Creative and political (sub)titling as activism: migratory perspectives in the visual arts’
13 June 2022, 6:00 pm–7:00 pm
Part of the Translation, Memory, Migration (UCL / SOAS Global Translation Lectures) series
This event is free.
Event Information
Open to
- All
Availability
- Yes
Cost
- Free
Organiser
-
Kathryn Batchelor
Abstract
Media products, cultures and the arts have recently been transformed by migration, and these cultural and aesthetic transformations have favoured the re-shaping of identities, ethnicities, distant societies, and minority groups. The increased options of multiple digital platforms available for the production of activist practices and activities, and the spread of non-profit associations and non-governmental organisations (e.g., Sole Luna Doc Film Festival, Counterpoints Arts; Developing Artists), have contributed to addressing social and ethical issues through a documentary mode of production, where (sub)titling procedures and varieties of subtitles have been transformed into spaces of activism. In this context, I argue, (sub)titles can be identified as not merely spaces of translation, but also as accessible spaces of narration for the (re)creation and (re)construction of identities, places, and concepts. Against the backdrop of narrative theory (Baker 2006) and accessibility as a new terrain of human rights practice (Greco 2016), and in light of the widely accepted view of the creative industries (DCMS 2001) as producers and distributors of services that convey cultural meanings – where the borders between art and industry are often blurred –, this study examines a corpus composed of (sub)titles belonging to Martina Melilli’s documentary My Home, in Libya (2018) and Zoe Lafferty’s theatrical performance The Queens of Syria (2016).
References
Baker, M. 2006. Translation and Conflict: A Narrative Account, London: Routledge.
DCMS, 2001. Industries Mapping Document, DCMS, London.
Greco, G. 2016. “On Accessibility as a Human Right, with an Application to Media Accessibility”. In A. Matamala & P. Orero (eds.), Researching Audio Description. New Approaches, London: Palgrave, 11-33.
About the Speaker