Karel Doing: The Practice of „Growing images“ (Ecology and Film)

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Code	Completion	Credits	Range	Language of instruction	Semester
300MKDP	credit	2	15 hours (45 min) of instruction per semester, 39 to 49 hours of self-study	English	winter

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On November 25, 26, and 28, FAMU will host independent Dutch filmmaker, visual artist, and theorist Karel Doing, who focuses on ecologies (in) film and the semiotic system and material effects of plants in the filmmaking process.

The longer module (II) will include:

a film program (November 25, 7:00 p.m., Punctum, https://punctum.cz/, Krásova 27, Praha 3),

an introductory lecture entitled “Growing images” (November 26, 6:05 p.m. - 7:40 p. m. The venue Studio FAMU, Reference Screening Room, 4th floor, Klimentska 4),

a practical workshop on phytography (November 28, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., FAMU, U5)

and a closing lecture on “Phytography in Historical Context,” followed by a screening of the workshop results (November 28, 4:00–6:00 p.m., FAMU U1).

Phytography is a technique invented by Karel Doing that makes it possible to create detailed chemical traces of plants directly on photographic emulsion. The process takes place in full daylight and makes use of biodegradable chemistry. During the workshop the artist will explain his technique, placing it in a historical lineage of experimental photography and film while also connecting it to ecological awareness. After this introduction, a hands-on demonstration is provided. Participants can create their own images and see the results in projection.

Learning outcomes

One of the outcomes is the understanding of a biological basis of photochemical process and developing of an ecological consciousness in a broader ecosystemic sense.

Prerequisites and other requirements

Interest in ecological and experimental approaches in cinema.

Literature

Karel Doing is an independent artist, filmmaker, and researcher whose practice investigates the relationship between culture and nature by means of analogue and organic process, experiment, and co-creation. His work has been shown across continents at festivals, in cinemas, on stage, and in galleries. He was a founder member of Studio één, a pioneering DiY film laboratory. He has invented “phytography,” a technique that combines plants and photochemical emulsion. He regularly gives workshops and talks to share his ideas and skills.

For more a broader BIO and publications, see:

https://kareldoing.net/Biography.html

https://kareldoing.net/Publications_Research.html

https://phytogram.blog/

https://vimeo.com/kareldoing

DOING, Karel (2020). LANDSCAPE IN THE AGE OF ACCELERATED ECOCIDE. MOVING IMAGE ARTISTS JOURNAL, Issue 2, May 2020. Available at: https://movingimageartists.co.uk/2020/04/30/landscape-in-the-age-of-accelerated-ecocide/

DOING, Karel (2020). Phytograms: Rebuilding Human–Plant Affiliations. Animation, 15(1), 22-36. https://doi.org/10.1177/1746847720909348

DYMON, Chris (2021). Plant-Filming Re-Viewing Vegetality. Millenium Film Journal, no. 73. New York.