Mass violence. Genocide. Pogrom. Human rights abuses. Ethnic cleansing. Holocaust. State-sanctioned terror. These are all terms we associate with acute trauma, and are devastating for the communities who live through them and in their aftermath. Perpetrators are labelled monstrous, evil, mad, psychopathic, in an effort to explain why such horrendous events have occurred. This symposium takes as its subject, violent trauma and its aftermath, its cinematic representations, and the emotional response of viewers when watching such representations.
This symposium begins with a screening of the documentary film, The Act of Killing (2012), followed by short, five-minute responses by ten professionals working in clinical, creative arts, and academic research fields of expertise: Dr Noreen Giffney, Dr Olga Cox Cameron, Mr Paul Moore, Ms Joanna Fortune, Mr Kevin Murphy, Dr Eve Watson, Ms Mary Fakher-Eldin, Ms Janet Healy, Dr Tina Kinsella, Ms Jacinta Lynch, Mr Gavin Wilkinson, and Ms Ann Murphy. Speakers’ responses will be grouped under three headings:
- The Unconscious Dynamics of Trauma
- Living in the Aftermath of Trauma
- The Aesthetics of Representing Trauma
There will be ample time for audience participation and full details of the day-long programme are available on the event webpage: https://dublin.
Warning: Admittance is strictly for persons aged 18 years and older because of The Act of Killing’s disturbing content. This film contains scenes of, and references to, extreme violence, which viewers might find upsetting.
