Shake, noise and bad resolution: strategic uses of the ‘poor image’ in contemporary ethnographic documentary film

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaper

Abstract

In her essay on the “poor image”, artist Hito Steyerl argues that in visual culture there exists a
“class system of images”, where high-end, high-resolution ‘rich’ images exist in opposition
to low-end, low-resolution, compressed and degraded ‘poor’ images. As visual literacy
develops alongside Internet technology, this class system has become recognisable to all.
Technological progress has made it possible for many people to afford to buy high-
resolution, high-quality, video equipment. Seamless autofocus, anti-shake and stabilisation
mechanisms, and high-resolution capture in cameras make it easier to make high quality,
professional-grade videos for relatively little money. This conference presentation seeks to
examine the use-value in a repudiation of the ever-growing standards of image quality and
resolution in experimental ethnographic documentary film. Through an examination of the
work of artists and filmmakers who incorporate the limitations and faults of the technology
they use into their films, such as installation artist Ben Russell and filmmakers from the
Sensory Ethnography Lab at Harvard University, this presentation will ask what an aesthetic
of ‘poor imagery’ brings to ethnographic documentary film. It will argue that the qualities
that are desirable in ethnographic film, such as reflexivity, spontaneity and authenticity are
amplified with lower image quality, and that an oppositional standpoint to video with high-
production value which has become synonymous with corporate marketing and big-budget
film can be useful to ethnographic filmmakers.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - May 2019
EventFilm Philosophy Conference 2019 - University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom
Duration: 09 Jul 2019 → …
https://www.euppublishing.com/loi/film/conference/index.php/conf/FP2019

Conference

ConferenceFilm Philosophy Conference 2019
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityBrighton
Period09/07/2019 → …
Internet address

Keywords

  • poor image
  • Sensory Ethnography
  • Documentary film

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Visual Arts and Performing Arts

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