(Ebook) Unwatchable by Nicholas Baer, Maggie Hennefeld, Laura Horak, Gunnar Iversen ISBN 9780813599595, 0813599598

(Ebook) Unwatchable by Nicholas Baer, Maggie Hennefeld, Laura Horak, Gunnar Iversen ISBN 9780813599595, 0813599598

We all have images that we find unwatchable, whether for ethical, political, or sensory and affective reasons. From news coverage of terror attacks to viral videos of police brutality, and from graphic horror films to transgressive artworks, many of the images in our media culture might strike us as unsuitable for viewing. Yet what does it mean to proclaim something "unwatchable": disturbing, revolting, poor, tedious, or literally inaccessible? With over 50 original essays by leading scholars, artists, critics, and curators, this is the first book to trace the "unwatchable" across our contemporary media environment, in which viewers encounter difficult content on various screens and platforms. Appealing to a broad academic and general readership, the volume offers multidisciplinary approaches to the vast array of troubling images that circulate in global visual culture.