Tanatofobia

Abstract

Tanatofobia is a thesis project which explores the fear of death through an introspective and artistic lens. The author delves into this phobia using literary texts, video clips, and photographs inspired by symbolism and decadent art, portraying death as an ambiguous, intimate, and aesthetic experience. Throughout the document, philosophical reflections, literary influences (such as Saramago, Wilde, and Poe), and personal experiences intertwine, revealing a constant search for meaning in the face of mortality, pain, and existential anguish. The project also includes a real forensic psychiatric report, in which the author is diagnosed with a schizoaffective disorder of the depressive type, following a psychotic episode in a public space. This condition becomes a key element in his creative process, as his delusions, fears, and contradictions are translated into visual and narrative works filled with symbolism, ambiguous sexuality, and distorted spirituality. Tanatofobia does not seek answers, but rather aims to generate emotional and aesthetic catharsis that allows both the author and the viewer to confront the fear of death through a poetic, disturbing, and deeply human perspective.