Atwin Paramudya
AI meets aesthetics: Maintaining order and complexity from abstract patterns to real-world visuals for aesthetics research
Master’s thesis student in AI · 2025-2027
Which factors play a role in people’s aesthetic appreciation of images? Earlier research has indicated that order (i.e., structure and organization of elements in the image) and complexity (i.e., quantity and diversity of elements) may be important determinants (cf. also Van Geert & Wagemans, 2020). Recently, we developed the Order & Complexity Toolbox for Aesthetics (OCTA; Van Geert, Bossens, & Wagemans, 2023) to be able to systematically investigate the role of different types of order and complexity on aesthetic appreciation. In our research, we have sometimes asked participants to rate or choose between existing images, like those of neatly organized compositions (https://thingsorganizedneatly.tumblr.com/; cf. also Van Geert & Wagemans, 2021). More recently, we have investigated preferences for more controlled abstract images. But do individuals’ preferences for order and complexity in abstract patterns relate to individuals’ preferences for order and complexity in more realistically looking image types? In this project, we would like to bring our controlled abstract patterns closer to real-world images while keeping parametric control, so that we can later conduct new research comparing appreciation for these AI-generated real-world versions and their abstract counterparts.