Psychosis, Art, Poetry: A Poetics of the Human

Psychosis, Art, Poetry: A Poetics of the Human
In this course we will explore psychosis as a structure of human experience that gives voice to the inaudible and vision to the imperceptible. We will study psychosis and its gifts to humanity through the artistic work of those who have experienced psychosis and left a trace of that experience in visual works, poetry, and lyric prose. We will focus on the life work of the “outsider artist” and writer, Henry Darger, making a collective exhibit of our responses, “After Darger.” Each student will also choose to explore one or more works from the artists of the Prinzhorn collection, as well as a poet of the student’s choice. Using Jacques Lacan’s understanding of psychosis, and its elaboration in relation to the human by Willy Apollon, Daniel Bergeron, and Lucie Cantin of the Freudian School of Quebec, each student will create a poetics as a response to psychotic art. Students will be responsible for showing three to four radical revisions of a poetics in process during the semester. This course is intended for division II students, but division III students may arrange to take the course at an advanced level.