Dialogic Materialism: Bakhtin, Embodiment and Moving Image Art

160 Pages·2014·1.374 MB·English

by  Bakhtin, Mikhail Mikhaĭlovich, Jordan-Haladyn, Miriam

J A M E R I C A N U N I V E R S I T Y S T U D I E S
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Dialogic Materialism: Bakhtin, Embodiment and Moving Image Art argues
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for the relevance of Mikhail Bakhtin’s theories of dialogism as a means of n
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examining the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary moving image art H
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forms. The volume comprises six chapters divided into two sections. The
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first section, Part I, illustrates the key concepts in Bakhtin’s multifaceted
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dialogism and develops these ideas in relation to moving image art. The y
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main focus of this first part is the proposal of what the author terms dia-
logic materialism, which builds upon the Marxism inherent in Bakhtin,
examining the material processes of cultural exchange with a particu- D
lar emphasis on multi-perspective subjective relations. Part II consists of
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case studies that apply dialogic materialism to the moving image artwork
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of three artists: Stan Douglas, Jamelie Hassan and Chris Marker. Apply- o
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ing Bakhtinian theory to the field of the visual arts provides a means of
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examining the fundamentally dialogic nature of moving image art making c

and viewing, a perspective that is not fully developed within the existing M
literature.
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MIRIAM JORDAN-HALADYN is a First Nations writer and artist. She
received her Ph.D. in art and visual culture from The University of Western
Ontario and is currently a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow in the History of Art
and Visual Studies Department at Cornell University. Her writings on art,
film and culture have appeared in numerous publications, including the
collections Visual Representations of Native Americans: Transnational Con-
texts and Perspectives (2012), Cultivating Canada: Reconciliation through the
Lens of Cultural Diversity (2011) and Stanley Kubrick: Essays on His Films
and Legacy (2007). With Julian Haladyn she co-authored The Films and Dialogic Materialism
Videos of Jamelie Hassan, a publication that accompanied their curated
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project that brings together for the first time the moving image works of
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Hassan, a prominent Canadian artist of Arabic background. 2 Bakhtin, Embodiment and Moving Image Art
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ISBN 978-1-4331-2445-7
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A M E R I C A N N MIRIAM JORDAN-HALADYN
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S T U D I E S
www.peterlang.com
AUS S-V 215-312445_Jordan_TH 150x225 HC NY.indd 1 27.03.14 10:47

Dialogic Materialism
SERIES V
PHILOSOPHY
Vol. 215
This book is a volume in a Peter Lang monograph series.
Every volume is peer reviewed and meets
the highest quality standards for content and production.
PETER LANG
New York ∙ Washington, D.C./Baltimore ∙ Bern
Frankfurt am Main ∙ Berlin ∙ Brussels ∙ Vienna ∙ Oxford
MIRIAM JORDAN-HALADYN
Dialogic Materialism
Bakhtin, Embodiment and
Moving Image Art
PETER LANG
New York ∙ Washington, D.C./Baltimore ∙ Bern
Frankfurt am Main ∙ Berlin ∙ Brussels ∙ Vienna ∙ Oxford
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jordan-Haladyn, Miriam.
Dialogic materialism: Bakhtin, embodiment, and moving
image art / Miriam Jordan-Haladyn.
p. cm. — (American University studies. v, Philosophy; Vol. 215)
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Bakhtin, M. M. (Mikhail Mikhailovich), 1895–1975.
2. Art—Philosophy—History—20th century. I. Title.
BH221.R84J67 701—dc23 2013042402
ISBN 978-1-4331-2445-7 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4539-1227-0 (e-book)
ISSN 0739-6392
Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data is available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.
Jamelie Hassan, Palestine’s Children, 1991; glazed ceramic tile, 25.5 x 19 cm;
number 3 in a series of tiles based on paintings by Salwa al Sawalhy,
resident of Rafah Refugee Camp, Gaza Strip;
© 2013 Jamelie Hassan, London, Ontario
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity
of the Council of Library Resources.
© 2014 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006
www.peterlang.com
All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.
To Julian

Contents

List of Illustrations .................................................................................................................... ix
Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................... xi

Introduction
Bakhtin and Moving Image Art ............................................................................ 1

PART I
Chapter 1
Dialogism and Its Material Context .................................................................... 21
Chapter 2
Dialogic Materialism: Artist – Artwork – Observer ........................................... 35

PART II
Chapter 3
Given and Created: Stan Douglas Subject To A Different Response ................ 53
Chapter 4
Chronotopic Bodies and the We of Aesthetic Discourse:
Jamelie Hassan’s Films and Videos .................................................................... 71
Chapter 5
Polyphonic Screens: Chris Marker and Embodied Memory .............................. 91

Conclusion
Dialogic Materialism: Aesthetic Language and Its Multi-medial Forms .......... 113

Endnotes ................................................................................................................................. 117
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 135
Filmography ........................................................................................................................... 145