Sound . Image . Culture / SIC

SIC Master class from 2006 to 2009 a polymorfilms initiative, subpowered by Netwerk in Aalst and hosted by Cinema Nova, Brussels.
SIC is formed by a group of anthropologist, and filmmakers, in order to offer trained filmmakers and scientists a professional context to develop their personal projects. SIC offers an intensive workshop of one year, assisting of professional filmmakers, social scientists and artists in their personal project. SIC presents a broad spectrum of theoretical perspectives and practical workshops so as to link formal and ethical questions during the realization of anthropological projects on (wo)man and the complexities of his and her relationships with society, the community and the universe, focused on specific use of sound and image. More concrete, this focus will deal with the interconnection of form and content in anthropological audiovisual creations from an original and personal point of view.

Dialogical method
Ethnography is necessarily doubly-biased. Social or cultural investigation is understood in this program as an interaction between two controlling actors. Although the director in this context is appreciated as the one who actually selects and is responsible for the film, this workshop accentuates the importance of a personal ethical position. No audiovisual morality will be developed but throughout the process the maker will get to define his or her personal ethical responsibility. This method not only deconstructs the illusion of the unchallenged representation of the ‘other’ but it also allows to develop an alternative for the cynical concept of the exotic and orientalist reconstruction.

The audiovisual as an experimental performance
At the core of this program is our aim to challenge stereotypical representations. We develop a specific framework based on two principles to achieve this goal:
1. The encounter with the other is mediated. The audiovisual is not a neutral recording device. It is not a mirror that reflects what is experienced in the real. Rather, it is a system in which another type of identity is constructed. It has its own codes, rules, laws and specifications that alter and transform the subject. Therefore we focus on the intertwining of form and content and their context that is in place. 2. Furthermore, we conceive the audiovisual as a performance in which the encounter will lead the process, not a preconceived product. Inspiration is sought in the work of experimental film makers, visual anthropologists, artists, performance artists etc.