Research
Dr. John Cussans
Subject Area: Fine Art, New Media
Current Research
My current research explores the historical relation between psychological models of mind - especially those concerned with memory, consciousness and perception - and the evolution of media technologies. This interest coincides with survivals and revivals of the philosophical debate between Spiritualism and Materialism. This interest is contextualised within a broadly psycho-political framework and asks how the discourses of psychology function within the broader social field. I am interested in how particular aspects of the 'wayward' imagination and 'mystical' belief systems have been pathologised by normative psychology. My research also involves the staging of multi-media performance events - modelled on parapsychological scenarios - which explore multi-authoring processes and issues of historicity and authenticity in contemporary art practice.
Recent Research Outputs (selected)
2007 'The Creeping Terror of Insecure Dwelling (From Dunwich to Chavganistan)' - essay published in the catalogue for Dean Kenning's exhibition 'The Dulwich Horror - H.P. Lovecraft and the Crisis in British Housing' at Space Station Sixty Five gallery, London.
2007 'The Phantom Muse' - text in John Russell's Frozen Tears III: Gay Prophesy of the Demonically Social, ARTicle Press: Birmingham.
2007 'Whitby Weekender' (60 minute documentary film about Northern Soul made in collaboration with Ellen Cantor) screening and installation of 'Dance Lesson' (with Ellen Cantor) at Kunstbunker, Nuremberg, Germany.
2006 'The Materialisation of the Phantom Muse' - audio-visual artwork exhibited at 'Writing in Strobe', Dicksmith Gallery, London.
2005 'The Process: Live and Ill from the Filthy Womb of Blood', part of 'Spread Wide: an encounter between Kathy Acker & Paul Buck, John Cussans & Rebecca Stephens', published by Dis Voir, Paris
2004 Paper: 'Tracking the Zombie Diaspora from Subhuman Haiti to Posthuman Tuscon', presented at the 2nd Global Conference 'Monsters and the Monstrous: Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil', Budapest, 2004, published in e-book form in 'Monsters and the Monstrous: Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil' edited by Paul Yoder and Peter Mario Kreuter. [download pdf of book]
2004 'Vodou, Possession and the Revolutionary Unconscious' and 'Untitled Correspondence: John Cussans and Karen Richardsonpp' in 'Frozen Tears - The Sequel (book)', ARTicle Press.
2003 Paper: 'Symbolic Wounds and the Impossible-Real' presented at 'Approaching the Unapproachable Conference', for the French Department, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
2003 Organiser and curator of multi-media art event The Findings of the Ideoplasmic Congress presented at the Raindance Film Festival, UCG Cinema, Trocadero Centre, London with a live performance by Cünst (participating artists: Oli Frost, Margarita Gluzberg, Peter Rockmount, Oreet Ashery and the Bughouse Collective)
2003 Dancing Table - Bellevue 3rd Entry - Spiral Vortex Séance, sequence of collaborative performance events with Margarita Gluzberg, Alun Marshall and Alenka Pirman at Gostilna Jurca (Podlipa), Club Gromka and Hotel Bellevue (Llubjlana), Slovenia
2003 'The Horrographer' and 'Lost Writing', story and text in 'Frozen Tears', a collection of writings on Art and Horror, edited by John Russell
2002 Coordinator and curator of Project VALIS-The London Bughouse Event (in memory of Philip K. Dick 1928 - 1982) at the 291 Gallery, London - multi-media art event with musical performances by The Nazgul, Grayvoid, Perky Pat, artworks by Margarita Gluzberg, Bank, Rod Dickinson, Simon Hollington/Kypros Kyprianou, Claire Taylor, Orphandrift, Inter-mission, Randy Cutler and Velveeta Crisp. The event involved a real-time weblinked collaboration with performances at the simultaneous Vancouver Bughouse event in Canada
