So it's that time of year when all my research and reading needs to be formalised into an exciting lecture series that will stimulate debate and discussion, and prove a useful place for ideas generation that can be used in your own creative practice.
I've been working loosely around the theme of monsters but don't want to limit myself to thinking in terms of just sci-fi (aliens, scary creatures, bugs etc)....i need to encompass much, much more. I'm thinking about the monster as an allegorical figure, representative of a threat to everyday society, and one which dates back thousands of years and is visible in every society.
We will explore ideas about scientific enquiry - how this changed our notion of what is 'normal' and what is not...how categories produce boundary figures, who are 'outside of the box'. We will think about bodies, disability, race, gender and sexuality.
Specifically focusing on the representation of these ideas within the arts, we will look at films, paintings, literature, games, animations, music, fashion and photography, and anything else, that have in some way explored ideas about the 'monstrous other'.
This will lead us to look at the politics of gender, and the writings of feminists who coined such phrases as 'monstrous m/others' when engaging with psychoanalytical theory.
We will immerse ourselves in studying representations of difference and the threat that difference poses to our society. Think 'District 9', 'The Elephant Man', 'Monsters', 'Alien', '28 Days Later', 'Edward Scissorhands'....the list is endless and open to suggestion from you.
I hope you have as much fun finding, analysing and sharing your representations of monsters, exploring their allegorical significance, and along the way gaining some valuable knowledge about politics, society, communication and media.
Let's get cracking then...!
