General Topic: For the paper, please analyze some element/object/work of psychedelic aesthetics and culture, introducing one or more of the critical perspectives on decolonization, mysticism, gender, science, and religion examined in this class. You can choose something from the historical “psychedelic” era in North America and Europe (1950s-60s) or from any other time period or region we have covered this semester.
Specific: I decided to analyze Yayoi Kusama’s Art Exhibition “Self-Obliteration/Psychedelic World”. I will attach an outline that lays out the organization of the paper as well as links to labled documents and articles that can be used as sources. Also a link for her auto biography that can be a great source.
Outline=
-Introduce Yayoi Kusama(biography)
-Present Work(Self-Obliteration/Psychedelic World Exhibit): general description, historical context and background of pieces, images of work
*you may make reference and discuss art of hers that is not part of the exhibit if it makes it easier to get information, just make sure to state it*
-Discuss Psychedelic Nature and Aspects of her work: I would focus on 3-4 works(one of them the inifnity rooms, one of them a painitng with poka dolts, and the other choose whichever). Comment on materials, composition, medium, words, imagery on work, color, shapes, motifs, etc… and its relation to its psychedelic nature and relation to psychdelic art movement.
-How is the psychedelic aesthetic expressed: sound, image, story, practitioner, milieu of creation—or some combination thereof
-How can the critical topics (indigeneity, gender, mysticism, religion, science, or colonialism) contribute to your analysis? I belive the best would be gender and mysticism(will attach a paper discussing mysticism that you can use as source)
Conclusion: Do you think that psychedelic culture is universal—that is, shaped by intrinsically human sensory experiences of altering consciousness? Or would you say that the psychedelic aspect of culture is socially constructed—that is, shaped by specific contexts, styles, and histories? If both, then how do you reconcile this tension between the general and the particular?
