Modern Spectacles 1790–Present

Catalog description

Drawing on landscape painting, theater, carnival, and scientific demonstration, modern spectacles immerse viewers in a particularly European imaginary of identity and otherness. This seminar addresses three periods: 19th-century boulevard spectacles (magic lantern, panorama, etc.); 20th-century habitat dioramas that present species and cultures in place and time; and contemporary installations that seek to recreate the 'spectacle experience' with new tools. Case studies are discussed in relation to themes that traverse period, including colonialism, magic, anti-modernism, urban lighting, and the experience of time. Graduate students will participate in the weekly seminar, write/present a midterm summary on their approach and topic, and write/present an original research paper.