Paper short abstract:

Comment rendre compte, à travers l'anthropologie visuelle, du décalage infernal qui s'opère entre ce premier élément de connaissance, notre capacité d'analyse d'un monde social ou d'un autre selon les termes de l'anthropologie avec cet autre élément de connaissance non moins pertinent, le fait de rendre compte de la mise en forme culturelle sous tous ses aspects possibles de la transformation de ce même monde social agi par ses propres opérateurs dans la dynamique simple de l'histoire . Comment peut-on articuler dans une même entreprise l'analyse d'un conte à une nouvelle variante de ce conte ou toute nouvelle variante de ce conte crée grâce à un son public?

Paper long abstract:

On peut considérer que le cinéma ou la vidéo ou le multimédia sont des modes de construction du réel et donc des écritures qui répondent à une logique spécifique fondée sur un regard ou un imaginaire partagé et sur un investissement émotionnel qui marquent à leur manière la complétude disons indispensable d'un propos, d'une démonstration ou d'un témoignage.

Fondée également sur l'éllipse, découpage arbitraire du temps, reconstruction du temps, qui prend le pari du sens, au delà de la cohérence interne propre au discours scientifique, dans l'aller-retour, dans l'échange entre ce qui est montré et ce qui est vu, dans la médiation sociale de l'image.

Alors, dans une telle perspective, il semble légitime de s'interroger, non pas tant comme philosophe mais simplement comme chercheur en sciences sociales et faiseurs d'images, sur les frontières entre nos disciplines et notamment la sociologie et l'anthropologie mais aussi la psychologie à un moment où des questions telles que la place du sujet dans le social mais aussi, à l'inverse, sur ce qui est commun dans les imaginaires , s'imposent de plus en plus dans le débat scientifique contemporain.

Paper short abstract:

Expectations associated with mainstream anthropology are not always met by the artistic tendencies of ethnographic film. Fears and anxieties about the undefined status of ethnographic film tend to neglect the creative potential of cinema in offering new ways of doing anthropological research.

Paper long abstract:

It is generally agreed that it is difficult to convey ideas using films. One of the problems with film, as compared with the writing of books and articles, is that it is generally more difficult to put abstract ideas across with film. In writing, like in spoken language, it is possible to convey abstract thoughts, whereas film is more easily understandable and, being somewhat more basic in its unruly complexity, it seems to require virtually no training.

This article focuses on the importance of the field of visual anthropology in bringing the value of visual narrative for ethnographic research to the fore. Contrary to the belief that film cannot convey ideas, ethnographic films attempt to advance anthropological understanding by using visual devices that are largely different from written text. They add to anthropology in visual terms, challenging anthropological theories developed through the discursive approaches of academic language. Ethnographic film is not a form of audiovisual aid to academic forms of anthropological writing; instead, it is a medium that challenges traditional and book-based modes of knowing and learning.

The article concludes that the acknowledgment of the overriding importance of images as different from the articulacy of writing in the examination of what might be possible in postmodern anthropology is fundamental to the recognition of film as a generative medium. The divergences between writing and images expose the limitations of textual transcription, while at the same time suggesting the relevant and constitutive ways in which visual research marks a contribution to scholarship.

Paper short abstract:

In 2007, a multimedia archive and production centre was established in Yirrkala, in north-east Arnhem Land, a community which was the focus of Ian Dunlop’s well known Yirrkala Film Project. Far from fixing rituals in authentic forms or reified models, I will argue that Aboriginal filmic records, like ritual images in general, must be understood in the context of their performance.

Paper long abstract:

In 1970, the Yolngu people of Yirrkala, in north-east Arnhem Land, began a long term collaboration with Australian filmmaker Ian Dunlop. The resulting Yirrkala film Project, a collection of 22 films made over the years until 1996, documents the life, concerns and visions of local indigenous groups in times of uncertainty and change brought about by the implantation of the NABALCO bauxite mine in the region. As it is evidenced in the footage, and expressed by one of the key participants, the Yolngu involved regarded the filming process as an opportunity to make a "true picture" of their culture for future generations. This film collection represents an invaluable cinematic record which was sold at the Yirrkala art centre as a series of videos very popular among Yolngu people of all ages.

In 2007, a multimedia archive and production centre was established in Yirrkala. A new generation of Yolngu is creatively engaging with historical images to add layers of meaning, remix the old and the new, reconnect the living and the dead, and produce new films and videos which they also share on the Internet to "speak to the future". Far from fixing rituals in authentic and sanctified forms or reified models that need to be reproduced in every detail, I will argue that Aboriginal filmic records, like ritual images in general, must be understood in the context of their performance.

Paper short abstract:

Cette communication s’appuie sur une expérience de recherche menée au sein d’une Église pentecôtiste africaine de la région parisienne qui aboutit à la réalisation d’un film, Prophète(s). Elle se propose de revenir sur les conditions de possibilités de la production d’un savoir anthropologique à travers la mise en forme d’un regard cinématographique, et entend mettre en lumière le rôle moteur que l’écriture filmique a joué tout au long de cette recherche.

Paper long abstract:

Cette communication s'appuie sur une expérience de recherche menée au sein d'une Église pentecôtiste africaine de la région parisienne qui aboutit à la réalisation d'un film, Prophète(s). Elle se propose de revenir sur les conditions de possibilités de la production d'un savoir anthropologique à travers la mise en forme d'un regard cinématographique, et entend mettre en lumière le rôle moteur que l'écriture filmique a joué tout au long de cette recherche.

Au préalable, un retour sur les difficultés d'insertion rencontrées est nécessaire pour mesurer les vertus épistémologiques de cette approche filmique. La question de la conversion, sans être insurmontable, se pose de manière inéluctable, et mon in-conversion a longtemps hypothéquée la possibilité de ma recherche. Le changement de statut de l'ethnologue au cinéaste a, comme souvent, été décisif. La caméra m'a permis de tisser un lien qui, sans elle, n'existait pas, en produisant, à mesure que je m'inscrivais dans une perspective documentaire, un espace de communication récréatif et réflexif où s'étendaient les limites de notre relation. Elle a justifié ma présence sur le terrain, mais surtout, elle m'a permis de mettre en forme la distance sociale d'observation, de la construire et de la moduler pour qu'elle devienne productive. L'écriture des personnages, leur indispensable collaboration, ainsi que la mise en récit de leur devenir, ont facilité l'approfondissement de ma recherche et aboutirent à la restitution de cette démarche créative sous la forme d'un film qui permit, en définitive, de nous accorder sur le sens de leur histoire singulière et de leur espérance sociale.

Paper short abstract:

Le film ethnographique oscille entre une logique de l’information et une logique de restitution cinématographique des rythmes de la vie sociale. À travers l’étude filmique des cérémonies chiites de l’achoura, je montre comment le film rend compte de l’intensité du rituel et nous plonge dans la vie des sensations et des émotions.

Paper long abstract:

L'anthropologie visuelle oscille entre la logique de l'information ethnographique et celle de l'expérimentation cinématographique. Pour en parler je prendrai pour fil directeur la question de la mise en image des performances rituelles. Ces dernières, qui constituent un cas limite de l'observation nous fournissent en effet un terrain d'étude particulièrement fécond pour réfléchir sur les atouts et les spécificités de l'usage des images en sciences sociales. En m'appuyant sur mes travaux sur les rituels chiites de l'Achoura au Sud-Liban, je montrerai de quelle façon l'image ne sert pas uniquement de prothèse pour l'observation directe. Si elle complète cette dernière par sa capacité à montrer les corps, les visages, les actions et les émotions, sa puissance ne se limite pas à ces possibilités informatives. S'y cantonner reviendrait à supposer qu'elle reproduit mécaniquement le réel, ce qui contredit son caractère constructiviste. Il est vrai que nous attendons du film ethnographique qu'il nous renseigne sur la réalité qu'il décrit. Ce qui le distingue toutefois de l'écrit ne réside pas dans la précision de cette description mais dans sa nature : mon intervention montre en quoi le film nous introduit dans les rythmes de la vie sociale. S'il existe un écart entre l'image et le filmé, le décalage temporel et rythmique qui les sépare s'avère plus large encore. Je tacherai de souligner que l'interprétation cinématographique du filmant ne s'exprime pas tant par le recours à une narration à la première personne du singulier, mais qu'elle se manifeste dans la construction rythmique qu'il propose du filmé.

Paper short abstract:

The paper proposes participatory video as an anthropological praxis to mix up the relation between "authors", "objects" and "consumers" of scientific and folk knowledge, through a collaborative and creative engagement, drawing on recent field in with minority groups in Brazil in Portugal.

Paper long abstract:

Film has been used in anthropology mainly in two ways: as a tool for data gathering, and as a medium for representation, in the so-called "ethnographic film". While visual anthropologist always appreciated the instant playback capabilities of digital imaging devices as a chance for getting direct feedback from the people in the field, visual anthropology, which proposed itself as one possible answer to anthropology's "representational crisis", hasn't changed the relation between the researcher and the "researched". The eye of the ethnographic film camera often ends up being simply the extension of the eye of the researcher, leaving the subject-object relationship untouched. The paper proposes participatory video as an anthropological praxis to mix up and confuse the relation between "authors", "objects" and "consumers" of scientific and folk knowledge, through a collaborative and creative engagement, drawing on recent fieldwork with minority groups in Brazil in Portugal.

Paper short abstract:

This paper proposes the use of audio-visual material, created by the research participants, in the process of anthropological knowledge production.

Paper long abstract:

How to reclaim the value of ethnographic knowledge after it has been subjected to such extensive scrutiny by all the "pos" and "isms" (pos-modernism, pos-colonialism, and so on)? How to ease the anxiety brought about by present-day demands of the academic environment?

Perhaps, one way forward is to rethink the very process of knowledge production by experimenting with alternative methods of research. To be sure, an increasing number of anthropologists have been using new forms of narration, including visual narratives, in their ethnographies. A growing interest in the dialogue between research and art manifests itself in exhibitions, festivals and conferences. Nevertheless, these creations usually fall into the margins of mainstream anthropological production. Thinking "out of the box" and using unconventional research methods is frequently viewed with skepticism, devalued as non-scientific and therefore commonly relegated to a secondary role in the representation of anthropologists work.

In my research, an ethnography with "street youth" in Maputo (Mozambique), I propose exploring the possibilities of engaging in a collaborative project of creative production with the research participants by making use of new media and digital technology (image databases, virtual exhibits…). "Playing" with these new modes of expression and communication might stimulate a fortunate stroke of serendipity. In addition, the research participants should gain more control over their own representation.

By challenging anthropology's methods of observation with experimental practices it may be possible to create new paths for research in anthropology.

Paper short abstract:

Drawing on fieldwork, documentary, and participatory visual projects, this paper discusses the potential of the visual anthropological method of data creation and representation, arguing for a combination of participatory video and new media diaries, following the informants in social media.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper I discuss the potential of the visual anthropological method of data creation and representation, building on combined video-and new media diaries.

Since 2005 I have worked on participatory documentary projects, as part of ethnographic fieldwork, in Manenberg township, South Africa and since in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Dénis and the public housing area Blaagaarden in Copenhagen, Denmark. I have engaged young people in creating 'Photo-Diaries' with disposable cameras, and since 'Video-Diaries', while simultaneously making a documentary (Manenberg 2010).

In the span of the last five-six years, social media have virtually exploded among the informants I work with, even among those with no access to a computer. The so-called Smartphone is their connection point to the online world. Their interaction with these media and technological tools, form both part of my object of study and constitute an integral part of my methodology. Through their narratives and their actions on- and offline in their everyday life, they are creating their self-image and reality - in dialogue with the network of people, things, physical structures, and ideas that surround them, across on- and offline space and time: This is where I meet them, film, and engage them in filming themselves. By engaging the human sensorium in the quest for an insider perspective in the dialectic between experimental and participatory visual methods and long-term participant-observation, I argue, that new potential emerges for generating data, as well as for the presentation and communication of research results in innovative ways to audiences inside and outside of Academia.

Paper short abstract:

Based on research conducted in a virtual world this paper discuss the use of machinimas - cinematic production created through real time 3D computer animation engines - as a promising technique of obtaining, presenting and interpreting ethnographical data.

Paper long abstract:

Besides to live their second life and interacting, many Second Life residents produce materials, such as photographs and films, based on their experiences in this virtual world. The production of films using videogame's software or hardware and other real-time 3D graphics programs is called machinima. Our purpose in this paper is to discuss the epistemological aspects of using machinimas in anthropological research as a technique to collect and interpreting ethnographic data, and also to share our experience in machinima filmmaking as a way of entering the field and interact with our research interlocutors. Furthermore, in addition to understand machinima as an effective instrument of research, we intend to claim that machinimas can be incorporated as a final form of presentation of research data in visual anthropology .This proposal has significant implications in relation to new narrative forms and mechanisms of creation that problematize the boundaries between fiction and documentary, destabilizing dichotomies as reality / fiction and objectivity / subjectivity. For this purpose, we will take as inspiration the reflections of Jean Rouch on the relationship between anthropological knowledge and aesthetic production; on the question of authorship through the camera-eye of the anthropologist and his voice as narrator. In this case, the research in virtual worlds depends on the construction of the researcher's avatar, which means his visual representation in the digital world. Therefore, the production of the avatar is also a visual work, while authorial and collective and, for the anthropologist, a new kind of research tool.

Paper short abstract:

The collaborative project between social actors and researcher, the interpretation of the visual hybrids, as well forms of narration inside the visual anthropology can parallel establish a dialogue useful about reproduction of reality’s complexity and research methodologies on the fieldwork

Paper long abstract:

"Seeing Voices - Hear Signs" is a lab founded inside the E.N.S. - National Community of Deaf - reflecting with a creative approach about the experience of deafness. Young deaf meet to study how elaborate visual products, theatre, documentary and visual hybrids that shows the experience of deafness in Perugia (Italy). After a theatre show, the lab, stopped its activity for economical and local political issues from which flows an organizational instability, affecting the welfare of the community and the creative activities. During an ethnographic research was decided to organize meetings to discuss about a visual product, that allow to describe the variety of practices and experiences related to issues of the field of deafness. The collaborative project between social actors and researcher - collect, interpreting data and with a focus on the narrative styles - allows investigate the mechanisms of visual experimentation and discuss the research methodologies in continuous negotiation on the fieldwork. My paper is based on ethnography started on 2010 and still in progress, on the interactions practices and construction of culture of the Deaf. In the paper I will discuss about the creation of visual hybrid to collect data on the fieldwork, as well forms of narration can reproduce the complexity of the reality. On the one hand investigate the relations between research and artistic creation to reflect on the ethnographic methodologies and the negotiation with social actors. On the other how the contemporary hybrids using different narratives, direct cinema, ethnofiction, theatrical performances, can be a reproduction of the field.

Paper short abstract:

I discuss cross-disciplinary practices of art and visual anthropology in the art project “Koddu” which was a facet of an ongoing research on the Icelandic meltdown, crises and creativity by engaging in discussion on the notion of collective authorship, reflexive perspectives and by reformulating and re-conceiving “a contemporary critique of creativity”.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper I discuss cross-disciplinary practices of art and visual

anthropology in the art project "Koddu" which was a facet of an

ongoing critical research on the Icelandic meltdown, creativity,

crises and uncertainty. As a visual anthropologist-turned-curator and

artist collaborating with two progressive artists (forming the "Koddu"

group) I discuss the theoretical and strategic artistic practices

involved in the project which included an exhibition and artworks

which became controversial and subject to censorship. Questions are

raised in relation to the complex and hybrid role of being

simultaneously visual anthropologist, collective author of artworks

that stir agitation and instigate reactions which become central to

the ethnographic inquiry—reflecting upon "contemporary crises of

voice" in times of uncertainties. Thus, artworks are not simply

approached here as a medium - a device of communication - but a vital

methodological tool to generate new knowledge and narrations enriching

the research topic and new reflexive perspectives. Finally, the paper

focuses on learning processes and the dilemmas facing the

practitioners from both fields - art and anthropology by engaging in

discussion on the notion of collective authorship (which is on the

rise in today's art world), and by reformulating and re-conceiving "a

contemporary critique of creativity" (Raunig, Ray and Wuggenig, 2011).