciate Art Prestige Biased, Whereas Outsiders Appreciate It Content Biased. Implications for cultural evolution? (with Siegfried Dewitte) HBES – Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Natal, Brazil (2014) Expertise Moderates Content and Prestige Effects on Art Appreciation (with Siegfried Dewitte). EHBLC – Evolution & Human Behavior in the Low Countries – Prosocial Behavior, Culture and Media, University of Antwerp, Belgium (2014) Expertise Moderates Content and Prestige Effects on Art Appreciation (with Siegfried Dewitte) (poster). EHBEA – European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association, University of Bristol, UK (2014) Expertise Moderates Content and Prestige Effects on Art Appreciation (with Siegfried Dewitte). Evolution of Modern Humans - From Bones to Genomes, Cell Press, Sitges, Spain (2014) Is art for art’s sake a piece of deodorized dog shit? Prestige and the Lande-Kirkpatrick mechanism in cultural domains. HEBeN – Human Evolution and Behavior Network workshop, Ghent University, Belgium (2013) Architectural aesthetics, emotions and cultural evolution (with Yannick Joye). Cultural Evolution, Philosophy and the Emotions conference, Institute of Philosophy, University of Leuven, Belgium (2013) Cultural evolution and art appreciation. Content or context? HEBeN – Human Evolution and Behavior Network workshop, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Leuven, Belgium (2012) Brian Boyd's "On the Origin of Stories": a review. HEBeN – Human Evolution and Behavior Network workshop, University of Leuven, Belgium (2011) How human building behavior may have affected the evolution of intelligence and ecological dominance. (poster) Naturalistic Approaches to Culture? Workshop, European Science Foundation and Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary (2011) Art and signaling in a cultural species: a comparative approach. 38th Annual Philosophy of Science Conference, Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik, Croatia (2011) Born to build? A comparative analysis of architecture and building behaviour across species (co-presented with Yannick Joye). HEBeN – Human Evolution and Behavior Network workshop, University of Leuven, Belgium (2010) Stories as Spandrels? Comparative hypothesis appraisal requires scrutinizing non-adaptive alternatives for the evolution of fiction. Conference for IGEL – Internationale Gesellschaft für Empirische Literaturwissenschaft, University of Utrecht, the Netherlands ( 2010) Sensory exploitation and human artistic behaviours: the appearance of iconic art traditions. (poster) European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association (EHBEA) conference, University of Wroclaw and Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland (2010) Sensory Exploitation and the Emergence and Evolution of Human Artistic Behaviors. KLI Brown Bag talk, Konrad Lorenz Institute, Altenberg, Austria (2009) Sensory exploitation and the evolution of human art. IGC09 – Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference, Cambridge University, UK (2009) Sensory exploitation and cultural transmission. Evolution today and tomorrow: Darwin evaluated by contemporary evolutionary and philosophical theories, Centro de Filosofia das Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal (2009) Why did art behavior evolve? Biological Explanations of Behavior: Philosophical Perspectives conference, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany (2008) Departemental presentations Expertise Moderates Evolutionary And Coevolutionary Aesthetics In The Art Domain (poster). Research Day, University of Antwerp (2016) Art Appreciation: A Cultural Evolution Approach. Ethology group meeting, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Belgium (2013) Content and prestige bias in art appreciation. Monday Session, Center for Research in Marketing and Consumer Science, University of Leuven, Belgium (2013) Art appreciation. A cultural evolution approach. Monday Session, Center for Research in Marketing and Consumer Science, University of Leuven (2012) Art and signaling in a cultural species: a comparative approach. Research group "Perceptual Aesthetics", Department of Psychological Basic Research, University of Vienna (2011) Art and adaptationism. Lab visit: The Middle European interdisciplinary master programme in Cognitive Science, KLI – Konrad Lorenz Institute, Altenberg, Austria (2011) |
Public talks
(Right column) De heropleving van Darwins blik op seksuele schoonheid (en kunst), Studienamiddag “151 jaar na Darwins The Descent of Man (1871)”, Fonds Lucien De Coninck vzw, Gent, 3.12.2022 
Scientific poster presentation at Conférence Bohémienne, in art space Pulsar, 2017
- Photo by Eva Donckers
 Assembly organized by Agency at Countour Biennale 8 in 2017
Een dialoog rondom de 'kunstmatige' boom. Gesprek tussen kunstenaar en stedenbouwkundig ontwerper Hein van Duppen en deskundigen. Pier15 & Atlas Initiatief, Breda, Netherlands. 17.12.2017
Thing 001652 (Monkey's Selfies) Assembly organized by Agency with invited guests Contour Biennale 8, Schepenhuis museum, Mechelen, May 20, 2017 Talk about "Art Loving Animals. The ecology and evolution of art across species" + exhibition of posters Conférence Bohémienne, Pulsar, Antwerpen, 10.09.17 ‘In dialogue with’ Angelo Vermeulen, Antwerp Art Weekend Lectures, DE Studio, Antwerp (22.05.2016) Talk on my contribution to “The Cover Mountain” during its official release at the Demian Bookstore (2011) Can practices by non-humans be considered creative? Assembly organized by Agency with invited guests on the occasion of Animism. M HKA - Museum of Contemporary art Antwerp, Leuvenstraat 32, Antwerp, Belgium. April 4, 2010 Kunstnest. Is kunst exclusief menselijk? Theater‐concertzaal VZW Jean et Mar, Deurne. March 20, 2009 Over de evolutietheorie en de evolutie van deze theorie. Darwin versus God? Collaboration between Belgian universities. VOC Maaseik. March 19, 2009 Over de evolutietheorie en de evolutie van deze theorie. Darwin versus God? Collaboration between Belgian universities. GC De Markten in Brussel. November 12, 2008 Spoedcursus observatietechnieken (canvascollectie) Voorspel op dinsdag 11 maart 2008, kunstencentrum Monty, Antwerpen, Belgium Is art uniquely human? A series of dialogues between me and invited guests about art and biology. Lokaal 01_Antwerpen, Belgium. January 2 – 31, 2008 kunst en biologie trilogie sluitstuk: Gevolgen (ism Floris Schillebeeckx en Nick Timmermans) Voorspel op dinsdag 18 december, kunstencentrum Monty, Antwerpen, Belgium kunst en biologie trilogie deel 2: De biologie van cultuur. Voorspel op dinsdag 13 november, kunstencentrum Monty, Antwerpen, Belgium kunst en biologie trilogie deel 1: Over vreemde vogels, vissen en andere kunstenaars. Voorspel op dinsdag 9 oktober, kunstencentrum Monty, Antwerpen, Belgium |
