Sensing the Air: On an Aesthesis of Climate
Today, our interest in climate is essentially reduced to climate change. However, the modern definition of climate as “average weather” and our focus on rising global temperatures have all but erased an ancient sensorium that earlier cultures had for the air. Climate was seen as a force that affected health, mentalities, habits and moods. There was also an intense sensorium for the states of the atmosphere, the smells, the winds and the weather. My talk will recall some of the historical aspects of this “elemental” understanding of air and climate, which goes back to Hippocrates but persisted until the 19th century. But it will also trace how air came to be “forgotten” in the modern age. And I will offer some suggestions for a renewed attention to and understanding of the atmosphere(s) that surround us.
Date:
1 May 2025, 14:00
Venue:
New College, Holywell Street OX1 3BN
Venue Details:
Lecture Room 6
Speaker:
Eva Horn (Universität Wien)
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editor:
Belinda Clark
