Les Écrits bruts (brut writings) : when writing is crazy - A lecture by Vincent Capt and Florence Choquard
Thursday November 14, 2013 - 7 pm - Palais de Rumine - Sénat Room
Reinventing language as an outlet.
The texts presented in this lecture have been produced for the most part by persons confined to a psychiatric hospital.
In his lecture, Vincent Capt invites us to join the singular adventure these writings represent, brimming as they do with linguistic pearls and neologisms, such as the Collection de l'Art Brut of Lausanne has preserved for us. Reviewing writings that run the gamut from Samuel Daiber to Justine Python, this researcher will unveil worlds that shatter language into pieces.
Florence Choquard in turn will consider the history and genesis of this body of writings as autobiographical, scientific and esthetic objects. Located at the crossroads of various fields of knowledge, her lecture will touch upon the relations between patients and caretakers, most particularly between Eugénie Nogarède and the psychiatrist Hans Steck at Cery Psychiatric Hospital (1927-1951).
Florence Choquard holds a doctorate in both psychiatry (UNIL) and history (EHESS). Working freelance at the University Institute of the History of Medicine and Public Health, CHUV), she submitted her thesis in 2012: Le regard d'un psychiatre sur les écrits de la folie. La carrière d'Hans Steck à Cery (how a psychiatrist views the writings of madness. Hans Steck's career at Cery).
Vincent Capt is a teacher and researcher in French language and literature at the University of Lausanne. He is also the co-founder of CraB (a think tank on art brut), and author of Ecrivainer. La langue morcelée de Samuel Daiber (the broken up language of Samuel Daiber - Collection de l'Art Brut/Infolio, 2012). His thesis, Poétique des écrits bruts (the poetics of Art Brut writings), is due for publication soon.