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Toward a Cognitive-Affective-Systemic Framework for Art and Sustainability

Ivan C. H. Liu

TL;DR

The paper addresses translating complex planetary interdependencies into actionable sustainability awareness by proposing a Cognitive-Affective-Systemic (CAS) framework that integrates cognition, affect, and systemic modeling. It defines logomotion as the embodied fusion of understanding and feeling to enable experiential grasp of complexity, and demonstrates it through SPill and Echoes of the Land, which model antimicrobial resistance dynamics and anthropogenic seismicity, respectively. The artworks show how artistic modelling, interactivity, and affective resonance can transform abstract data into embodied understanding and public engagement, offering a methodological bridge between science and sustainable action. This approach encourages interdisciplinary collaboration among artists, theorists, educators, and activists to translate ecological knowledge into participatory, ethical practice with real-world relevance.

Abstract

This paper proposes a cognitive-Affective-Systemic (CAS) framework that integrates cognition, emotion, and systemic understanding to cultivate sustainability awareness through art. Drawing from eco-aesthetics, affect theory, complexity science, and posthuman ethics, the framework defines artistic practice as both epistemic and performative--a way of knowing through making and feeling. Central to this is logomotion, an aesthetic mode where comprehension and emotion move together as a unified experience. Two artworks, SPill, visualizing antimicrobial resistance through avalanche dynamics, and Echoes of the Land, modeling anthropogenic seismicity, demonstrate how systemic modeling and sensory immersion transform complex science into embodied ecological understanding. The framework offers a methodological foundation for artists, theorists, and activists to translate awareness into engagement, advancing collective creativity toward sustainable futures.

Toward a Cognitive-Affective-Systemic Framework for Art and Sustainability

TL;DR

The paper addresses translating complex planetary interdependencies into actionable sustainability awareness by proposing a Cognitive-Affective-Systemic (CAS) framework that integrates cognition, affect, and systemic modeling. It defines logomotion as the embodied fusion of understanding and feeling to enable experiential grasp of complexity, and demonstrates it through SPill and Echoes of the Land, which model antimicrobial resistance dynamics and anthropogenic seismicity, respectively. The artworks show how artistic modelling, interactivity, and affective resonance can transform abstract data into embodied understanding and public engagement, offering a methodological bridge between science and sustainable action. This approach encourages interdisciplinary collaboration among artists, theorists, educators, and activists to translate ecological knowledge into participatory, ethical practice with real-world relevance.

Abstract

This paper proposes a cognitive-Affective-Systemic (CAS) framework that integrates cognition, emotion, and systemic understanding to cultivate sustainability awareness through art. Drawing from eco-aesthetics, affect theory, complexity science, and posthuman ethics, the framework defines artistic practice as both epistemic and performative--a way of knowing through making and feeling. Central to this is logomotion, an aesthetic mode where comprehension and emotion move together as a unified experience. Two artworks, SPill, visualizing antimicrobial resistance through avalanche dynamics, and Echoes of the Land, modeling anthropogenic seismicity, demonstrate how systemic modeling and sensory immersion transform complex science into embodied ecological understanding. The framework offers a methodological foundation for artists, theorists, and activists to translate awareness into engagement, advancing collective creativity toward sustainable futures.
Paper Structure (14 sections, 5 figures)

This paper contains 14 sections, 5 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Theoretical foundations
  3. Aesthetics and environmental humanities
  4. Aesthetic cognition and experiential learning
  5. Affect theory and posthuman ethics
  6. Cultural and narrative frameworks
  7. From narrative-centric art to social practice
  8. The framework in a nutshell
  9. The three dimensions
  10. Logomotion, embodiment and participatory aesthetics
  11. Case studies
  12. SPill: The avalanche of antimicrobial resistance
  13. Echoes of the Land: The embodied perception of anthropogenic seismicity
  14. Conclusion

Figures (5)

  • Figure 1: Conceptual diagram illustrating the theoretical framework linking art, awareness, and engagement/action. The diagram shows how art functions as an interface bridging cognition, emotion, and systemic understanding within the Cognitive–Affective–Systemic (CAS) model.
  • Figure 2: (a) The kinetic sound installation SPill, showing the main container filled with recycled pills forming a slope and the mechanical system that lifts and releases them to trigger avalanche events. (b) Recycled pills collected and unpackaged for the installation.
  • Figure 3: (a) The spring-block model of earthquake recurrence proposed by Brown1991. (b) Adapted $5\times 5$ spring-block system used in the installation Echoes of the Land, enclosed within a movable frame for human interaction.
  • Figure 4: The interactive multisensory installation Echoes of the Land, showing the spring-block ensemble and immersive projection environment that translate human interaction into visual and sonic feedback.
  • Figure 5: (a) Close-up of the spring-block ensemble featuring an undulating terrain-like design. (b) Embedded accelerometers in each block trigger white flashes upon movement, visualizing seismic propagation.