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Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Martin Thiering teaches at the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of Europe for Applied Sciences. Read more.

Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Martin Thiering

Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Martin Thiering

Professor for Design Theory and Cultural Theory, Campus Berlin
Subject area: Cognitive Semiotics and Linguistics Linguistic Relativity/Framing Visual Perception and Embodiment Philosophy (Poststructuralism)
Campus: Berlin 1.29
Consultation by: Appointment

Prof.  Dr. Martin Thiering's interdisciplinary, difference-theoretical-semiotic approach to meaning-making and shaping processes in multimedia and multimodal environments focuses on communicative, speech- and image-act-theoretical processes, especially in visual media. Prof. Thiering understands these as semiotic practices in media-based application processes and investigates such performative processes in various (neo-)analog and digital media, including, for example, design processes in VR spaces or media framing. The focus is on interactions between cognition and practices in the relationship between the visual and the textual or auditory, using the example of computer games, photographs, films, graphic novels, or architectural designs.
Prof. Thiering analyzes the meaning-giving performative practices, among other things, on the basis of gestalt and embodiment theory and phenomenological theories. From Prof. Thiering's point of view, phenomena such as optical illusions or ambiguous figures are of fundamental importance for the understanding of creative processes.
Prof .Thiering’s teaching is inter- and transdisciplinary and open to the critical examination of socially relevant topics such as sexism, racism and classism in the field of visual cultures. In his teaching, he combines theory and empirical practice in an explorative way.

  • since March 2023 Professurship for Design Theory and Cultural Theory, UE Berlin, Art & Design
  • April–July 2023 Guest Lecturer, [Q] Studies, HafenCity Universität Hamburg (HCU)
  • WS 2019-February 2023 Research Fellow. RWTH Aachen, Linguistics and Cognitive Semiotics
  • April 2020-July 2020 Lecturer BA Lecture. Academy Fashion & Design Hamburg (AMD)
  • October 2020–February 2021 Lecturer, [Q] Studies, HafenCity Universität Hamburg (HCU)
  • October 2019–February 2020 Lecturer RWTH Aachen, Linguistics and Cognitive Semiotics
  • since March 2016 Visiting Scholar and Research Coordinator Max Planck Institute for History of Arts, Rome; Director: Prof. Dr. Tanja Michalsky: Historical Spaces in Flavio Biondo‘s Italia illustrate: A Cognitive-Semantic Analysis in Texts and Maps
  • (with Prof. Dr. Klaus Geus, Freie Universität Berlin; Prof. Dr. Günther Görz, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg)
  • June–July 2016 Guest Lecturer, Liberal Arts and Sciences, University College Freiburg (UCF)
  • April–July 2016 Guest Lecturer, [Q] Studies, HafenCity Universität Hamburg (HCU)
  • Jan.–Sept. 2015 Senior Fellow, Excellence Cluster Bild Wissen Gestal¬tung. Ein interdiszi¬plinäres Labor, HU und FU Berlin, Prof. Dr. Horst Bredekamp and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Trabant
  • since Febr. 2014 Privatdozent/Adjunct Professor, Technische Universität (TU) Berlin, Institute for Language and Communication, Linguistics (venia legendi and venia docendi)
  • Nov. 2012–Dec. 2017 Fellow and Coordinator der Area C-5-1 Common Sense Geography and Mental Modelling im TOPOI Excellence Cluster 264, Prof. Dr. Klaus Geus
  • 2011–2015 Lecturer TU Berlin, Institute for Language and Communication, Linguistics
  • 2009–2018 Lecturer Humboldt-Universität (HU) zu Berlin, Philosophy I
  • Nov. 2012–July 2014 Visiting Scholar Max Planck Institute for History of Science (MPIWG), Berlin
  • 11. June 2014 Habilitations Defense TU Berlin, Institute for Language and Communication, Linguistics, TU Berlin Venia legendi Cognitive Linguistics
  • Jan.–Sept. 2014 Research Fellow Kolleg-Forschergruppe Bildakt und Verkörperung, HU and FU Ber¬lin, Prof. Dr. Horst Bredekamp and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Trabant
  • Oct. 2013 Habilitations Treatise, Institute for Language and Communication, Linguistics, TU Berlin; Title: Spatial Semiotics and Spatial Mental Models: Figure-Ground Asym¬metries in Spatial Language and Cognition
  • Nov. 2012–Dec. 2017 Senior Fellow TOPOI Exzellenzcluster 264, Area C-5-1: Common Sense Geography and Mental Modelling, Prof. Dr. Klaus Geus
  • Sept. 2008–Oct. 2012 Research Associate Humboldt-University Berlin and Visiting Scholar Max Planck Institute for History of Science, TOPOI Exzellenzcluster 264, Dr. Matthias Schemmel and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Renn, Area E-II: Historical Epistemology of Space
  • 2006–2007 Postdoc Fellow and Research Associate with Prof. Dr. Ray Jackendoff and Prof. Dr. Daniel Dennett, Center for Cognitive Studies, Tufts University, USA
  • 2001–2007 Ph.D. Linguistics, University of Alberta, Canada
  • PhD: The Construction of Topological Space
  • 1994–2001 Double Major Applied Linguistics and Scandinavian Languages and Literatures University of Hamburg
  • MA title: The mental lexikon in L2-speech produktion
  • 1990-1994 Years of Travel (and Civil Service)
  • 1990 High-School Diploma Emilie-Wüstenfeld-Gymnasium Hamburg

  • Vice-President of the International Association for Cognitive Semiotics (IACS) since 2022
  • Member of the International Association for Cognitive Semiotics (IACS), since 2020
  • Member of the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Semiotik (DGS), since 2012
  • Member of the Gesellschaft für Kognitionswissenschaft e.V. (GK), since 2011
  • Member of the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Sprachwissenschaft (DGfS), since 2009
  • Member of the Cognitive Linguistic Association (ICLA), since 2007
  • Member of the UK Cognitive Linguistics Association, since 2006
  • Member of the German Cognitive Linguistic Association, since 2004

  • Reviewer of the  International Conference on Computational Creativity (ICCC) 2022, 2023
  • Reviewer for Linguistics Vanguard, since 2016
  • Reviewer for Language Sciences, Elsevier, since 2013

Publications (Selection)

  • 2018: Kognitive Semantik und Kognitive Anthropologie. Eine Einführung. Berlin: De Gruyter. [Cognitive Semantics and Cognitive Anthropology. An Introduction.] (https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110445169)
  • 2015:  Spatial Semiotics and Spatial Mental Models: Figure-Ground Asymmetries in Spa­tial Language and Cognition. (Applied Cognitive Linguistics, 27). Berlin: De Gruyter. (https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110356878)

  • 2023: with Tanja Michalsky. Walking through history. An Interdisciplinary Approach to Flavio Biondo’s Spaces in the „Italia Illustrata“. Max Planck Institute for History of Art, Rome: Hertziana
  • 2014: with Klaus Geus. Features of Common Sense Geography: Implicit Know­ledge Structures in Ancient Geographical Texts. Wien/Berlin: LIT. (ISBN: 978-3-643-90528-4)
  • 2014: Die Neo-Whorfian Theorie: Das Wiedererstarken des linguistischen Relativitätsprinzips. Specical Issue of the Zeitschrift für Semiotik 35, 1/2. (ISBN 978-3-95809-660-8)

  • 2023: Semiotics through multimodal and multimedial perspectives in VR/AR. In: Amir Bilgari (ed.). Open Semiotics. Paris: Hamattan, 431-443
  • 2023: with Günther Görz & Chiara Seidl. Linked Biondo: Generating and Processing Research Data Based on Geographical Feature Modelling. In: Tanja Michalsky & Martin Thiering (eds.). Walking Through History. An Interdisciplinary Approach to Flavio Biondo’s Spaces in the „Italia illustrata“. Rome: Hertziana
  • 2023: with Raphael Berthele. Some Thoughts on Spatial Language Analysis of Flavio Biondo‘s Latium Chapter. In: Tanja Michalsky & Martin Thiering (eds.). Walking Through History. An Interdisciplinary Approach to Flavio Biondo’s Spaces in the „Italia illustrata“. Rome: Hertziana
  • 2022: with Irene Mittelberg. Image and Force Schemas Interacting in Digital Environments: The Computer Game Antichamber. Proceedings of the Sixth Image Schemas Day, Jönköping, März. Maria Hedblom & Oliver Kutz (Hg.). CEUR Workshop Proceedings, Vol. 3140 (ISSN 1613-0073)
  • 2021: with Günther Görz & Chiara Seidl. Linked Biondo: Modelling geographical features in Renaissance texts and maps. In: e-Perimetron. International Journal on Science and Technologies affined to History of Cartography and Maps. Vol. 16/2, 78-93. (http://www.e-perimetron.org/Vol16_2.htm) (ISSN 1790-3769)
  • 2020: Sprachliche Relativität. In: Thomas Niehr, Jörg Kilian & Jürgen Schiewe (eds.). Handbuch Sprachkritik. Cham: Springer, 28-37. (ISBN 978-3-476-04852-3)
  • 2019: with Stefan Weinzierl & Steffen Lepa. „The Language of Rooms: From Perception to Cognition to Aesthetic Judgment”, in: Blauert, J. & Braasch, J. (eds.). The Technology of Binaural Understanding. Springer Verlag, 435-454. (ISBN 978-3-030-00386-9)
  • 2019: with Günther Görz, Klaus Geus & Tanja Michalsky. Spatial Cognition in Historical Geographical Texts and Maps: Towards a cognitive-semantic analysis of Flavio Biondo‘s “Italia Illustrata”. e-Perimetron, Vol.13/4 (2018), 182-199. (ISSN 1790-3769)
  • 2018: with Günther Görz, Klaus Geus & Tanja Michalsky. Spatial cognition in historical geographical texts and maps: towards a cognitive-semantic analysis of Flavio Biondo’s Italia Illustrata. In: Chrysoula Boutoura & Angeliki Tsorlini (eds.). Digital Approaches to Cartographic Heritage. 13th Conference of the International Cartographic Association, Commission on Cartographic Heritage into the Digital. Laboratory of Cartography and Geographical Analysis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 29-44. (ISSN 2459-3893)
  • 2017: with Simon Meier. The encoding of motion events in football and cycling live text commentary: a corpus linguistic analysis. In: Anatol Stefanowitsch & Doris Schönefeld (eds.). Fifth Issue of the Yearbook of the German Cognitive Linguistics Association. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, 43–56. (ISSN: 2197-2796)
  • 2016: with Anca Dan, Wolfgang Crom, Klaus Geus, Günther Görz, Kurt Guckelsberger, Viola König & Thomas Poiss. Common Sense Geography and Ancient Geographical Texts. Special Volume 6 (2016): Space and Knowledge. Topoi Research Papers Gerd Graßhoff & Michael Meyer (eds.), 571-597. (https:/ / edition-topoi.org/ publications/ details/ 942)
  • 2016: with Wulf Schiefenhövel. Representations of spaces in Eipo and Dene Chipewyan: Spatial language and environment. In: Matthias Schemmel (eds.). Spatial Thinking and External Representation: Towards a Historical Epistemology of Space. Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Edition Open Access, Max Planck Research Library for the History and Development of Knowledge Studies 8, Berlin, 35–92. (978-3-945561-08-9)
  • 2014: Implicit knowledge structures as mental models in common sense geography. In: Klaus Geus & Martin Thiering (eds.). Features of Common Sense Geography: Implicit Knowledge Structures in Ancient Geographical Texts. Wien/Berlin: LIT, 265–317. (ISBN: 978-3-643-90528-4)
  • 2014: with Günther Görz & Ekaterina Ilyushechkina. Towards a cognitive-linguistic reconstruction of the spatial orientation in ancient texts – The example of Dionysios Periegetes. In: Klaus Geus & Martin Thiering (eds.). Features of Common Sense Geography: Implicit Knowledge Structures in Ancient Geographical Texts. Wien/Berlin: LIT, 245–263. (ISBN: 978-3-643-90528-4)
  • 2014: with Klaus Geus. Common sense geography and mental modelling: setting the stage. In: Klaus Geus & Martin Thiering (eds.). Features of Common Sense Geo­graphy: Implicit Knowledge Structures in Ancient Geographical Texts. Wien/Berlin: LIT, 5–15. (ISBN: 978-3-643-90528-4)
  • 2014: Cognitive maps of landmark orientation. In: Luna Filipovic & Martin Pütz (eds.). Multilingual Cognition and Language Use: Processing and Typological Perspec­tives. Human Cognitive Processing Series 44. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: Benjamins, 151–182. (ISBN 9789027223982/e-book: ISBN 9789027270283)
  • 2013: with Günther Görz & Ekaterina Ilyushechkina. Towards a cognitive-linguistic recon-struction of “mental maps” from antique texts – the example of Dionysios Periegetes. In: Bernadette Sharp & Michael Zock (eds.). Pro¬ceedings of the 10th International Workshop on Natural Language Processing and Cognitive Science, NLPCS 2013, Marseille, 20–34
  • 2013: Degree of specificity in spatial semantics. In: Monika Reif, Justyna Robinson & Martin Pütz (eds.). Variation in Language and Language Use: Linguistic, Socio-Cultural and Cognitive Perspectives. Duisburg Papers on Research in Language and Culture 96. Frankfurt am Main: Lang, 367–420. (ISBN:978-3-653-02301-5/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-02301-5)
  • 2012: Praktik. In: Stephan Günzel (eds.). Lexikon der Raumphilosophie. Darmstadt: Wis­senschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 312–313. (ISBN 978-3-534-21931-5)
  • 2012: Referenzrahmen. In: Stephan Günzel (eds.). Lexikon der Raumphilosophie. Darm­stadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 336. (ISBN 978-3-534-21931-5)
  • 2012: Spur. In: Stephan Günzel (eds.). Lexikon der Raumphilosophie. Darmstadt: Wissen­schaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 385–386. (ISBN 978-3-534-21931-5)
  • 2012: Spatial mental models in common sense geography. In: Klaus Geus & Martin Thiering (eds.). Common Sense Geography and Mental Modelling. Preprint Series Max Planck Institute for the History of Sciences, Vol. 426, Berlin: MPIWG, 11–44
  • 2012: with Klaus Geus. Common sense geography and mental modelling: Opening the stage. In: Geus, Klaus & Thiering, Martin (eds.). Common Sense Geography and Mental Modelling. Preprint Series Max Planck Institute for the History of Sciences, Vol. 426, Berlin: MPIWG, 2–10
  • 2012: with Klaus Geus. Common Sense Geography and Mental Modelling. Preprint Series Max Planck Institute for the History of Sciences, Vol. 426, Berlin: MPIWG (http://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/de/ressourcen/preprints.html)
  • 2012: Topographical coordinates and spatial language. Cognitive Psycholinguistics: Bilingualism, Cognition and Communication. Preceedings of the 35th International LAUD Symposium. University of Koblenz-Landau: LAUD, 1–58
  • 2011: Figure-ground reversals in language. Gestalt Theory 33, 3/4, 245–276
  • 2011: with Jürgen Renn & Matthias Schemmel. Space as Transformed in the History of Science. Historical Epistemology of Space: Experience and Theoretical Reflection in the Historical Development of Spatial Knowledge. In: Friederike Fless, Gerd Graßhoff & Michael Meyer (eds.). Reports of the Research Groups at the Topoi Plenary Session 2010. Special Issue of eTopoi. Journal for Ancient Studies, 1–11
  • 2010: Intralingual variation of spatial concepts in an Athapaskan language. Cognitive Sociolin-guistics: Language Variation in its Structural, Conceptual and Cultural Dimensions. Pre-ceedings of the 34th International LAUD Symposium. University of Koblenz-Landau: LAUD, 92–123
  • 2009: Language loss in spatial semantics: Dene Suline. In: Jim Stanford & Dennis Preston (eds.). An Anthology on Quantitative Sociolinguistic Studies of Indigenous Minority Languages. Variationist Approaches to Indigenous Minority Languages. Philadelphia: Benjamins, 485–516. (ISBN 9789027218643/e-book: ISBN 9789027289780)
  • 2009: Linguistic categorization of topological spatial relations. TOPOI – Towards a Historical Epistemology of Space. Preprint Series Max Planck Institute for the History of Sciences, Vol. 373 (http://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/de/ressourcen/preprints.html), Berlin: MPIWG, 1–76