Natascha Ewert
2702624e@student.gla.ac.uk
Research title: A Jungian exploration of the Delphic maxim ‘Know Thyself’: Healing the Autobiographical Self through the intersection of poetry, art and tarot
Research summary
A Jungian exploration of the Delphic maxim ‘Know Thyself’: Healing the Autobiographical Self through the intersection of poetry, art and tarot
Based on autobiographical experiences, this research challenges narratives of mental illness from a female perspective.This thesis is founded on the exploration of artistic and occult practices—specifically visual diaries and Tarot as a form of divination—as a means of healing the self, whilst using poetry as a form of guidance and interpretation. The emphasis lies on examining the correlation between mental health and female creativity, where the 'figurative self' and the 'self as a process' emanate from engaging with a regular creative practice that requires a multimodal approach towards healing.
Drawing upon (auto)biographical research of women in the past, mainly Leonora Carrington, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, Unica Zürn who experienced acute psychological distress and underwent institutionalisation, the connection between creative illness, the archetypal artist and the trope of the Mad Woman will be explored and reevaluated. In relation to mental health and recovery, this project aims to valorise the personal occurrences of women in distress. Periods of 'madness', 'mania', 'psychosis' or 'hysteria', states that women are ascribed to during phases of mental unrest are inevitable and form part of one's own personal healing journey. The complexity of a woman's mental state is often reduced to inability and refusal to conform to societal expectations resulting in a lack of psychoeducational support and provisions for those in need.
This thesis counteracts diverse notions regarding the term of 'madness', analysing the underlying issues of prejudice and stigmatisation by inviting the general public to engage with the polarising figure of the witch, a powerful image that can be compared to the 'mad woman'. Alongside the narrative of mental illness, the biracial experience and notions of 'the other' contribute to this study at the intersection of poetry, art and Tarot. Feminist and psychoanalytical theory, mainly the application of Jungian thought to the practical element of art-making and Tarot reflects the subconscious undercurrents of this creative process. C.G Jung's 'The Red Book: Liber Novus' and Leonora Carrington's 'Major Arcana' Tarot deck will serve as a model for the creative assemblage.
The reinterpretation of Tarot as a creative self-healing tool attempts to offer a more eisegetic approach towards studies in divination in general. Themes of subversion, self-mastery and creativity as a form of resilience will emerge in the creative part of this project.
Research Interests
-The figure and representation of the witch in literature, cinema, visual arts & pop culture
-Fairy tales
-Mental illness & Creative Illness from a female perspective
-Medical humanities
-Multiethnic Writing
-Feminine & Autobiographical Self in Writing
-Jungian Thought & Archetypes
-Artist Books
-The Archteypal Artist
-Occult Practices & Tarot Studies
-Psychoanalysis and horror cinema