Documentary Surrealism

Old black-and-white photo of an abandoned steam locomotive covered in overgrown plants and vines, its surrealism heightened by dense foliage and trees, with water in the foreground reflecting the dreamlike scene.

The project, which is funded by the Swedish Research Council, is a collaboration between Dr Kristoffer Noheden, in the Department of Media Studies at Stockholm University, and Professor Krzystof Fijalkowski from Norwich University of the Arts. It argues that documentary strategies are central for international surrealism, including both historic and contemporary practice.

Tracing a documentary legacy in surrealism, the project not only contributes to the burgeoning field of surrealism studies, but also to the history and theory of the documentary. The project involves an examination of a wide range of artworks, films, and writings, as well as surrealist journals, exhibitions, and archives, both historic and recent. Documentary Surrealism elaborates four concepts of relevance for documentary theory overall: spectral indexicality, machinic interiority, nature’s unconscious, and speculative objectivity. These concepts also indicate the continued relevance of surrealist practice and theory for questions concerning nature, subjectivity, and the truth claims of lens-based images.