intervalla: volume 2, 2014-2015
Trauma, Abstraction, and Creativity
Editors Johanna Fassl and Caroline Wiedmer
The second volume of intervalla takes a crossdisciplinary approach to the topic of “Trauma, Abstraction, and Creativity.” It traces the way in which the language of trauma manifests itself in individual cases of cultural production. It specifically focuses on the role of abstraction in the context of creative processes informed by trauma. How is trauma uncovered in the human mind and body during the creation of a work? What forms does it take? What defines the relationship between traumatized artists and their audiences? How is the essential conceptualization of a traumatized psyche linked to the historical context and specific site of trauma? What are the various (and curious) forms of transmittability of trauma? The authors of the eleven contributions that make up the volume shed light on these questions from the points of view of trauma psychology and cognitive-behavioral therapy, literary criticism, cultural studies, theater, art history and visual culture, documentary film, and popular culture in television. They discuss works created in response to the wars and national conflicts in Germany, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Venezuela, Iraq, and Syria.