Cric? Crac!
Master of Visual Anthropology
Showcase
Our showcase of documentary films, photography, sound, and multimedia installations will take place at Z-arts in Manchester, on the 15th, 16th and the 17th of October 2015. More information to come soon, so make sure to save the date!
Why Cric? Crac!
"No method nor discipline can supersede the necessity of being forever on the alert. What is a course of history or philosophy, or poetry, no matter how well selected, or the best society, or the most admirable routine of life, compared with the discipline of looking always at what is to be seen?
Will you be a reader, a student merely, or a seer?"
Henry David Thoreau, in "Walden"
Will you be a reader, a student merely, or a seer?"
Henry David Thoreau, in "Walden"
How do we look at what is to be seen? Listen to what is to be heard? Experience what is to be felt?
How can we get at what is experienced by the senses? And how can this be communicated to those who haven't shared in the experience?
These questions are central to visual anthropology and the work presented in Cric? Crac!
The title of our exhibition is inspired by the workshops of ethnographic filmmaker Jean Rouch. The phrase comes from the West African storytelling tradition, and its origins are attributed to a particular story of twin sisters who had a special way of communicating with each other. One sister would say "Cric?" -- to which the other would say "Crac!", playfully affirming their connection with one another.
"Cric?" - Are you there?
"Crac!" - Yes, here I am
"Cric?" - Are you ready?
"Crac" - Yes, let's go
How can we get at what is experienced by the senses? And how can this be communicated to those who haven't shared in the experience?
These questions are central to visual anthropology and the work presented in Cric? Crac!
The title of our exhibition is inspired by the workshops of ethnographic filmmaker Jean Rouch. The phrase comes from the West African storytelling tradition, and its origins are attributed to a particular story of twin sisters who had a special way of communicating with each other. One sister would say "Cric?" -- to which the other would say "Crac!", playfully affirming their connection with one another.
"Cric?" - Are you there?
"Crac!" - Yes, here I am
"Cric?" - Are you ready?
"Crac" - Yes, let's go
Eventually the twins were separated. Years later, in a market one of them happened to say "Cric?" Another woman nearby respond immediately "Crac!" They knew instantly that they had found each other again.
During workshops, when a film had been screened, Rouch would exclaim "Cric?". If everyone was ready to move on to the next work, they replied "Crac!" -- their collective response was often accompanied with a sense of shared delight.
During workshops, when a film had been screened, Rouch would exclaim "Cric?". If everyone was ready to move on to the next work, they replied "Crac!" -- their collective response was often accompanied with a sense of shared delight.
