Objects and Organisms: Vivification - Reification - Transformation - Hardcover

by Ella Beaucamp (Editor), Romana Kaske (Editor), Thomas Moser (Editor)

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 shipwreck sites. The contributions in 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.

Author Biography

Ella Beaucamp, Romana Kaske, University of Munich; Thomas Moser, TU Vienna.