Emma Clarke
A poet and her mother, a house on a hill. This mixed-media, stop motion project explores themes of place, womanhood and connection.
'The Dream of a Common Language' takes it name from the 1978 poetry collection by Adrienne Rich. I was interested in exploring the themes and imagery provided by these poems, as well as reimagining their poetic 'form' or structure through the medium of film.
Rich's work feels deeply emotionally charged to me. Informed by a 'poetic approach', I wanted to see if I could use the elements of film to construct a sense of place and atmosphere. I hoped that with the right compositions, pacing and soundscape, I could capture something of Rich's work in my film - that 'charge' or point of access into complex feeling.
This thesis views the process of ‘formal disruption’ in avant-garde cinema as a radical feminist act. It explores how feminist filmmaker Abigail Child ‘disrupts’ conventional cinematic form, arguing that her work contributes to feminist theory on the deconstruction of dominance in culture. Focused on the second half of the 20th century, this thesis contextualises the film and theory explored within a period of revolutionary cultural change. Through the discussion of film form, feminist discourse, semiotics and gender theory, it investigates common threads and theoretical overlaps that, when drawn together, present a powerful critique of dominant cinema and its wider cultural impact.
I am a mixed-media animation filmmaker from Cavan. I'm passionate about exploring the power and versatility of animation as a medium. Heavily inspired by literary sources, my fourth year project 'The Dream of a Common Language' blends my love for stop-motion with an enduring interest in adaptation. I use a broad range of materials in the film; by combining cardboard, paint, textiles and natural elements, I hope to create deep and richly textured compositions.
