Experimental Film Project for Extended Interdisciplinary Fields

Keywords

Sensory Ethnography,Studies of Culture and Representation,Curatorial Studies

Objectives

The fine arts and photography- and film-based forms of expression in particular have been marked by a notable expansion in fieldwork and other anthropological methods based on field observations and measurements. Additionally, the humanities have witnessed the increasingly widespread acceptance of the concept of art-based research, which argues for the necessity of research that utilizes photography, film, music, and other artistic techniques. As these examples indicate, investigative approaches that transcend the boundaries of traditional disciplines are making advances day by day. With that trend in mind, for this study we will assemble a team of specialists in the arts, including film anthropologists, cultural anthropologists, curators, art coordinators, and artists, and endeavor to connect theoretical perspectives from diverse fields with the real world through the medium of art. This study will have the objective of fostering the development of interdisciplinary research platforms that allow specialists from different fields to interact, collaborate, and through those activities, exchange knowledge and technology, and will also strive through that endeavor to extend and advance the respective architectures (frameworks, structures) of traditional disciplines.

Research Results

In the first half of the study period, joint researchers and special lecturers shared case studies of video practice, while the project participants from different disciplines exchanged opinions in Q&A sessions and general discussions. At every study group meeting, the definition of “video” that the researchers were trying to share was extended, through discussions on things like how to capture images dynamically and discover continuity. At the end of the second year (end of the 2019 academic year) we published a book co-authored by some participants of the study group that records and documents the pulsations, sensations, and times captured in images, and poses the challenge of how they can be extended. As a noteworthy interim result of this project, this study has since been referred to and evaluated by several research groups and journals. An expectation for the third year was to move beyond the format of research presentations in study group meetings to start on empirical initiatives. However, the global COVID-19 pandemic compelled us to postpone or change our plans, both for the research of individual participants and for the project as a whole. Therefore, the focus of the second half of the project shifted to connecting the contents of the research of individual participants to the new perspectives arising from this study on the theme of “extension” and to deepen discussion of dynamic images. With an eye to publishing our collected findings, we exchanged opinions multiple times on the arguments and analysis of each participant from the draft stage and we gathered in small groups for dialogues about the study group. The beneficial result of these efforts was that our mutual exchanges became deeper. As it was difficult to hold face-to-face meetings of the study group on a continuing basis with participants dispersed so far and wide, cross-disciplinary and empirical activities related to this study remain a challenge. However, after the study period is over we will continue to explore the feasibility of such activities through dialogue between all participants.