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Abstract

In this article, the author takes the subject-position as a survivor of father—daughter incest whose memories of her dissociated childhood traumatic experiences were triggered by viewing specific installations in the At Home: A Kentucky Project With Judy Chicago and Donald Woodman (2001-2002). The author shows how art functions as a ritualized site for witnessing trauma that can assist in individual recovery. She incorporated variety of trauma theories based on her scholarly understanding as well as personal experience of having experienced posttraumatic stress disorder. This study demonstrates that a viewer not only brings his or her own experiences and preknowledge to a work of art, thereby constructing its meaning, but that the work of art can act as a cue for the return of traumatic remembrance, becoming an agent on the viewer’s emotional and personal journey.

Keywords

visual stimulus traumatic memories memories

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Visual Stimuli for Traumatic Memories: An Academic and Personal Memoir

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