Atmospheres of spaces in the context of embodied aesthetics and neuroaesthetics

The subject of the research is the phenomenon of spatial atmosphere, examined as a special form of aesthetic experience in the context of embodied aesthetics. The object of the study is the atmospheric experience of space that arises in the process of interaction between the perceiving subject and the surrounding environment. The author discusses such aspects of the topic in detail as the philosophical interpretation of atmosphere within the framework of the phenomenological tradition, as well as the possibility of its conceptual analysis by drawing on data from modern cognitive sciences and neuroaesthetics. Particular attention is given to understanding atmosphere as a relational phenomenon, expressing a form of mutual attunement between the perceiver and the place, which cannot be reduced to either the objective properties of the environment or to subjective mental states. The article analyzes how atmosphere is experienced from a first-person perspective as a qualitatively colored, holistic state of space, formed as a result of embodied engaged perception. The methodological foundation of the research is an interdisciplinary conceptual analysis based on the comparison of phenomenological approaches with the results of modern studies in cognitive sciences and neuroaesthetics. The main conclusions of the conducted research are the justification of the emergent nature of atmospheres and the identification of the mechanisms of their formation as an integral aesthetic experience of space. A significant contribution of the author to the study of the topic is the systematic comparison of the philosophical understanding of atmosphere with the embodied-cognitive processes analyzed within cognitive sciences. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that atmospheric experience is considered as the result of the interaction of such processes as affordances, interoception, neural synchronization, and affective valence. It is shown that their joint action leads to the emergence of a holistic attunement, experienced by the subject as a qualitative state of space. The conclusion is drawn that atmospheres represent a promising object for further empirical research into aesthetic experience that goes beyond the traditional artistic context.