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Invitation to the Defense of Nina Kerschbaumer

Defense
Art Theory and Cultural Studies
Karl-Schweighofer-Gasse 3,1070 Vienna, room 1.06

The Institute for Art Theory and Cultural Studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna kindly invites you to the defense of Nina Kerschbaumer´s dissertation project Fear and Arbitrariness. On Cultural Value, Form and Function of the Entertainment Genre True Crime.

The Examination Panel is made up of: Prof. Axel Stockburger (chair), Univ.-Prof. Diedrich Diederichsen (first supervisor), Univ.-Prof. Mag.phil. Eva Maria Stadler (external appraiser, University of Applied Arts Vienna).

Abstract

True crime is a popular entertainment genre that is defined by reconstructing real violent crimes. Today it is mostly found in the form of TV or Netflix series, podcasts and DIY videos on the internet. A key stylistic device is introducing original documents from court or criminal investigation files, forensic findings and interviews with people who are either professionally connected to the case or have a close personal relationship. How comes, that particularly its modes of documentary suggest a more dangerous outside world than the one, it wants to portray realistically? This question is explored by comparing previous examples, examples and counter-examples from various media milieus – television, documentary photography, cinema, the Internet, and by means of contributions in textual form. The aim is to understand where True Crime comes from, what it can do to you, what social effects it has and what comparisons can be drawn with other cultural phenomena beyond the genre. Upon this, the goal is to critique the culture industry, as well as the documentary and its idea of authenticity, often so closely tied to it.

Short biography

Nina Kerschbaumer is a filmmaker. She graduated in Fine Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna in 2014. After working in film and television, teaching and researching at the Zurich University of the Arts, she currently heads a section of the Rote Fabrik in Zurich dedicated to the medium of film and its mediation. Artistic works manifest themselves in various media, but are primarily located in the cinema. Her films have been shown at international filmfestivals.

The thesis defense will be in German and will take place at Karl-Schweighofer-Gasse 3, 1070 Vienna,  room 1.06.

We are looking forward to welcoming you.