A new book of essays edited by Bálint Veres and Richard Shusterman has been published

Date: 2023.06.07

Design permeates every corner of the world, incorporates the sometimes opposite values of functionality and aesthetics, and is centered around the living human body – the soma. The recently published Somaesthetics and Design Culture, co-edited by DLA programme lead of the MOME Doctoral School Bálint Veres and world-renowned aesthete-philosopher Richard Shusterman (Florida Atlantic University) explores these issues in a greater depth.

Shusterman was invited to MOME in 2019 and in 2022 as a keynote speaker of major international conferences organised by the Doctoral School (Design Culture and Somaesthetics and The Promise of Pragmatist Aesthetics: Looking Forward after 30 Years).

The recently published volume of 10 essays offers a somaesthetic analysis of design culture. The contributors include philosophers, art historians, design theorists, and practicing designers, and so this interdisciplinary book provides readers from diverse backgrounds (university students and academics) with insight into the overlapping field of design and body-based aesthetic thinking.
The volume features writings by prominent figures of contemporary design such as design professor Guy Julier (Aalto University), who was bestowed a honorary doctoral title by MOME in 2021, Jessica Hemmings (HDK-Valand, Gothenburg), who has been a visiting professor with the MOME Doctoral School since 2021, and our Doctoral School supervisor and member of the management board of the Social Design Network founded by the MOME IC Jonathan Ventura (Shenkar), as well as Madalina Diaconu (Universität Wien), Matthew Crippen (Humboldt Universität zu Berlin), and Dina Shahar (Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem).

The anthology explores hidden and oftentimes ambiguous connections between our lived somatic experiences and the manifold practices labelled as design, drawing a broad arc from Plato's surprisingly body-oriented cosmology to the implications of human somatic existence embedded in modern and contemporary life forms, including fashion, architecture, urbanism, ritual, public art, social design, augmented reality, cyberization, education, and therapy.

As a ubiquitous phenomenon, design defines not just our environment but us people as well, as we ornament and stylise ourselves in daily life. Design is a fusion of the opposing values of functionality and aesthetics, and is centred around the living human body – soma – an active, perceptive, subjective entity that creates and evaluates the surrounding designed environment, while being nothing but a sophisticatedly turned out product of it.

More news

Playful and practical all at once – Introducing the 2025 MOME diploma visual identity!

The MOME 2025 graduation visual identity is now complete, offering a visual representation of community-driven future building. At MOME, it’s tradition for the visual identity of the diploma events – from graphic design to the portrait photography of BA and MA graduates – to be designed by students themselves, with the concept chosen through a competition judged by a panel of university staff. The annually revamped visual identity serves as a visual snapshot of its time.

MOME Campus joins Budapest100 programme

For the first time, the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) is taking part in the Budapest100 event series, which in 2025 will raise awareness about the importance of urban green spaces, gardens, and parks. MOME’s 15,000-square-metre, revitalised campus garden not only serves as a venue but also plays an active role in the festival with its eco-conscious developments and community activities. Budapest100 is an architectural and cultural festival that celebrates communities and the city, bringing neighbours closer together. From 22–25 May 2025, we’ll be focusing on urban green spaces, courtyards, gardens, and green corridors, along with the communities who nurture them.

Startup Safari: shaping future collaborations at MOME

In 2025, the Startup Safari took place for the tenth year running, marking it as the largest community event in Hungary's startup ecosystem. Over the course of two days, it brought together 700 participants, featuring 200 sessions across seven venues. One of the most exciting programme offerings was presented at the Zugligeti campus. On the second day of the conference, MOME not only served as the venue but also hosted professional events that introduced participants to the university's forward-thinking projects and groundbreaking collaborations.

All News