Petra Tuns

Abstract

Disengagement is a body of photographic work that recounts my memories of suffering from depression. My aesthetic is directly influenced by the pathology of the illness. My thesis aims to let the viewer witness how depression has impacted me, so they can understand the disease on a more personal level rather than a stereotypical image, such as TV commercials for anti-depression medication. I analyze both depression in art and the history of depression through the writings of Christine Ross, and Michel Foucault. Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalytic theory also inform my work. They are also the foundation from which I defend my work. Through the personal we attempt to understand the universal, and by sharing my struggle with depression, I seek to give the viewer a window into the depressive experience and to shed light on this taboo subject.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Photography, Artistic--Themes, motives; Art and mental illness; Depression, Mental

Publication Date

10-28-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Department, Program, or Center

School of Photographic Arts and Sciences (CIAS)

Advisor

Lieberman, Jessica

Advisor/Committee Member

Sheffield, Clarence

Comments

Note: imported from RIT’s Digital Media Library running on DSpace to RIT Scholar Works. Physical copy available through RIT's The Wallace Library at: TR655 .T86 2011

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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