Immersive Experience in Dieter Roth’s Studio with Selbstturm; Löwenturm (1969-1998)

At the centre of the contribution is the visitors’ immersive experience summoned by Dieter Roth’s
artist-studio with the installative work Selbstturm; Löwenturm (1969-1998), which consists of food
busts in the process of decay.
First of all, it is necessary to introduce Dieter Roth’s studio to address its specific characteristics,
which in turn help define the immersive experience related to the studio’s visit – Key questions are:
what kind of immersivity are we dealing with in Dieter Roth’s studio and what distinguishes it? Which
visual, acoustic and odour-specific as well as architectural elements determine the whole-body and
multisensory perception and the aesthetic experience of such an environment? Space is understood
not only as a condition of immersivity but also as an activating frame – as the work of art’s iconic field
that determines and promotes the multisensory perception and the aesthetic experience.
The next part addresses the issue of liminality, which is discussed as a topic that decisively determines
the immersive experience in connection with Roth’s studio. The aesthetic crossing of boundaries
between “here and there” as well as between art and reality, occurs in this environment not only throu-
gh the visual-spatial, but also thanks to the multisensory dimension that is triggered by the decaying
food of the installative work Selbstturm; Löwenturm and which enables viewers to take note of the
transforming “aesthetic threshold experience” (Fischer-Lichte 2001) directly on his/her own body.
Special attention should thus be paid to the topic of liminality, an aspect – according to the thesis
to be examined – that plays a significant role in shaping the immersive experience in Roth’s studio.
Subsequently, some reflections of a methodological nature will be inserted, dealing with the possibi-
lities and the challenges of fruitfully incorporating subjective perspectives regarding among others
sensory perception, liminality and immersion into art historical analysis.