This fall, Palma is opening its doors to philosophy. Starting in September, we invite you to a series of regular meetings dedicated to important philosophical topics. We’ll read texts, discuss them, and embark together on a journey of understanding—with mindfulness, openness, and curiosity. The gatherings at Palma provide a space for shared reflection and dialogue—around a common table, in the spirit of mutual listening.
This time, we invite you to a lecture by Dr. Paula Milczarczyk, who will introduce the audience to the philosophical movement known as the Aesthetics of Everyday Life. The focus of the event will be on what is closest to us—our everyday lives, our senses, and our experiences, which often go unnoticed. Together, we will seek out beauty in the smell of bread, the light on a wall, and the feel of a dog’s fur.
About the Lecture
What could the smell of fresh bread, the taste of ramen, or the feel of soft dog fur possibly have in common with Rembrandt’s *The Night Watch* or Haydn’s sonatas?
According to the principles of the philosophical movement known as Everyday Aesthetics, these phenomena are united above all by the act of sensory perception—seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, or smelling. It was precisely this sensuousness that originally formed the center of aesthetic reflection—long before aesthetics as a discipline came to be dominated by categories such as beauty or art.
What are the premises behind this surprising perspective? And how might it affect our daily lives? In search of answers, we’ll turn to ancient sources of aesthetic thought, and we’ll also pause for a moment to reflect on our own experience—on how we see, hear, and feel the world around us every day.
Date and time: November 26, 2025, 7:00
p.m. Location: Palma Foundation, 4/11 Jaśkowa Dolina St., Gdańsk
Free admission
Host
Dr. Paula Aleksandra Milczarczyk—philosopher, university lecturer, teacher, and educator. In 2022, she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Gdańsk with a dissertation on the philosophy and aesthetics of everyday life. She is an art critic and the author of numerous publications in the fields of art theory and aesthetics. She lectures at the Academy of Music and teaches philosophy at High School No. 4 in Gdańsk, where she supports young people in discovering their own paths to knowledge and sensitivity.
This lecture is funded by the City of Gdańsk as part of the Gdańsk Cultural Scholarship—Creative Fund.
