English Department

Remembering the Surreal Seas of William Beebe and Else Bostelmann: Science and Aesthetics in the Abyss

with Dr. Stacy Alaimo

Thursday, May 26 | 4pm | University Place Hotel (Columbia Falls Ballroom)

Now, in the midst of the anthropocene and the Sixth Great Extinction, when even the bottom of the sea has been altered by human activities, what does it mean to remember the half-mile ocean descents of William Beebe in the 1930s? Beebe’s encounters with abyssal creatures reinforced his rejection of the separation of science from the aesthetic, as he describes himself being captivated by the very “specimens” he would capture. Meanwhile, artist Else Bostelmann’s surreal paintings of deep sea life from these descents suggest weird abyssal worlds, creaturely perspectives, and the ungrounding of anthropocentric knowledge. Can the work of Beebe and Bostleman help us make sense of our current moment, a paradoxical time of deep sea discovery and deep sea destruction?

Stacy Alaimo is Professor of English and Core Faculty Member in Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon. She is the author of Undomesticated Ground: Recasting Nature as Feminist Space (2000); Bodily Natures: Science, Environment, and the Material Self (2010) which won the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment book award for Ecocriticism; and Exposed: Environmental Politics and Pleasures in Posthuman Times (2016). Her work has been translated into at least 10 languages. Alaimo is currently writing a book entitled Deep Blue Ecologies: Science, Aesthetics, and the Creatures of the Abyss and co-editing a book series at Duke UP called “Elements.” Her work explores the intersections between literary, artistic, political, and philosophical approaches to environmentalism along with the practices and experiences of everyday life. She loves diving and snorkeling, hiking, paddling, and creating habitat gardens with native plants. 

Vaccine Requirement: Per PSU policy, attendees 12 years and older must show a PSU ID, proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or proof of a recent COVID-19 test with a negative result.

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