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Unhinged: On Jitterbugs, Melancholics and Mad-Doctors
Richly illustrated book accompanying an exhibition that tells the story of fools, idiots and madmen, whilst stressing the importance of mental wellbeing in an increasingly complex society
The exhibition runs from 12 October 2019 to 31 December 2020, Museum Dr. Guislain, Ghent
Madness deranges, throws us off balance, and makes us lose our footing. Yet some writers claim that madness is an enlargement of normality. But how can that which we cannot control belong to 'normality'? And what is normality?
For more than 30 years, the permanent display on psychiatry has been the very heart of the Museum Dr. Guislain in Ghent. The history of psychiatry is the inspiration for new thematic exhibitions every year, in which the museum seeks to dislodge entrenched views and deep-rooted stigmas and reframe them in the context of today. In October 2019, this permanent display received a make-over and has been presented under the title 'Unhinged', in which the Museum Dr. Guislain offers a fresh look at its own history as a museum.
The richly illustrated publication explores the boundaries of the traditional and goes in search of the sane in the insane. It provides an overview of psychiatry on the basis of five contemporary themes that enter into dialogue with each 'power and powerlessness', 'body and mind', 'architecture', 'classification' and 'imagination'. Historical documents are also put side by side with contemporary art, creating a dynamic interpretation.
This new approach reflects today's 'crazy' society, in which, happily, increasing attention is being paid to psychological vulnerability, but in which mental health care is also facing new challenges more than ever.
The exhibition runs from 12 October 2019 to 31 December 2020, Museum Dr. Guislain, Ghent
Madness deranges, throws us off balance, and makes us lose our footing. Yet some writers claim that madness is an enlargement of normality. But how can that which we cannot control belong to 'normality'? And what is normality?
For more than 30 years, the permanent display on psychiatry has been the very heart of the Museum Dr. Guislain in Ghent. The history of psychiatry is the inspiration for new thematic exhibitions every year, in which the museum seeks to dislodge entrenched views and deep-rooted stigmas and reframe them in the context of today. In October 2019, this permanent display received a make-over and has been presented under the title 'Unhinged', in which the Museum Dr. Guislain offers a fresh look at its own history as a museum.
The richly illustrated publication explores the boundaries of the traditional and goes in search of the sane in the insane. It provides an overview of psychiatry on the basis of five contemporary themes that enter into dialogue with each 'power and powerlessness', 'body and mind', 'architecture', 'classification' and 'imagination'. Historical documents are also put side by side with contemporary art, creating a dynamic interpretation.
This new approach reflects today's 'crazy' society, in which, happily, increasing attention is being paid to psychological vulnerability, but in which mental health care is also facing new challenges more than ever.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
256 pages, Hardcover
Published February 21, 2020
53 people want to read
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November 1, 2020
Wonderful, obscure images from the history of psychiatry, particularly from the lesser-known archives of the low countries. The contextualizing essays were of varying quality. Serving the purpose of orienting the reader, none of them were going to be spectacular. Nevertheless, the first text on the history of psychiatry is overly broad to the point of being stereotypical: the history of the discipline in Japan, China, and the entire continent of Africa are summarized in one to five sentences a piece. Developments in the US are likewise wrapped up neatly in the most general language. The influence of Edward Shorter, a positivist and faithful disciple of the progress of science, is clear. This kind of gesture is a great disservice; it would've been better not to mention these complex topics at all. The other texts were an improvement, but suffered from some of the same problems. But, in the end, this is a book of images, and the images here are wonderful, curious, illuminating, and hard to find elsewhere.
Displaying 1 of 1 review