International Journal of Creative Media Research
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109 research outputs found
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Eco-somatic Research: What if the Complexity of Nature can Teach me a Dance? – and, it’s just an imagination
No full textThis portfolio gives an insight into my practice-based research exploring how somatic/mindful dance and multimedia collages link to critical thinking about ecologies. It reflects on the process, the difficulties, possibilities and questions that continue to arise when I try to grasp the complexity of ‘nature’ while trusting the embodied knowledge unfolding within dance improvisation and dance scores. The portfolio is a collage that includes parts of the score that I presented as a lecture performance at the Cracking the Established Order conference at De Montfort University in June 2019, critical reflections and various media artefacts that form part of my research. It also proposes to be a score in itself, in order to enable a form of access to the experiential dimension of the live performance and the practice-based research process so to highlight the challenge of sharing such a process in the frame of a journal
Creating the Griersonian Character and Breaking the ‘Yahoo’ Tradition
No full textIn the 1920s and 1930s, John Grierson railed against the use of the individual heroic character in documentaries. He felt that the individual character was an outmoded ‘yahoo’ idea that promoted anarchy. He was interested in revealing the mass nature of society, and suggested using a ‘co-operative’ character. I argue that a co-operative character is one that shares a common goal with other characters in the film and where they work together towards that goal. I examine the co-operative characters found in Grierson’s Drifters (1929) and uncover archival material in which he discusses his creative process. Through this, and the creation of my own co-operative character film, Expect Delays (2018), I find that the co-operative character often lacks an expression of inner-self and therefore no guide for how to view the world contained in the narrative. Just as characters provide a guide for how the audience should interpret the world of the narrative, I found that they also provide a guide for the documentarian’s choices in the edit. Finally, I explore whether we still make documentaries with co-operative characters, or if the co-operative character is a solution to the story-driven documentary that is no longer used.
 
Not (a) Part: Handmade Animation, Materialism and the Photogram Film
No full textNot (a) Part was conceived in relation to both the rapid decline of flying insects and the high recurrence of animation, handmade or contact film that works with the subject and/or material of flying insects. Numerous dead bees found on walks were positioned directly onto negative film and contact printed. Occupying approximately 24 frames they run at a rate of 1 bee per second. In research terms, the aim of the film was to explore how we might raise the visibility of the mass extinction of flying insects through experimental animated analogue film practice, exploring the potential relationships between aesthetics of film pace/structure and methods of superimposition and animation when dealing with the thematic issue of insects
RagAlive: Neelambari
No full textConfronting a pressing need for newer approaches to reimagining traditional musics, RagAlive: Neelambari is a stratified soundscape that is rigorous in theoretical underpinnings and compositional strategies, relevant to fields of poetry, literature and sound art, and makes a significant contribution to the fields of intercultural composition, and music and emotion as envisaged through a practice-based research model. This work holds originality in that it is a deliberate act of cross-contamination designed to destabilise and disrupt established patterns of musical composition, assembly, recognition and cultural representation. Through this piece, I propose that a covert sonic reframing of cultural hybridity can allow for a sensitive, yet radical, approach to fusion
TV Representations of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of South Korean K-Drama ‘It’s Okay to Not be Okay’
No full textThis research took the form of two stages. On an academic level, it seeks to uncover the links between representations of ASD TV through a Cross-Cultural analysis of South Korea (SK) and the West by utilising a case study It’s Okay to Not be Okay. An argument is made that the case study represents an accurate understanding of ASD, but also of the family values surrounding it, such as the relationship those with ASD have with their family and siblings. Through a textual analysis, it was uncovered that the case study has accurate portrayals of ASD through its character Moon Sang-Tae (Oh Jung-Se). Not only this, but realistic portrayals of the relationship between family and siblings of disabled persons was uncovered, mainly relating to the character of Moon Gang-Tae (Kim Soo-Hyun). A reception analysis was then undertaken to understand if and how audiences in South Korea and the West reacted to these portrayals. Western/International audiences openly discussed the portrayal and family relationships and believed it to be accurate, as well as educational. South Korean audiences were reluctant perhaps due to a more conservative culture, to discuss the representation of ASD as well as the sibling-caretaker relationship. Therefore, there is a cultural difference in the way in which audiences interpret and understand representations of ASD, as well as familial relationships around those with ASD.
On a second level, and going beyond an academic dissertation, this research undertook industry research into the charity sector, focusing on Autism Speaks, in order to develop the conclusions from the research into a practical and factual awareness campaign about autism representations that introduces broader audiences to concepts of personability with diverse content and even taking in stories and accounts of those with ASD or the people around them. In a similar direction to Autism Speaks, short blogs or articles about understandings of ASD were used, expanding and improving perceptions of ASD on a cultural level. In doing so, not only have I broadened my understanding of the literature in my dissertation, but also have opened it up to feedback from audiences about how it may affect their lives
Immersive Audio Storytelling: An Exploration of the Potential of Spatial (Multi-channel) Audio to Represent Stephen Lawrence’s Story
Get PDFSoundcloud link: [re]locate
[re]locate is a responsive, multi-channel audio installation revisiting the tragic events surrounding the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence by a gang of white youths in 1993. Derived from earlier AHRC-funded creative practice research, the art installation exploits the immersive properties of spatial (multi-channel) audio to offer an audio reconstruction of events, based on transcripts of witness statements from the Stephen Lawrence Public Inquiry, published as the Macpherson Report in 1999. The exposition aims to provide an overview of the theoretical underpinnings and methodological framework for the original research, which involved developing a prototype immersive audio story environment based on the ‘violence hub’ narrative format, from which the installation was created. Given that the prototype was purpose-designed to unlock the potential of Stephen Lawrence’s story to engage audiences with the complex issue of racism, the exposition concludes with reflections on an analysis of qualitative audience feedback gathered following encounters with the immersive audio story, highlighting the significance of the artwork for spatial audio design and narrative storytelling.
The binaural mix available for listening through headphones re-presents one version of the story from the original multi-channel audio installation
Artist-researchers on the Margins: Communities of Practice Beyond the PhD
No full textThis article considers the reflections of fourteen arts/creative media practice-based PhD graduates, interviewed as part of ongoing research into the field. The recorded conversations were shared as a podcast series entitled Corkscrew: Practice Research Beyond the PhD. We look at meanings of practice as research, ways in which practitioners value the intellectual rigour of doing a PhD and how this affects their relationship to their practice moving forwards. Using the theoretical concepts of “communities of practice” (Wenger 1999), “social site of practice” (Schatzki 2002) and “third-spaces of hybridity” (as developed by Lam 2018), we ask: what impact does doing an artistic/creative practice-based PhD have on when, where, and how practitioners identify as academics and vice versa; and what support structures and resources are needed (or lacking) which enable them to practise as both at once
Collaborative Media Writing: The Making of an Affective Practice
No full textLanguage in practice-based research is often considered as an insufficient medium to explore and share the complexity of human experience. As a result, the potential of writing as a practice-based method, especially when related to non-fiction genres, has not been widely explored. In this article, I take a different stance. Based on the analysis of the process of writing media content in collaboration with 59 internal migrant women and a local communication NGO and community media outlet in Ecuador, I argue that language is not only cognitive, but also mediates affect and is itself affective. Paying closer attention to this intricate relationship between affect and language can turn writing into an embodied and affective practice-based method. When done collectively, this method can be leveraged by community-engaged projects to open an avenue for communities’ self-representation and meaningful participation in all the stages of the research process. As such, collaborative media writing as a practice-based method can strengthen the efforts and increase the impact of community-engaged initiatives aiming to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities and diverse groups
FilmEU opportunities and challenges: Mapping a Sustainable Support Model for Practice-based Researchers, Supervisors and Examiners
No full textThis research statement complements the podcast with the same title and is construed as a stepping stone towards a sustainable support model for practice based researchers, supervisors and examiners within the FilmEU alliance and, most importantly, beyond it, opening up the debate on the opportunities and challenges facing the topic. For this task, four relevant players from the artistic research arena were interviewed: Till Ansgar Baumhauer, Nico Carpentier, Michelle Teran and Florian Cramer. FilmEU includes Lusófona University, Portugal, Baltic Film and Media School, Estonia, LUCA, Belgium, and IADT, Ireland. In order to create a model with long-term impact for practice and artistic-based research, the alliance is pursuing a common and transdisciplinary research culture on artistic research within the field of Film and Media Arts. A major hurdle identified by the alliance is the upskilling of practitioners to ensure they have the skills and knowledge necessary to perform and supervise practice-based research. Many potential candidates and supervisors are already distinguished within the worlds of practice or academia; hence, the next step will be creating a bridge between practitioners and researchers. FilmEU will have to provide the adequate technical resources and expertise to guide researchers through this transition from practitioner to practitioner-researcher and to ensure that the work created achieves a professional standard
Ku Po Schon - Where are you going? (The way of the photo troubadour)
No full textKu Po Schon - Where are you going? (The way of the photo troubadour