BITT-Mitglied Philipp Schmerheim hat im November 2015 beim Bloomsbury sein Buch „Skepticism Films“ veröffentlicht, auf das wir hier gerne hinweisen möchten.

Zum Inhalt des Buchs:

The book Skepticism Films. Knowing and Doubting the World in Contemporary Cinemaintroduces skepticism films as updated configurations of skepticist themes that exemplify the pervasion of philosophical ideas in popular culture. As will be shown, a detailed analysis of skepticism films and of the general relation between philosophical skepticism and cinema contributes to a better understanding of the dynamic interplay between film and philosophy.

The first part of the book defends a general, pluralistic film-philosophical position according to which films can be, but need not be, expressions of philosophical thought in their own right. The second part investigates the role of skepticist ideas in philosophical reflection on the medium of film by critically discussing the works of the film-philosophers Stanley Cavell, Gilles Deleuze, Josef Früchtl, Patricia Pisters, and D.N. Rodowick. The concluding parts of the book explore varieties of skepticism films as an integral phenomenon of contemporary cinema culture with the help of detailed case studies of films such as The Truman Show, Inception, Matrix, Vanilla Sky, The Thirteenth Floor, andShutter Island.

Das Buch kann im Bloomsbury Verlag erworben werden. Eine Leseprobe findet sich hier.

A member of the BITT, Philipp Schmerheim has published his book „Skepticism Films“ with Bloomsbury in November 2015:

The book Skepticism Films. Knowing and Doubting the World in Contemporary Cinemaintroduces skepticism films as updated configurations of skepticist themes that exemplify the pervasion of philosophical ideas in popular culture. As will be shown, a detailed analysis of skepticism films and of the general relation between philosophical skepticism and cinema contributes to a better understanding of the dynamic interplay between film and philosophy.

The first part of the book defends a general, pluralistic film-philosophical position according to which films can be, but need not be, expressions of philosophical thought in their own right. The second part investigates the role of skepticist ideas in philosophical reflection on the medium of film by critically discussing the works of the film-philosophers Stanley Cavell, Gilles Deleuze, Josef Früchtl, Patricia Pisters, and D.N. Rodowick. The concluding parts of the book explore varieties of skepticism films as an integral phenomenon of contemporary cinema culture with the help of detailed case studies of films such as The Truman Show, Inception, Matrix, Vanilla Sky, The Thirteenth Floor, andShutter Island.

The book is available via the Bloomsbury website. A reading sample can be found here.

Der Vortrag von Daniela Maduro, wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin im Fachbereich 10, beschäftigt sich mit dem Thema „elektronische Literatur“:

Daniela Maduro, Universität Bremen

Shapeshifting and multimodality:
describing electronic literature

10. Dezember 2015, 16.15-17.45
GW2 A3570

Bremen Masterclasses on Multimodality

Abstract zum Vortrag:
Electronic literature has been described as a set of digital born texts created and read on a computer (N. Katherine Hayles). While resorting to computer’s characteristics such as high-speed processing and vast storage capability, texts gain the ability to change their appearance at any moment. In Introducing Social Semiotics (2005), Theo van Leeuwen has defined multimodality as “the combination of different semiotic modes – for example, language and music – in a communicative artifact or event.” (Van Leeuwen, 2005: 281). The computer allows the production of texts which include different semiotic modes and that are able to shapeshift into a movie, a poem, a photo or a game. Shapeshifting is the ability of a being to take the form of an object or of another being. Digital texts can be considered as transmorphs that can change their shape, often undermining any prospect of stable and definitive meaning. Many of these texts thrive on a reader’s frustration and subverted expectations. Hybridity, transiency and fragmentation are often used to delay and problematize signification. In this masterclass, I will begin by adopting the term „shapeshifting“ in order to describe electronic literature as an ever-expanding field. Subsequently, I will use this term to depict the behaviour of individual digital texts. These will be described as processes and events, or shapeshifters that are able to generate themselves and respond to the surrounding environment.

The talk by Daniela Maduro, research assistant at the Faculty of Linguistics and Literary Science at Bremen University, deals with the topic of „electronic literature“:

Daniela Maduro, Universität Bremen

Shapeshifting and multimodality:
describing electronic literature

10 December 2015, 16.15-17.45
GW2 A3570

Bremen Masterclasses on Multimodality

Abstract:

Electronic literature has been described as a set of digital born texts created and read on a computer (N. Katherine Hayles). While resorting to computer’s characteristics such as high-speed processing and vast storage capability, texts gain the ability to change their appearance at any moment. In Introducing Social Semiotics (2005), Theo van Leeuwen has defined multimodality as “the combination of different semiotic modes – for example, language and music – in a communicative artifact or event.” (Van Leeuwen, 2005: 281). The computer allows the production of texts which include different semiotic modes and that are able to shapeshift into a movie, a poem, a photo or a game. Shapeshifting is the ability of a being to take the form of an object or of another being. Digital texts can be considered as transmorphs that can change their shape, often undermining any prospect of stable and definitive meaning. Many of these texts thrive on a reader’s frustration and subverted expectations. Hybridity, transiency and fragmentation are often used to delay and problematize signification. In this masterclass, I will begin by adopting the term „shapeshifting“ in order to describe electronic literature as an ever-expanding field. Subsequently, I will use this term to depict the behaviour of individual digital texts. These will be described as processes and events, or shapeshifters that are able to generate themselves and respond to the surrounding environment.

Während eines Forschungsaufenthaltes an der Universität Bremen wird Tuomo Hiippala von der University of Jyväskylä in Finnland einen Vortrag im Rahmen der Serie „Bremen Masterclasses on Multimodality“ halten. Der Vortrag wird in englischer Sprache stattfinden.

Tuomo Hiippala, University of Jyväskylä, Finnland

Looking beneath the surface of multimodal documents – why and how?

3. Dezember 2015, 16.15-17.45
GW2 A3570
Bremen Masterclasses on Multimodality

Englisches Abstract zum Vortrag:

Humanities and social sciences often draw on multimodal documents for data, examining one or more modes of communication from a variety of perspectives. Newspapers, advertisements, picture books and many other page-based multimodal documents are commonly studied from both qualitative and quantitative viewpoints.

Regardless of the field and viewpoint, understanding multimodality is becoming increasingly desirable and appears to hold the promise of opening up many new paths for research. However, treading carefully is crucial when entering this new territory, as common assumptions about the visual/verbal divide are often misleading, particularly when attempting to make sense of entire documents.

In this presentation, I argue for the need to generalise about multimodal documents before engaging in a closer examination of their content and structure. Using a multimodal corpus, I show how superficially dissimilar documents can have considerable similarities in their underlying discourse structure. Finally, I discuss the investment in corpus-based investigations, which demand extensive time and resources, and their relevance to multimodal research at large.

During his visit to Bremen University,  Tuomo Hiippala from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland will give a talk in the series „Bremen Masterclasses on Multimodality„:

Tuomo Hiippala, University of Jyväskylä, Finnland

Looking beneath the surface of multimodal documents – why and how?

3 December 2015, 16.15-17.45
GW2 A3570
Bremen Masterclasses on Multimodality

Abstract:

Humanities and social sciences often draw on multimodal documents for data, examining one or more modes of communication from a variety of perspectives. Newspapers, advertisements, picture books and many other page-based multimodal documents are commonly studied from both qualitative and quantitative viewpoints.

Regardless of the field and viewpoint, understanding multimodality is becoming increasingly desirable and appears to hold the promise of opening up many new paths for research. However, treading carefully is crucial when entering this new territory, as common assumptions about the visual/verbal divide are often misleading, particularly when attempting to make sense of entire documents.

In this presentation, I argue for the need to generalise about multimodal documents before engaging in a closer examination of their content and structure. Using a multimodal corpus, I show how superficially dissimilar documents can have considerable similarities in their underlying discourse structure. Finally, I discuss the investment in corpus-based investigations, which demand extensive time and resources, and their relevance to multimodal research at large.