Visual Developments in Anthropology: Cultivating Cultural Understanding through Ethnographic Film"
Traditionally, visual anthropology is linked with ethnographic documentaries. The general distinction between fiction and non-fiction documentaries is that one is staged, and one isn’t. That's what makes documentaries ‘real’, it supposedly encapsulates reality, but these ‘real’ documentaries can also be somewhat staged. If people know they are being recorded, they might act differently or represent parts of themselves that aren't real, it's still a performance. In this case, fiction may be a better method of representing the truth, ethno-fiction portrays scenes accurately because although staged, enough thought has been put into creating that portrayal. This allows the viewers to understand certain aspects from a clearer perspective compared to a documentary which may capture something in the moment that is wrongly interpreted, conveying a false idea of the subject studied. As Anderson puts it, “categorizing films as ‘ethnographic’ or ‘non-ethnographic’ – according to a specific list of ‘essential ingredients’ – places limitations on anthropologist’s ability to experiment with style and genre” (Anderson 2003: 2).
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Mockumentaries
This is perfectly depicted in the mockumentary Babakiueria, a comedic documentary style film that aims to bring to light important issues while doing it light-heartedly. “The ruling Babakiuerians demonstrate a paternalistic, patronising attitude towards the 'natives’, even the well-meaning but comically condescending presenter Manika'' (Matthews, 1986). It provides a unique perspective of how absurd the deep rooted colonial implications of Australian Aboriginals has on society. For many the way people were and still are treated may seem justifiable from a ‘liberal’ racist perspective. But by reversing the roles, even to those who would consider the treatment of indigenous people as progressive, it highlights how much work still needs to be done to equalize society. This profoundly highlights how white people do not get the same treatment and how unfair and unjust it is for other races and indigenous people. Its use as a mockumentary shows that if the roles had been reversed, many might consider it to be informative, as if it were a real documentary. Using this comedic, alternative, ’non-ethnographic’ film, allows people to understand the smaller unjust acts that would otherwise be ignored, especially if the issues shown were instead discussed in a traditional ethnographic documentary style. I believe Babakiueria is a perfect depiction of Anderson’s point that “it would be reactionary to judge and discard such films as ‘non-anthropological’ for they do tell us something that is culturally significant about their subjects, their filmmakers, and their intended viewers; and in this manner alone such films are of relevance to anthropology” (Anderson 2003: 26). If the film had been made any other way the message might not have been delivered as intended.
Sensory Film
Mockumentaries aren't the only visual anthropological method that provide a new way of understanding culture. Sensory film engages more with our senses, it creates an emotional response in ways that an anthropological text simply can't do. By reaching you through different senses, it can have an overall effect on you rather than simply reading something. Generally, film gives you an experience, a real physical response. Normally, the West has evolved mostly around visualism, without placing much significance on other senses. Fabian argued that this is due to the colonialist power of discourse, while Feld and Stoller also highlighted the significance sound has in other cultures compared to ours (cited by Ferrarini 2017: 1). This critique has created an entirely new subject to study known as the Anthropology of Senses. Gibson argued that “vision is the interactive experience of a visual world by perceptual systems” (Ibid., 4), he explains that the environment and animals exist because of each other’s presence. The environment cannot exist without being perceived thus visual recordings cannot be a substitute for perception, “this way representation is never re-presentation” (Ibid.), each person will view it from their own different perspective. Ferrarini suggests that rather than recording and editing to best fit the perception of others, there should instead be interventions in the recording stages instead of the editing stages. This means the viewer is able to place themselves in the scene and interpret it as if they’re there, or as he puts it, “a window on reality” (Ibid., 5). This relates to Merleau-Ponty’s argument that for Descartes, painting simply two dimensional is without meaning except the deeper hidden experience to decipher the painting is a third dimensional illusion suggesting that the world is not ‘out there’ but instead within us. “Quality, light, colour, depth, which are there before us, are there only because they awaken an echo in our body and because the body welcomes them” (Merleau-Ponty quoted by Ferrarini 2017: 10).
This raises the question of what counts as knowledge in anthropological understanding? The film Leviathan (Paravel and Castaing-Taylor 2012) is a sensory documentary with no strict plot or story and while there is no dialogue the sound design makes up for it. There is no statistical information about the fishing industry or anything quantitative, but it does allow you to understand their lifestyle and culture on a more personal level. By combining more sensorial qualities, it encourages more sympathy and understanding of their position as it feels like you are also there. This method allows for more rapport, enabling us to learn more about their lifestyles in ways research data and facts are unable to.
Animation
On the other hand, visual ethnography doesn't necessarily only mean it can be captured by camera, but it can also be expressed through imagination. Nina Sabnani expressed the stories and memories of Pakistani migrants to India through an embroidery animation film called The Stitches Speak (Sanbnani, 2010). She sketched the images that were later embroidered by the informants to create the story. The style of embroidery was also influenced by South Asian culture and she described their story based on their own skills allowing the audience to have a more authentic connection with both the story and the culture behind it. By allowing the informants to do the needlework for the animation, Sabnani found that everyone claimed it as their own, it started as hers but turned out to be a co-creation. This meant they could have more of a voice and the narrative of their own stories. In my opinion, as an audience member I felt as though it made the film more personal, this method helps us truly understanding who she was studying. If you directly ask someone questions, they might respond with what you want to hear, but by collaborating to explain their stories, the process removes the barrier of self-consciousness. It permits them to completely express themselves through their art (Sabnani, 2019). Art and illustration links back to the effectiveness of empathy and emotion in visual anthropology as it provides the possibility to bring things into visibility instead of only engaging with what you can already see. By including the role of imagination it makes the audience feel closer to the subjects’ views making people feel more care towards the topic compared to a cold and disconnected perception that a quantitative, straightforward, ethnographic film would cause.
To review, visual anthropology has had a long history providing information about cultures using a scientific method, however, social sciences including anthropology is based around the human phenomenon and it’s important to highlight that human beings are complicated and complex. Therefore, it’s only right to expand visual anthropology to be more experimental, by adding the element of senses and different types of images. The use of exploring emotions and empathy may be more effective than objective information as people live life through feelings, it’s easier to learn through empathy than facts. I believe as technology develops, so will anthropology through expanding the understanding of what emotions mean and how they relate to information about the world. I have also attached a short film I made in relation to this essay. I aimed to portray what it feels like to live in lockdown, I tried to convey the emotions surrounding the repetition and the mental health effects of quarantine.
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Bibliography
​- Anderson, K., 2003. Towards an Anarchy of Imagery: Questioning the Categorization of Films as "Ethnographic." University of Massachusetts Amherst, 55(2-3), pp.1-33.
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- Cafarella, A., 2021. Babakiueria | Full Movie Video | 1986. [online] Youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqcFg4z6EYY
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- Ferrarini, L., 2017. Embodied Representation: Audio-visual Media and Sensory Ethnography. Anthrovision, (5.1), pp.1-10.
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- Leviathan. 2012. [film] Directed by V. Paravel and L. Castaing-Taylor. UK: The Cinema Guild.
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- Matthews, K., n.d. Curator's Notes Babakiueria (1986) On ASO - Australia's Audio And Visual Heritage Online. [online] Aso.gov.au. Available at: https://aso.gov.au/titles/shorts/babakiueria/notes/
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- Sabnani, N., 2010. The Stitches Speak (Tanko Bole Chhe). [online] Youtube.com. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfjReP7SlnA>
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- Sabnani, N., 2019. Mumbai Local With Nina Sabnani : Art As Ethnographic Practice. [Youtube.com. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJJtu3884l0>