9/11 and the Visual Culture of Disaster by Thomas Stubblefield

9/11 and the Visual Culture of Disaster by Thomas Stubblefield assistant professor of Art History at the University of Massachusetts, is a psychoanalytic book and trip thanks to pictures in the tragedy, or spectacle (never thought that the terrorist attack could have been read also under this perspective) of 9/11.

It's an interesting book because it filters the events of that days reading it psychologically, analyzing the meaning of fall under many perspectives like also the meaning of symbols like the Twin Towers were for Western Civilization.

We will see that in particular movie industry tried all its best at first to remove any mention of the terrorist attack "deleting" the Twin Towers in movies still in post-productions like Serendipity was.

To me changed also the elaboration of new movies. Hollywood focused much more on thematic involving death and after-life and tragedies, sufferance in general leaving the lightness apart. Art followed a similar scenario, preferring to avoid a real representation of the disaster.

Not only: we will read something about the key-role played by digital pictures. That year, 2001, digital cameras appeared to the horizon and played their key-role in this tragedy.

Many pictures taken of the various people, who, that day decided to fall from the Towers because too warm for staying there. The choice, the alternative was to burn in the buildings.

I also thought while I looked at that pictures of falling people if someone recognized their dear ones, thinking also at the horrific scenario people in the streets, spectators were seeing.
I still remember the crying of the people: "Oh my God!" was the main expression, observing the various falls with the consequent horrible departure of that men during a sunny beautiful September Day a normal work-day for them all, unexpectedly the day of their death.

Analyzed also the symbolic meaning of fall.

I highly suggest to everyone to read this book. For not forgetting and for trying to remember the world before 9/11, sunny and beauty and the society created later. It will be a strong reflection.


I thank a lot Indiana Press University for the physical copy of this book.



Anna Maria Polidori