Resolutely Inclusive: Merz Art Practice and Einfühlung

Abstract

Through creative practice and exegetical writing this research investigates a possibility for continual engagement in aesthetic appreciation and a particular way of noticing that artists and viewers of artwork may share. Merz, invented by artist Kurt Schwitters, is a type of accumulative art practice that could include any material or method. Viewing and producing this type of artwork is examined via a theory of aesthetic appreciation called Einfühlung: a study of spectator’s embodied experiences with aesthetic works.