PHD Practical Research Proposal

 

PHD Practical Research Proposal for The University of Roehampton. A change in (Trancendental) Perspective....

This research project is an investigation and practical project to explore depictions of the sublime / transcendental through film and the moving image.

With seven of the top grossing films of all time and ten out of ten of last years top box-office
hits being driven by special effects I propose to undertake a new inquiry into the dominant form of narrative entertainment and look at similarities between this tool of the entertainment industry and what was defined by Edmund Burke in the mid-eighteenth century as the sublime in art: To go beyond logic, or in the case of the blockbuster films: realism, to create awe and wonder, beyond words to transcend the image.

It could be conceived that we are truly living in what Guy Debord described as the age of the spectacle. With improvements in picture definition (4k/ 8k), sound (7.2) and new forms of immersion (VR/ AR/ 4D) there seems no sign of abatement as viewers spend more time, year on year, watching content on the ever increasing and varied choice of interfaces and screens.

Ian Jarvie states in Philosophy of the Film (1987) that: traditional Hollywood offers a controlled order in its depiction of reality in the guise of realism: Things work out so interestingly there, there is so much order and coherence, in contrast to the world as it actually is...

This is timely research to investigate the effects of multiple screens and narratives encountered in the contemporary western landscape, how this may influence audiences and my artistic response to it.

My research will encompass a history of alternative representations of consciousness utilised in film from early special effects to trance films and surrealism. I will look at methodologies on narrative structure in film (Branigan), semiotics, aesthetics (Baudrillard), time and the moving image (Delueze / Bergson). As well as alternative modes of presentation inc. installation, happenings and raves.

This research aims to investigate historical and contemporary techniques, used to imply states of consciousness and cognition and alternative modes of representation.

Ultimately drawing on this research and engaging with it through my practice.

Timeline:

Year 1. create a linear documentary / film essay on the sublime, transcendental in art, film and religion and how artists have depicted this through time.

Year 2. create a non-linear film working with actors, dancers, musicians, performers to investigate states of perception.

Year 3. write up notes from previous 2 years and create a moving image / sound work utilising previous two films. To incorporate interactivity and multiple screens / sound sources.