Aesthetics, as both a variety of practices and a field of research, has now begun a journey toward society and more applied thinking -that is, how can art, art thinking, and different forms of sensuousness interact with or interfere in societal contexts. In this special issue of InFormation we explore the frame of a possible contemporary art didactics, where knowledge production and dispersion in and through art and aesthetics are promoted. Here the qualities of responding to societal needs and challenges are negotiated with the particular qualities of art. The field of didactics is often tied to specific teaching methods, but can also be seen as a more general theory of learning. With the term 'contemporary art didactics', we want to propose a relational field of communication and interaction based on aesthetic activity and competence. In addition, we seek to emphasize the contemporary quality and engagement of this activity and competence. In this first article by the editor of the issue, some of the related discussions on application, autonomy and criticality are presented alongside a proposition to formulate certain specific art based qualities.

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Using cross-disciplinary perspectives from artistic research, aesthetic theory, and mental health care, this article discusses qualities in sensuous surroundings in mental health facilities. The background for the article is an increased awareness in aesthetic research concerning sensuous surroundings and their connection to health and well-being. However, this aesthetic awareness is only reflected to a small extent in research on mental health care surroundings. A further development of these perspectives is suggested in this article by introducing the concept of 'life form' from the art theorist Nicolas Bourriaud and the concepts of 'presentation' and 'perception' in theatrical communication from theatre researcher Willmar Sauter. These theories are discussed and exemplified on the basis of data from two mental health care wards: one from a psychogeriatric ward and the other from a polyclinic for eating disorders. Some essential qualities identified in the examples is that aesthetic environment and activity can be seen as formative to the inner state, and that different forms of sensuous activation and interaction could help patients escape communicative inhibition.