The Poetics of thanatology
An exploratory essay on photography, empathy and death
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7577/formakademisk.3539Abstract
This essay has been a way of interpreting my artistic praxis. The starting point takes place in my own artistic work, and a series of photographs entitled The Poetics of Thanatology. The text reflects on and examines themes that are potentially touched upon through the visual language of photographs and the creative process. I explore the possible connections that exist between an event in my childhood, death and photography. The anthropocentric approach to reality is deeply rooted in our culture and has created hierarchical relationships – We (humans) and the They (non-human organisms). Through still life photography of dead plants and insects, I examine the human experience of empathy in relation to non-human organisms. I see my practical work in the photo studio as a vital room for critical reflection and as a room for irreplaceable, meaningful, and slow sensory experiences. These experiences have challenged both my own and my art students´ anthropocentric approach to the world.
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