E-Co-Affective Ontologies in Times of Ecological Crisis

This article introduces an aesthetic-imaginative framework for exploring what we term “relational, expressive ontology”—an ontological perspective that emphasizes relational ontogenesis over static being, and which views ontogenetic relationships as forms of “e-co-affective” expression. Our approach arises from a pressing contemporary ethical-political need, brought to the forefront by the ecological crisis, to reconnect with our relational, expressive reality. By rediscovering our capacity to become attuned to ecological complexity, this article explores the potential “metamorphoses” of our affective connections to the world. We posit that artistic practices can offer portals for rendering eco-relational ontologies accessible. The arts, as practices that inherently blend intellectual and affective sense-making, can cultivate an imaginative freedom that enables a metamorphic attunement to ecological relationships. By analyzing contemporary artworks such as Masharu’s Museum of Edible Earth and the Wertheim sisters’ Crochet Coral Reef, this article shows how art can foster e-co-affective experiences. We draw attention to the bodily and sensible community-building that is an essential part of both artworks (particularly by evoking senses of taste and touch), and we show how these artworks speak to and emerge from our own contemporary times of crisis

Biology · Co-occurrence · Ecological crisis · Linguistics · Ecology · Information Systems Theories and Implementation · Philosophy · Psychology · Semantic Web and Ontologies · University-Industry-Government Innovation Models