Matthew Fuller and Eyal Weizman's 'Investigative Aesthetics' Explores Sensing Commons and Truth Politics

Matthew Fuller and Eyal Weizman's book 'Investigative Aesthetics: Conflicts and Commons in the Politics of Truth' argues that aesthetics extends beyond art to encompass all sensory experiences in a networked world. They propose that everything, from mussels reacting to pollution to buildings recording histories, participates in a sensing commons. This commons requires collaboration across disciplines like art, architecture, journalism, oceanography, ecology, and technology to triangulate truth. The work draws on practices from Forensic Architecture, which Weizman leads and Fuller advises, and includes case studies from Bellingcat, artists Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Trevor Paglen, and Edmund Clark, and the Feral Atlas project. The authors contrast this with hyperaesthesia tactics used by governments and corporations to obscure truth through sensory overload. Published by Verso, the softcover is priced at £14.99. The book serves as a tactical guide for navigating a world where aesthetics is a contested battleground.