Gennifer Weisenfeld

Gennifer Weisenfeld, Walter H. Annenberg Distinguished Professor of Art and Art History at Duke University, dives into the evolution of Japanese advertising design. She discusses how this commercial art shaped national identity and ideologies from the early 1900s to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Weisenfeld reveals the interplay between fine art and advertising, and how brands like Morinaga navigated cultural narratives. The compelling analysis connects advertising design to Japan's broader historical context, illustrating its role in both nation-building and consumer capitalism.

Gennifer Weisenfeld, Author of Gas Mask Nation: Visualizing Civil Air Defense in Wartime Japan, discusses the multilayered construction of an anxious yet pleasurable visual culture of Japanese civil air defense. Topics include the connection between pleasure and pain, the allure of technology in wartime Japan, the relationship between gas masks and nuclear weapons, and the fascination with airplanes and civil defense. The speaker also emphasizes the relevance of studying the period of anticipation before air raids in understanding current experiences of living with constant fear.

Gennifer Weisenfeld, an art historian specializing in modern Japan, discusses her latest work, which examines the visual culture of civil air defense during wartime. She reveals how society balanced fear with creativity, using intriguing images of gas masks and fashionable promotions for children. Sheldon Garon, a historian at Princeton, adds perspectives on Japan's global role and the psychological effects of anticipatory fear felt before air raids. Together, they explore the complex interplay between horror and the mundane in wartime Japan's cultural landscape.