Spaces of Engagement: Tropes of Slow Cinema in Multisensory Installation Art

Abstract

Slow cinema has given rise to interest in contemplative processes in media and installation art as a mode of expression. Drawing on Jarvis’ (2020) claim that slow cinema embodies an oppositional rhythm in the era of fast capitalism, the proposed practice-led study delves into contemplative processes within the maker and viewers/participants of multisensory installations. Practice-led methods include contemplating and sensing, experimenting with multisensory video installation, clay sculpting, and improvising and live performance. The research draws on Frankham’s (2019) writing on spaces of engagement and self-reflection along with Bishop’s (2012) analysis of subjective lived experiences, personal and collective interactions, and participatory art. Using an interdisciplinary lens within a methodology of a/r/tography (Irwin and Springgay, 2005) and Aluli Meyer's triangulation of mind, body, and spirit (2008), I position the self as an artist/researcher/teacher who draws communities together to engage in shared, lived inquiries. The research-creation (Manning & Massumi 2016), explores the interplay between contemplation, sensory engagement, and interactive socially engaged art. The practice is realised in the form of a multisensory installation that seeks to combine content and form.