Jung, Dada, and the Discussion and Painting of Dreams

Blagrove, Mark and Lockheart, Julia (2025) Jung, Dada, and the Discussion and Painting of Dreams. In: Jungian and Interdisciplinary Analyses of Emotions: Method and Imagery. Taylor and Francis. ISBN 9781003564942

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Abstract

In the early 20th-century the ideas and practices of Carl Jung and of Dadaism started to develop in Zurich and then spread to other countries. Dadaism was a cultural, art and literary movement which later resulted in Surrealism. At first glance Jung and Dada have little in common, with psychoanalysis addressing the development of the individual and Dada using bizarre creativity, often for political purposes. This chapter however addresses similarities between them, in particular that both movements valued art and recognised the importance of unconscious processes. Jung also addressed synchronicities, meaningful acausal connections, and Dada utilised chance in the production of art and literary works. This overlap between Jung and Dada is particularly seen with the Dadaist painter and sculptor Hans Arp and his wife Sophie Taeuber-Arp. The similarities between the two movements are illustrated by two dream-sharing and art events held in Zurich in the Summer of 2023, one at the C.G. Jung Institute, and one at the Cabaret Voltaire, the birthplace of Dadaism. In each event a dream was discussed, and painted live, each performance resonating with the dreamers and audiences, and resulting also in the creation of concrete poetry. The paintings and concrete poems are presented here. The events show the essential role of dreams in the theories and practices of Jungian psychology and Dadaism, including insights derived from the dreams. They also show the relationship of poetry to dream-like thinking, and reveal the inspiring and intriguing synergy and similarities between Jungian and Dadaist worldviews and practices.

Item Type:	Book Section
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology N Fine Arts > ND Painting
Divisions:	Institutes and Academies > Wales Institute for Science & Art (WISA) > Academic Discipline: Art & Media
Depositing User:	Lesley Cresswell
Date Deposited:	24 Jul 2025 13:39
Last Modified:	24 Jul 2025 13:39
URI:	https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/3841

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