Xenorama, Lorenz Potthast und Marcel Bückner: Genius Loci, Spatial Cinema and Site-Specific Narration

The Real of Reality | International Conference on Philosophy and
Film


Wed, 02.11.2016 – Sun, 06.11.2016
ZKM_Media Theater, ZKM_Lecture Hall, ZKM_Media Lounge, ZKM_Cube


The language of film was made for the cinema. When a film starts
and the auditorium gets dark, we forget about the space around us
and get into the reality of the film. Here, the montage is a
fundamental technique to narrate a story. We jump from one place
to the next and, in doing so, bridge the gap of unnecessary time.
The auditorium is a place in which we can lose our customary
perception of space and time.


But what happens if we relocate a film to a place where we are
aware of our environment? What happens if we think about film as
a site-specific narration and a form of augmented reality? When a
movie is embedded in a spatial surrounding the montage becomes a
disrupting element in an otherwise constant environment.


The spatial film requires a language that takes the environment
and the three dimensional projection surface into account. The
technology of “Projection Mapping” gives us the opportunity to
work accurately and explicitly with spatial structures.


In our talk, we try to re-think common conceptions of film and
focus on practical examples of cinematographic aspects outside
their common spatial localization. We want to put the theoretical
background of cinema into context with a philosophy of
site-specific narrations. To illustrate the differences, we will
discuss observations and examples from our practical experiences
and projects.


International Conference on Philosophy and Film
Photography and film in particular paved the way for complex
philosophical questions regarding the nature of reality and its
mechanical reproduction. What does film reproduce and how can we
grasp this element, which has the transactive ability to form
reality although originating in reality? This shaping takes palce
through a complex interaction of image, action and narration and
tends to permeate reality completely. It is an inconspicuous
process that already affects our everyday life profoundly and is
based on a revolution of the real. What does film show? Do we
have access to reality that is not based on images or narrations?
And what can film and its analysis contribute to philosophical
debates on the real?
These are questions we are asking to engage in a dialogue between
philosophy and film. For five days, one hundred and fifty
philosophers, media scholars and filmmakers will connect
philosophical theory with cinematic practice and open up new
ideas and concepts. To accompany the program, there will be film
screenings of documentaries of the invited filmmakers.
The participation at the conference is also possible without the
presentation of a paper.
The conference will be held in English.