Dim Ond Cysgodion/nothing but shadows

Bevan, GW

Abstract

In offering representations of the socio-historical world, the documentary has developed a complex and problematic bond with objective reality. Traditionally, the existence of an absolute truth has been presumed and the documentary filmmaker’s role is simply to uncover it and to (re)present it intact to the viewer. The form has long been encumbered with journalistic and pseudo-scientific expectations; the gathering of evidence, the balancing of material and the objective presentation of accurate and informative data. In the ‘post-documentary age’ (Corner, 2002, pg. 257) the unprecedented hybridization of non-fiction formats has further undermined the documentary as a signifier of truth and authentic reality.

Truth is something that must be constructed, rather than preserved; and, in doing so, documentary filmmakers should embrace all available means. Drawing on the work and ideas of a wide range of classic and contemporary film and arts practitioners (including Aleksandr Sokurov, Alexander Kluge, Werner Herzog, Chris Marker, Patricio Guzman, Jonas Mekas, Andrew Kötting, Craig Baldwin, and more), this research project aims to make a significant contribution to the evolving body of international practice which treats documentary as a mediated process and, at best, a crafted version of reality. How can we move beyond fact and information? How can we document the ‘un-documentable’, such as memories, dreams and psychological trauma? How do we explore the past in expressive ways? How can truth be created through rethinking the combination of aesthetic ingredients?

By experimenting with the creation of authorial voice, the components of narrative and the texture of non-fiction materials, this research project aims to extend the language of documentary practice and to renegotiate its relationship with truth and reality. The main research outcome is the 57-minute film Dim Ond Cysgodion (Nothing But Shadows). This semi-autobiographical documentary questions the value of ideologies or accepted modes of practice, and their transference from one generation to the next. Recycling and recontextualising existing materials, the film contains thematic and formal explorations of the author, voice, language and texture, breaking down a form based on fact, authority and rationality and moving towards the terrain of uncertainty, suggestion and interpretation.

A DVD of Dim Ond Cysgodion accompanies this thesis. The main practice outcome is further supported by a portfolio of 12 preliminary research experiments (provided on a second DVD) and a number of additional video and text-based materials, all of which can be viewed at http://gregwbevan.wix.com/dimondcysgodion.

Citation

Bevan, G. Dim Ond Cysgodion/nothing but shadows. [DVD]

• Digital Artefact Type: Video
• Deposit Date: Dec 18, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016