Survey Of Experimental Film

AY2018/2019 Semester 1

In this lecture course you will investigate the development of non-traditional forms of film and video making. We will take a closer look at experimental time-based art which means: the formal structure and theoretical backgrounds of significant examples will be examined. Apart from this closer look at the historic development of filmic experiments you will see that not only the variety of forms (videos, installations, film screenings etc.) has exploded into multiple examples of filmic experiments. Furthermore, you will explore the multiple ways in which these works are presented and reflect the diversity of environments for experimental film (galleries, museums, art fairs, online platforms etc.) which has been increasing too. Against the background of this development, this lecture will unfold the history and challenges of this fairly new medium from the 1890s to the present day. As part of the lectures, you will also visit exhibitions that include filmic works which will allow you to have a first-hand experience how film works outside its cinema frame. In this way, you will get a deeper understanding of how an exhibition experiments with moving images in space, and how the perception of this form changes with its environment. Through a combination of readings, screenings, class discussions and exercises an understanding will be arrived of what the ?avant-garde? in film & video can be as well as how it relates to and influences art practice in general.