Art and Individuation: A Processual Framework for Aesthetic Form and Perception

This article proposes a processual theory of aesthetic form grounded in recursive engagement, temporal coherence, and symbolic closure. Challenging static accounts of form, we argue that aesthetic structure arises through dynamic interactions between perception, symbolic modulation, and memory. Drawing on the philosophies of Simondon, Merleau-Ponty, Dewey, and Whitehead, we conceptualize form as an emergent inflection within temporally unfolding perceptual-symbolic fields. We introduce symbolic closure to describe moments where recursive integration culminates in experiential coherence. Through case studies in musical minimalism and abstract visual art, we illustrate how aesthetic form is generated not by content alone but through recursive individuation across time. To model this process, we employ recursive informational curvature (RIC) as a heuristic for understanding how symbolic entropy and recursive gain converge to stabilize form. The result is a unified, interdisciplinary framework that positions aesthetic form as a transient achievement of coherence within the dynamic topology of symbolic perception.