Within the audiovisual piece, I examine the mise-en-scène and narrative techniques used in the music videos via means that allow me to illustrate camp sensibility instead of solely explaining it.
Read it now at sonicscope.org.
This activist, audiovisual approach transcends social norms and creates an abstract hyperreality, satirising and critiquing queerphobic attitudes. This activist aspect of camp is emphasised through an audiovisual part of this study that takes the form of a video essay.
I argue that in a nation grappling with escalating queerphobic rhetoric and discriminatory policies, Kaminski's work uses camp sensibilities to construct a cinematic, Polish queer gaze.
Each video was directed by Kaminski himself, and was selected for their enigmatic and non-linear structures. These videos fill a void in Poland's visual representation of queerness.
The central focus here lies in exploring the aesthetics of queer representation within the realm of audiovisual arts, spotlighting music videos from the singer-songwriter Ralph Kaminski and rapper Miuosh.
who claims that concepts of queer identities and models of queer activism are continually shaped and reshaped through the processes of queer globalisation, I attempt to address here the question of how Western frameworks of queerness can be interpreted and adapted within localised settings.
| ISSUE 6 - MICHAŁ BILSKI - CAMPY POLAND |
This research explores the interplay of queerness, camp aesthetics and Poland's unique cultural context. Drawing from Łukasz Szulc,
the cue inspires a reading which resonates with much of the growing scholarship on Portrait and draws new connections between aspects of this enormously rich film.
Read it now at sonicscope.org.
eventually teasing out a glimmer of optimism in what might seem to be a sombre conclusion. My argument hinges on an ambiguity afforded by “Summer’s” acousmatic nature. Neither unequivocally diegetic nor non-diegetic,
and in this auditorium we witness the first and only time Marianne sees her once-lover after their romance. In this essay, I perform an extended analysis of the film's final five minutes, situating the music in the film's treatment of sound, as well its major themes,
Years previous, they had fallen in love as Marianne painted Héloïse's betrothal portrait on a secluded island off the coast of Brittany. The women had been separated by the patriarchal powers of 18th-century European society,
The Presto finale to Antonio Vivaldi's “Summer” Violin Concerto enters acousmatically while Marianne spies her former lover – Héloïse – across a crowded auditorium.
| ISSUE 6 - NOAH JAY - PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (2019) |
Well-renowned for its queering of the gaze, it might come as a surprise that Céline Sciamma's 2019 period piece Portrait of a Lady on Fire ends with a striking musical moment.
Read it now at sonicscope.org.
Ultimately, the essay positions the video hum as more than a technological artefact. It becomes a metaphysical element, aligning early video art with Buddhist and Hindu philosophies of impermanence and oneness, and reminding viewers that sound is as transformative as image in this medium.
In the video essay, sound is elevated above image, exemplified by the opening black screen accompanied by an electronic hum. This deliberate focus invites the audience to consider sound as integral to the medium’s reflexive nature.
The video hum bridges the psychological and technological, offering a sonic force of unity amidst visual transformations.
While their visuals often reflect instability and transformation similar to the Buddhist notion of anattā (not-self), the hum of their videos is a constant and anchoring presence, creating a meditative space akin to the sacred drone of Om.
Early video art pioneers such as Vito Acconci and Joan Jonas utilised the medium's unique properties of audiovisual feedback to interrogate the fragmented, unstable nature of the self.
| ISSUE 6 - COLTON KEMPF - VIDEO HUM |
In exploring the role of sound in early video art, this video essay demonstrates how the video hum transcends its technological origins to become a unifying force within the medium.
and instead advocate for the acknowledgement of diegetic rupture as capable of underscoring subtext, exacerbating emotional resonances, increasing our attachment to characters, and, somewhat paradoxically, intensifying our immersion within a diegesis.
Read it now at sonicscope.org.
I focus on two core principles that can contribute to the disassembling of a diegesis: uniquely stylised directorial voices; and the blurring of diegetic boundaries. I ultimately argue against the prioritisation of immersion when assessing film,
In order to make this argument, I draw upon studies of audiovisual dissonance to assess how such techniques can provoke diegetic rupture and what the implications of these instances are. Following an examination of reflexivity and how immersion can be challenged,
this study focuses on how sound and music can elicit what I term ‘diegetic rupture.’ I argue that diegetic rupture occurs when the sound-image hierarchy is subverted, forcing the viewer to recognise the film as a constructed fantasy, thereby seeming to disrupt their immersion within the diegesis.
Whereas film music is often discussed as a means to influence a viewer’s emotional response, imply geographical and historical settings and generally immerse the viewer within a film’s diegesis whilst remaining subordinate to the image,
| ISSUE 6 - CALUM WHITE - DISASSEMBLING THE DIEGESIS |
In this study, I explore uses of music that appear counter to its more traditionally understood role.
We are delighted to announce the release of Sonic Scope Issue 6!
This issue features four full submissions, which cover topics around camp aesthetics in music videos, the queer gaze, sound in early video art, and sound as a reflexive tool in mainstream cinema.
Link in bio!
| SONIC SCOPE - ISSUE 6 - 29/01/2025 |
| SONIC SCOPE - ISSUE 6 - 29/01/2025 |
| SONIC SCOPE - ISSUE 6 - 29/01/2025 |
