News/Research

Abigail De Kosnik in Unwatchable

14 Feb, 2019

Abigail De Kosnik in Unwatchable

The 2019 publication of Unwatchable features over 50 original essays by leading scholars, artists, critics, and curators on what makes certain media unwatchable. The collection features an essay by our own Abigail De Kosnik, titled "The Once and Future Hillary: Why I Won't Watch a TV Miniseries about the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election."

From the book description:

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?

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.

Get the book here!