Romana Kaske – författare

In the modern lexicon, ‘object’ refers to an entity that is materially constituted, spatially defined, and functionally determined. In contrast, the Latin word ‘fantasia’ has, since antiquity, referred to an apparition or the ability to imagine something that could be equally an object, an image, or a concept. This tension prompts further inquiry into the interrelations and differences between the experience of tangible objects (their perception and handling) and the creation of new objects (their conception and formation). What correlations exist between object fantasies, the self-consciousness of subjects, and the concrete and imagined conditions of human beings’ social lives? By addressing this question, this interdisciplinary book opens new perspectives in the field of object studies.

In the modern lexicon, ‘object’ refers to an entity that is materially constituted, spatially defined, and functionally determined. In contrast, the Latin word ‘fantasia’ has, since antiquity, referred to an apparition or the ability to imagine something that could be equally an object, an image, or a concept. This tension prompts further inquiry into the interrelations and differences between the experience of tangible objects (their perception and handling) and the creation of new objects (their conception and formation). What correlations exist between object fantasies, the self-consciousness of subjects, and the concrete and imagined conditions of human beings’ social lives? By addressing this question, this interdisciplinary book opens new perspectives in the field of object studies.

Objekte wie Harnische, Lanzen oder Schilde lassen sich nicht auf ihre Funktionen in Kampf und Krieg reduzieren. Das, was ein Gegenüber verwunden kann und den eigenen Körper schützen soll, ist zugleich Gegenstand vielfältiger Gestaltung und findet darüber hinaus Eingang in Text und Bild. Das Buch widmet sich Waffen und ihrer Verarbeitung in Literatur und bildender Kunst in interdisziplinärer Perspektive. Hinterfragt werden dabei die komplexen Transformations- und wechselseitigen Rezeptionsprozesse, welche zwischen realen und medial repräsentierten Objekten des Krieges vermitteln. In diesen stehen materielle Eigenschaften, eingeübte Handhabungen und kulturelle Vorstellungen gleichermaßen zur Disposition.

The interrelations between objects and organisms take many forms, from the microbes known to inhabit medieval manuscripts to the biomorphic forms observable in Art Nouveau lamps, and from the androids cast in American superhero comics to the coral found on Chinese porcelain recovered from shipwrecks. The contributions to this volume investigate various interactions between inanimate and animate matter in art, literature, technology, and other areas of human perception and expression. The book highlights how certain characteristics allow objects to be understood as living organisms, and vice versa. Via a range of dynamics involving vivification and reification, objects and organisms emerge as unstable, transforming within evolving situations.

Innovative, interdisciplinary object-scientific contribution to critical ecology

From the early modern period into the 21st century