Vanessa Sinclair

This volume contains material from the conference Psychoanalysis, Art & the Occult (London, 2016), with contributions from Gary Lachman, Vanessa Sinclair, Katelan Foisy, Sharron Kraus, Demetrius Lacroix, Graham Duff, Ken Henson, Peter Grey, Val Denham, Claire-Madeline Culkin, Steven Reisner, Katy Bohinc, Olga Cox Cameron, Ingo Lambrecht, Elliott Edge, Charlotte Rodgers, Alkistis Dimech, Fred Yee, Robert Ansell, Ray O Neill, Derek M Elmore, Julio Mendes Rodrigo, Eve Watson, and Carl Abrahamsson. Topics include Sigmund Freud and the Occult, Art as Alchemy, the art of John Balance, Cut-Ups as a magical and psychoanalytic tool, Maori shamanism within therapy, Animistic art, Dance as ritual, Androgynous aspects in Austin Osman Spare’s art, Salvador Dali’s meeting with Jacques Lacan, Rebis: the Double Being, David Bowie’s Non-Human Effect, similarities between ritual magic and psychoanalysis, and much more.

Outsider Inpatient is an anthology of perspectives about the value of art and creativity within psychiatric environments. It specifically shines the light on experiences at Lillhagen Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, where inpatients were allowed to paint and decorate the entire walls of long corridors in the basements of the hospital. Also included are valuable thoughts about creativity in general from clinicians, art historians, psychoanalysts, and artists. What constitutes "outsider" art? How can creativity be used in the treatment of (in)patients? Why do certain artists create the way they do, and how does it affect them? Outsider Inpatient is an informative study about a topic that has created as much controversy and criticism as it has support and adherents, in environments as diverse as clinical psychiatry and psychology, art theory, social sciences, psychoanalysis and philosophy. This book has been produced in cooperation with the Center for Critical Heritage Studies and the University of Gothenburg, and contains texts by Elisabeth Punzi, Per Magnus Johansson, Johannes Nordholm, Inez Edstr m, Christian Munthe, Carl Abrahamsson, Vanessa Sinclair, and Val Denham.Trapart Books 2021, 6 x 9" paperback, 100 pages, illustrated.

Scansion in Psychoanalysis and Art examines a strain of artists spanning more than a century, beginning at the dawn of photography and culminating in the discussion of contemporary artists, to illustrate various psychoanalytic concepts by examining artists working in a multitude of media.Drawing on the theories of Sigmund Freud, who applied psychoanalytic methods to art and literature to decipher the meaning and intention of the creator, as well as Jacques Lacan’s dissemination of scansion as a powerful disruption of narrative, the book explores examples of the long and rich relationship between psychoanalysis and the fine arts. Whilst guiding readers through the different artists and their artforms – from painting and music to poetry, collage, photography, film, performance art, technology and body modification – Sinclair interrogates scansion as a generative process often inherent of the act of creation itself. This is an intriguing book for psychoanalysts, psychologists and creative arts therapists who wish to explore the generative potential of scansion and the relationship between psychoanalysis and the arts, as well as for artists and art historians interested in a psychoanalytic view of these processes.

Scansion in Psychoanalysis and Art examines a strain of artists spanning more than a century, beginning at the dawn of photography and culminating in the discussion of contemporary artists, to illustrate various psychoanalytic concepts by examining artists working in a multitude of media.Drawing on the theories of Sigmund Freud, who applied psychoanalytic methods to art and literature to decipher the meaning and intention of the creator, as well as Jacques Lacan’s dissemination of scansion as a powerful disruption of narrative, the book explores examples of the long and rich relationship between psychoanalysis and the fine arts. Whilst guiding readers through the different artists and their artforms – from painting and music to poetry, collage, photography, film, performance art, technology and body modification – Sinclair interrogates scansion as a generative process often inherent of the act of creation itself. This is an intriguing book for psychoanalysts, psychologists and creative arts therapists who wish to explore the generative potential of scansion and the relationship between psychoanalysis and the arts, as well as for artists and art historians interested in a psychoanalytic view of these processes.

How do you integrate magic in your day-to-day life? Swedish author Carl Abrahamsson and American artist and psychoanalyst Vanessa Sinclair have successfully merged their interests in Psychoanalysis, Art and the Occult with their daily routines as a married couple. Every Monday on Patreon, they write about their ideas, theories, practices, experiences, collaborations, successes and perhaps even occasional failures, too. Once a year, their posts are antholgized into books like this one.Relentlessly rubbing out the boundaries between these interesting fields, Abrahamsson & Sinclair enthusiastically experiment with artistic expression in various media while strengthening agency and success in their occult work. All the while learning about themselves and each other in their quest for deeper insights.This book contains chapters on magic, mysticism, their relationships with Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, necromancy, the power of exposure and honesty, the cut-ups of William Burroughs and Brion Gysin as a magical technique, pathography, dreams, creativity, the unconscious, the dangers of inertia & entropy, occult documents from the "Society of Sentience," inspiration, herbal magic, writing a cut-up novel, meetings with infamous Satanist Anton LaVey, the tarot, keeping a diary, film as magic, glitchcraft, wisdoms of psychoanalysis, pansexuality, intuitive altar-building, initiation & secrecy, yoga, and much more.In their casual and inspiring style, Abrahamsson & Sinclair intimately share of themselves and their lives so that the readers can cherry-pick morsels of wisdom as they see fit. Included are also over a hundred color images: portraits, photographs, film stills, collages and cut-ups from Abrahamsson & Sinclair's vast and experimental output."Vanessa Sinclair is a female William Burroughs for the age of desperation." - Val Denham, artist"In marked contrast to the surface level reflections that the psychological model can be prone to, Vanessa Sinclair's work provides a necessary and significant counterweight. This work gives us a vital and re-energised perspective on how the insights of psychoanalytic thinking, language and artistic expression can have true transformative power..." - Steve Dee, author"Carl performs magick; he concretises meaning and brings forth revelation into his carefully focused vision." - Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, artist"Carl guides a new generation of thinkers into a future that asks what if and gets even more strange, surreal, beautiful, and mystical than one can dream." - Gabriela Herstik, author of Inner Witch: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Craft and Sacred Sex: The Magick and Path of the Divine Erotic."Carl Abrahamsson is not only among today's leading occult writers and artists, but is, in fact, one of this generation's most vital public intellectuals. Carl is our magickal Moses hoisting a fiery serpent in the cultural wilderness." - Mitch Horowitz, PEN Award-winning author of Occult America and Uncertain Places