Paula Velasco

Paula Velasco is a research traineeand Professor in Aesthetics, Philosophy of Photography and Contemporary Culture of East Asia at the University of Spain. Since 2012 shehas worked for the Aesthetics Group at the Department of Aesthetics and History of Philosophy at the University of Seville. She is also part of the Aesthetics and Art Theory research group. Her research is focused on understanding the aesthetic experience attached to photojournalism, especially in war photography. In particular, she is investigating the ways in which digital technologies are affecting the practice of war photojournalism.

Velascostudied Fine Arts and Audiovisual Communication in Seville, andreceived a Master’s Degree in Philosophy and Modern Culture. In 2013 she defended her Master’s thesis,“The Aesthetic Experience of pain on photojournalism: a phenomenological approach.”Currentlyshe is working on her PhD project, which analyzes whether war photography can inspire pleasant aesthetic experiences. In this, she is trying to avoid the moral debate over such issues to focus, instead, on the ways in which the spectator engages subjectively with this kind of photography.

Velasco is coordinator of Fedro Magazine, a publication on aesthetics and philosophy of art. She also works as a community manager for SEyTA (the Spanish Society of Aesthetics and Art Theory). Prior to joining the faculty, she worked as a designer at Diario de Sevilla newspaper and as a cultural reporter at the independent magazine WeGo!

As a visiting scholar, Velasco will continue, and deepen, her research into the new forms of photojournalism and will investigate the implications of postmodern concepts on documentary photography. She thanks the University of Seville, which has generously provided her with a grant.