Mimesis and the Durational Becoming: Assimilation and Emergent Behavior in Art

Abstract Mimesis is a foundational concept that has influenced aesthetics and arts scholarship for centuries. Originating with Plato, in whose work it primarily described artistic referentiality, the term was later popularized in acousmatic music during the 1990s as a framework for many composers. This article highlights an alternative interpretation emerging in performative studies: mimesis as an assimilation of incidents. Through this reinterpretation, I underscore the properties of evolution, adaptation, multiplicity, self-determination, and emergence as key characteristics of performative mimesis. The article concludes by suggesting potential similarities with the concept of complex systems – an emerging theory in the natural sciences – which may prove useful for future research.