A lecture by Paul Rhodes
The Uncanny is a concept famously elaborated by Freud, referring to the experience of unease at suddenly recognising a familiar but unhomely presence in a homely scene, a brief slippage into a more disturbing reality. This talk serves as an art-informed ethnography, exploring the uncanny experience of visiting the beauty of Florence, Theme Park City, during a time of international crisis. Drawing on Gale’s concept of ‘affective presencing,’ I develop a series of vignettes accompanied by paintings and sketches, allowing a dialogue to emerge between the city, past residents of Florence (including Elisabeth Barrett Browning) , food, songs, film, with a brief counterpoint visit to Berlin. What comes into being is a commentary on horror and beauty, a response that can allow for the recognition of both the dread of what might (be)coming and a resistant commitment to colour, art and belonging.
Paul Rhodes is a professor of psychology at the University of Sydney.
If you are in Florence and would like to attend the lecture in person at the British Institute Library, please register here or send an email to bif@britishinstitute.it
The registration fee is 15 Euro per person.
To join this lecture online, simply click on this link to register and receive the Zoom meeting invitation: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/2FmY4LvFT9Sb_24yyv0A8g. The virtual doors will open at 18:00 Italian time on Wednesday 11th June.
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