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I have recently begun a project with the title Art and Transformation. Its purpose is to deepen the understanding of an existential side of our relation to art: how art creates inner transformation in the beholder and/or the artist. The concept ”unselfing”, when ”the walls of the ego fall”, coined by the philosopher and author Iris Murdoch, is important to the project.
My other research covers foremost three areas.
The first is ”visual historiography”, how historical consciousness is shaped by and expressed in art and visual culture.
The second is how images of the bodily interior, from anatomy to biomedicine, express and influence ideas about the human as biological organism, existential being and societal creature.
The third area is performativity and creativity, particularly in the intersection between art and the law.
Research
Research groups
Present projects
Completed projects
- Agent of change: an ecocritical study of street art (research leader)
- Art and Transformation (Konst och förvandling) (research leader)
- Bagadilico – a joint initiative for the development of novel therapies for basal ganglia disorders (research leader)
- Believing in ESS: Size, Vision and Pioneering (research leader)
- Biology as cultural heritage (research leader)
- cultural science and criminology
- Cultures of Intensified Experiences and Special Effects (research leader)
- Desire for Freedom: Art after 1945. [Verführung Freiheit. Kunst in Europa seit 1945] (research leader)
- Humanities and Medicine (HuMe)
- Myths of Nations (research leader)
- Performing Crisis: Body and Authority in Contemporary Art (research leader)
- Systematic implementation of aesthetic experiences and artistic activities in the care of persons with Parkinson’s disease (research leader)
- The Human Stem Cell: Health, Hope, Bioeconomy.
- Visual Ecocriticism (research leader)
- Visual Ecocriticism and the Art of Josh Keyes (research leader)
- Degrowth - Theme, Pufendorf IAS
- Degrowth. (research leader)
About the research
I am currently working in the research project Approaching the Numinous, together with professor Jayne Svenungsson and PhD student Clara Berg. The project is funded by the LMK foundation 2017–2020. The purpose is to explore affinites between the aesthetic and the spiritual in today's secular, multicultural society.
My other research covers foremost three areas.
The first is ”visual historiography”, how historical consciousness is shaped by and expressed in art and visual culture.
The second is how images of the bodily interior, from anatomy to biomedicine, express and influence ideas about the human as biological organism, existential being and societal creature.
The third area is performativity and creativity, particularly in the intersection between art and the law.
My research is driven by a fascination for how humans create meaning by beholding and depicting the world in various ways. But also how presence partly resists man’s attempt to understand it – the gap between meaning and matter, name and body. I have had several interdisciplinary collaborations with historians, ethnologists, legal scholars, and bioscientists.
Publications
Books (4)
- Cronqvist, M., Eriksdotter, G., Hagström, C., Liljefors, M., Mossberg, F. & Willim, R. (2006). Virtualiteter : sex essäer. Hex, 1. Lund University.
- Liljefors, M. (2005). Videokonsten. En introduktion. Studentlitteratur AB.
- Liljefors, M. (2002). Bilder av Förintelsen. Mening, minne, kompromettering. Palmkrons Bok & Utbildningsförlag, Stora Södergatan 13, S-222 23 Lund, SWEDEN,. Dissertation.
- Liljefors, M. (1997). Anders B. Liljefors - Max Liljefors: "Stryk ut vad du skriver, skriv vad du stryker ut". Blekinge Läns Museum.
Editorships (3)
- Bengtsen, P., Liljefors, M. & Petersén, M. (2018). (Eds.) Bild och natur : Tio konstvetenskapliga betraktelser. Lund Studies in Arts and Cultural Sciences, 16. Lund Studies in Arts and Cultural Sciences.
- Liljefors, M., Lundin, S. & Wiszmeg, A. (2012). (Eds.) The atomized body : The cultural life of stem cells, genes and neurons. Nordic Academic Press.
- Alftberg, Å., Hansson, K., Idvall, M., Jönsson, L.-E., Liljefors, M. & Nilsson, G. (2011). (Eds.) Forum för humanistisk-samhällsvetenskaplig hälsoforskning: Forskarkonferens kring temat Program och praktik. Institutionen för kulturvetenskaper, Lunds universitet.
Articles (8)
- Höög, V. & Liljefors, M. (2012). Editorial: The Image in Science : responses of the Humanities to Visualism in Science. Ideas in History. The journal of the Nordic Society of the History of Ideas, 5, 3-9. Museum Tusculanum Press.
- Liljefors, M. (2012). Visualitet bortom subjektets gränser: biometri och geopolitik. Ekfrase, 3, 129-132. Universitetsforlaget.
- Liljefors, M. (2010). In Between the Human and the Animal: Subjectivity and Authority in Ann-Sofi Sidén's Queen of Mud Project. Konsthistorisk Tidskrift, 79, 185-199. The Society of Art Historians/Taylor & Francis.
- Liljefors, M. (2007). Rätten och den sociosymboliska sömnen - reflektioner om det industriella folkmordets eftereffekter. Retfærd: Nordisk juridisk tidsskrift, 115, 7-21. DJØF Publishing.
- Liljefors, M. (2006). Destruktion av bilden. Förstörandets impulser i 1900-talskonsten. Res Publica. Symposions teoretiska och litterära tidskrift: Destruktion/Gustav Metzger, 70-77. Brutus Östlings Bokförlag Symposion.
- Liljefors, M. & Zander, U. (2004). Bildrepresentationer och bildanalys - replik till Thomas Roth. Scandia, 70, 99-100. Stiftelsen Scandia.
- Liljefors, M. (2003). Boris Lurie and NO!art. Heterogénesis: Revista de Artes Visuales, 44, 32-41. Konstföreningen Mulati Gil.
- Liljefors, M. & Zander, U. (2003). Det neutrala landet ingenstans. Bilder av andra världskriget och den svenska utopin. Scandia. Historisk tidskrift, 69, 209-242. Stiftelsen Scandia.
Book chapters (34)
- Liljefors, M. (2018). Ordet och djuren : En dubbel blick på det mänskliga. In Bengtsen, P., Liljefors, M. & Petersén, M. (Eds.) Lund Studies in Arts and Cultural Sciences (pp. 13-40), 16. Lund Studies in Arts and Cultural Sciences.
- Liljefors, M. (2017). 'Biospace' : Metaphors of Space in Microbiological Images. In Hansson, K. & Idvall, M. (Eds.) The Pandora series (pp. 49-71), 25. Arkiv.
- Liljefors, M. (2016). Mellan krematoriet och TV-skärmen : tankar om det förflutnas gestaltning. In Hegardt, J. & Lundemo, T. (Eds.) (pp. 299-327). Makadam förlag.
- Liljefors, M. (2016). Screening Biotechnology : Bioscience Portrayed in Contemporary Science Fiction Cinema. In Lundin, S., Petersen, M. N., Kroløkke, C. & Muller, E. (Eds.) (pp. 139-163). Sun Media Stellenbosch.
- Liljefors, M. & Lee-Morrison, L. (2015). Mapped Bodies : Notes on the Use of Biometrics in Geopolitical Contexts. In Anders, M. & Frederik, T. (Eds.) (pp. 53-72), 19. Brill Academic Publishers.
- Liljefors, M. (2013). Öyvind Fahlström : three images from the series Columns and Sketch for World Map Part I. Deutsches Historisches Museum & Sandstein Verlag.
- Liljefors, M. (2013). Atrocity Media: Negotiating the Abject in Images of Torture and Death. In Tore, K., Anders, M. & Frauke, W. (Eds.) (pp. 185-206). Liverpool University Press.
- Liljefors, M. (2013). Believing in the ESS: Scale, vision, and Pioneering. In Kaiserfeld, T. & O'Dell, T. (Eds.) (pp. 187-203). Nordic Academic Press.
- Liljefors, M. (2013). Max Book : a second second. Deutsches Historisches Museum & Sandstein Verlag.
- Liljefors, M. (2013). Milan Kunc : Pravda Coca-Cola. Deutsches Historisches Museum & Sandstein Verlag.
- Liljefors, M. (2012). Bodies Against Meaning. De-Subjectification in Body Art and Bioart. In Martin, G. & Fredrik, S. (Eds.) (pp. 169-203), Södertörns studies in practical knowledge 6. Södertörns högskola.
- Liljefors, M. (2012). Body and Authority in Contemporary Art: Tehching Hsieh’s One-Year Performances. In Dahlberg, L. (Ed.) (pp. 204-233), Law & Literature 4. De Gruyter.
- Liljefors, M. (2012). Neuronal Fantasies : Reading Neuroscience with Schreber. In Max, L., Susanne, L. & Andréa, W. (Eds.) (pp. 143-169). Nordic Academic Press.
- Liljefors, M. (2012). The Power and Challenges of Boris Lurie's Work. In Patterson, C. (Ed.) (pp. 257-266), Volume 3. Clayton Books, LLC.
- Lundin, S. & Liljefors, M. (2012). Introduction. In Liljefors, M., Lundin, S. & Wiszmeg, A. (Eds.) (pp. 15-40). Nordic Academic Press.
- Liljefors, M. (2011). Industrial Genocide Imagery: Negotiations with the Abject. In Anders, M. & Karl Erik, S. (Eds.) (pp. 12-35). Institut for Kunst- og Kulturvidenskab.
- Liljefors, M. (2010). Boris Lurie and NO!art. In Cavello, J. (Ed.) (pp. 2-12). Westwood Gallery, NYC, & Boris Lurie Art Foundation.
- Liljefors, M. (2009). Förgänglighet och förstörande i 1900-talskonsten. In Askander, M. (Ed.) (pp. 73-82). Sekel Bokförlag.
- Liljefors, M. (2008). The Interplay of Memory and Amnesia: Sites of Memory in Europe and Africa. In Wachtmeister, M. (Ed.) (pp. 47-59). Wanås Foundation.
- Liljefors, M. (2008). Videokonst: omtagningar. In Hedling, E. & Jönsson, M. (Eds.) (pp. 247-259). Statens ljud- och bildarkiv.
- Liljefors, M. (2006). Bilder från det frivilliga våldets arenor: verklighet och representation i nya kampsporttävlingar. Nordic Academic Press.
- Liljefors, M. (2006). I overklighetens gränsmarker. Om normala och speciella effekter i bilder. HEX (Humanistisk EXperimentgrupp), Lunds universitet.
- Liljefors, M. (2005). En tidig morgon i det offentliga rummet. Fotografi i fokus.
- Liljefors, M. (2005). Prime time trauma - historia och television. Nordic Academic Press.
- Liljefors, M. (2004). Förflutenhetens bilder. Studentlitteratur AB.
- Liljefors, M. (2004). Från jordbävning till byggnadsgrund: mytiska inslag i minnet av Förintelsen. Nordic Academic Press.
- Liljefors, M. (2004). Tredje rikets estetik. Nationalencyklopedin.
- Liljefors, M. & Zander, U. (2004). Der Zweite Weltkrieg und die schwedischen Utopie. In Flacke, M. (Ed.) (pp. 569-587). Deutsches Historisches Museum.
- Liljefors, M. & Zander, U. (2004). Schweden : Der Zweite Weltkrieg und die schwedische Utopie. In Flacke, M. (Ed.) (pp. 569-587), 2. Deutsches Historisches Museum.
- Liljefors, M. (2003). Kameran kan inte se. Fotografi i fokus.
- Liljefors, M. (2001). Bonnard Goes Bondage.
- Liljefors, M. (2000). Auschwitz, autenticitet, kunskap. Swedish Prime Minister's Office.
- Liljefors, M. (1999). Icke-determinerad teknologi. Konst- och bildvetenskapliga institutionen vid Göteborgs universitet.
- Liljefors, M. (1999). Skärvor av samtid. Om virtualitet, Förintelsen och ett predikament i Edinburgh. HSFR (National Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences).
Conference contributions (3)
- Liljefors, M. (2010). Signs of Flesh: Institution and Body in Accounts of Paranoia (Notes on Schreber and Fabian).
- Liljefors, M. (2008). Att ge tentamensrespons - några idéer och erfarenheter.
- Liljefors, M. (2002). Fotografiet som historiskt och virtuellt minne. In Boyer, K., Hayden, H., Tellgren, A. & Werner, J. (Eds.) (pp. 69-74). Konstvetenskapliga institutionen, Stockholms universitet.
Articles in specialist publications and popular press (8)
- Liljefors, M. (2011). Medical Imagery in an Imaging Society. Japan the Horned Islands: JSPS Nordic & Baltic Newsletter, 13-14. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Stockholm Office.
- Liljefors, M. (2005). Bilderna från dödslägren. Populär Historia, 38-43. LRF Media.
- Liljefors, M. (2003). Butterflies, Immigration, and Tactics of Invisibility. Heterogénesis: Revista de Artes Visuales. Konstföreningen Mulati Gil.
- Liljefors, M. & Bydler, C. (1998). Another Great Divide or the Same Old Culture in the Virtual City?. S.cr.a.m. (Swedish Critical Art Magazine). Kulturföreningen S.cr.a.m..
- Liljefors, M. & Bydler, C. (1998). Speaking the New x 3. S.cr.a.m. (Swedish Critical Art Magazine). Kulturföreningen S.cr.a.m..
- Liljefors, M. (1997). Post-holocausto, postcolonialismo, postmodernismo/Post-Förintelsen, postkolonialismen, postmodernismen. Heterogénesis: Revista de Artes Visuales, 14-19. Konstföreningen Mulati Gil.
- Liljefors, M. (1997). Retórica global y exclusión/Global retorik och exkludering. Heterogénesis: Revista de Artes Visuales. Konstföreningen Mulati Gil.
- Liljefors, M. (1997). Un jardín preocupante/En oroande trädgård. Heterogénesis: Revista de Artes Visuales. Konstföreningen Mulati Gil.
Newspaper articles (1)
Supervision at Lund University (5)
- Larsson, E. (2018). Photographic Engagements, Belonging and Affective Encounters in Contemporary Photography. Makadam förlag. Dissertation.
- Diurlin, L. (2017). ”Filmreformens förste avantgardist” : Experimentfilmaren Peter Kylberg. Mediehistoriskt arkiv, Mediehistoria Lunds universitet. Dissertation.
- Brenthel, A. (2016). The Drowning World : The visual culture of climate change. Lund University (Media-Tryck). Dissertation.
- Bengtsen, P. (2014). The Street Art World. Almendros de Granada Press. Dissertation.
- Goysdotter, M. (2013). Impure vision : American staged art photography of the 1970s. Nordic Academic Press. Dissertation.
Research portal (Lund University)
Administrative
Tasks
- Reserve member, Academic Appointments Board, Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology
Teaching
Print Jan. 23, 2019 of https://www.kultur.lu.se/en/the-department/staff/person/MaxLiljefors/
