Environmental crisis and expanded cinema

Abstract

In the late 20th century and at the beginning of the new millennium, the environment has become a central topic to the future and well-being of the humankind. Famous independent activists and international NGOs have drawn global attention to the environmental crisis and to the devastating consequences thereof derived. The public discussion of environmental issues has also been a central concern of artists all over the world through a variety of art forms. In the international art scene and more specifically within the framework of visual arts, Expanded Cinema, understood as a conflation of multiple media art forms, constitutes a provocative and innovative field through which artists have put into question the relations between the human being and the environment in the Anthropocene.Through a qualitative analysis of a selection of works by John Akomfrah, Elektrick.me and Makkina, this dissertation aims to (i) examining how artists explore the potentialities of Expanded Cinema forms and methodologies to address the ecological crisis in different geographical locations, and (ii) discussing how and to what extent Expanded Cinema performative dimension may impact on the public, inviting it to adopt eco-critical attitudes and, ultimately, to engage in political action to protect the planet.

Date of Award	7 May 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Adriana Martins (Supervisor)