Alenka Zupančič: 'On Series and Doubles'

Professor Alenka Zupančič's talk entitled 'On Series and Doubles' was part of a day-long event, 'Bacon, Philosophy and Psychoanalysis', held at King’s College London on 7th September 2023. The event was a collaboration between the Estate of Francis Bacon and KCL’s Centre for Philosophy and Art. This talk was chaired by Dr Ben Ware of KCL.
Prof. Alenka Zupančič is a Lacanian philosopher and social theorist. She is a professor at The European Graduate School / EGS and at the University of Nova Gorica and a research advisor and professor at the Institute of Philosophy at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Zupančič begins by considering figures that go beyond representation and 'how to make a genuine figure appear', before addressing the nature of Series. This leads on to thoughts on fragmentation, Lacan's gaze theory, and the way in which Bacon can be considered a realist.
In the second part of the talk, Zupančič focuses on Doubles / ‘double images’ or ‘coupled figures’. Topics include anxiety, primordial fear of death, and the double as an immortal instance. Bacon's use of 'guided chance' is also touched upon.
After the talk there are questions from the audience. Questions from Dr Ben Ware lead to a discussion of figures existing in a state of devastation, and indestructible life, while points raised by Prof. Dany Nobus elicit a further conversation about doubles, series, and infinitude.
Painting shown on video thumbnail: Francis Bacon, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, 1944 (Cat. no. 44-01).