University of Chicago Press: New Titles from 'Intellect Ltd'

'Avant-garde' Art Groups in China, 1979-1989

Paul Gladston — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

This book gives a critical account of four of the most significant avant-garde Chinese art groups and associations of the late 1970s and ’80s. It is made up largely of conversations conducted by the author with members of these organizations that provide insight into the circumstances of artistic production during the decade leading up to the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989. The conversations are supported by an extended introduction and other comprehensive notes that give a detailed overview of the historical circumstances under which the groups and associations developed.

Cinema Makers

Anna Schober — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The Cinema Makers investigates how cinema spectators in southeastern and central European cities became cinema makers through such practices as squatting in existing cinema spaces, organizing cinema "events," writing about film, and making films themselves. Drawing on a corpus of interviews with cinema activists in Germany, Austria, and the former Yugoslavia, Anna Schober compares the activities and artistic productions they staged in cities such as Vienna, Cologne, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Ljubljana, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Subotica, Zagreb, and Sarajevo. The resulting study illuminates the differences and similarities in the development of political culture—and cinema’s role in that development—in European countries with pluralist-democratic, one-party socialist, and post-socialist traditions.

Open Roads, Closed Borders

Michael Gott; Thibaut Schilt — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

This is the first collection of essays about French-language road movies, a particularly rich yet critically neglected cinematic category. These films, the contributors argue, offer important perspectives on contemporary French ideas about national identity, France’s former colonies, Europe, and the rest of the world. Taken together, the essays illustrate how travel and road motifs have enabled directors of various national origins and backgrounds to reimagine space and move beyond simple oppositions such as Islam and secularism, local and global, home and away, France and Africa, and East and West.

Nanoart

Paul Thomas — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Examining art that intersects with science and seeks to make visible what cannot ordinarily be seen with the naked eye, provides thorough insight into new understandings of materiality and life. It includes an extensive overview of the history of nanoart from the work of Umberto Boccioni right up to present-day artists. The author looks specifically at art inspired by nanotechnological research made possible by the Scanning Tunneling Microscope and Atomic Force Microscope in the 1980s, as well as the development of other instruments of nanotechnological experimentation. Nanoart is a sustained consideration of this fascinating artistic approach that challenge how we see and understand our world.

Black Swan Lake

Rod Giblett — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Rod Giblett came to live by Forrestdale Lake in southwestern Australia in 1986. Based in part on a nature journal he kept for several years, Black Swan Lake traces the life of the plants and animals of the surrounding area through the seasons. Presenting a wetlands calendar that charts the yearly cycle of the rising, falling, and drying waters of this internationally significant wetland, this book is a modern-day Walden. The first book to provide a cultural and natural history of this place—taking into account the indigenous people’s concept of the seasons (six instead of four)—Black Swan Lake will be enjoyed by conservationists, as well as others seeking connection with place, plants, and animals in their own bioregion.

Clown Through Mask

Veronica Coburn; Sue Morrison — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Richard Pochinko (1946–89) played a pioneering role in North American clown theater through the creation of an original pedagogy synthesizing modern European and indigenous Native American techniques. In Clown Through Mask, Veronica Coburn and onetime Pochinko apprentice Sue Morrison lay out the methodology of the Pochinko style of clowning and offer a bold philosophical framework for its interpretation. Morrison is today a leading teacher of Pochinko’s Clown through Mask technique and this book extends significantly the literature on this underdocumented form of theater.

Creativity in the Classroom

Paul McIntosh; Digby Warren — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

This volume contests the current higher educational paradigm of using objectives and outcomes as ways to measure learning. Instead, the contributors propose approaches to learning that draw upon the creative arts and humanities, including cinema, literature, dance, drama, and visual art. Such approaches, they argue, can foster deeper learning, even in subjects not normally associated with these forms of creativity. Drawing on their own practical experience in developing new educational methods, the contributors embody a refreshing alternative perspective on teaching, learning, and assessment.

ConFiguring America

Klaus Rieser; Michael Fuchs; Michael Phillips — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Elvis Presley. Marilyn Monroe. LeBron James. They’re all American, of course, but like many cultural figures who hail from the United States, they have names and faces known the world over. ConFiguring America brings together a series of incisive essays that analyze a wide range of such figures: those who embody America’s tendency to produce celebrities and iconic personalities with global reach.

Drawing on theoretical insights from a variety of fields—including cultural iconography, visual culture, star studies, and history—a diverse group of international contributors sheds light on how these figures and their media representations construct America’s image beyond its borders. An important addition to an expanding field, ConFiguring America will deepen readers’ understanding of celebrity, iconography, and their worldwide implications.

Portrait of the Artist as a Political Dissident

Vlastimir Sudar — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

In the liberal West as in socialist Yugoslavia, the films of Aleksandar Petrovic dramatize how enforced dogmatism can corrode any political system. A case study of the oft-overlooked Yugoslav director’s colorful and eventful career, A Portrait of the Artist as a Political Dissident explores how Petrovic developed specific political and social themes in his films. A response to the political vagaries of his time, these anti-dogmatic views were later to become a trademark of his work. Although interest in socialist Yugoslavia and its legacy has risen steadily since the 1990s, the history of Yugoslav cinema has been scarcely covered, and this book marks a fresh contribution to a burgeoning area of interest.

Photocinema

Neil Campbell; Alfredo Cramerotti — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Taking as its starting point the notion of photocinema—or the interplay of the still and moving image—the photographs, interviews, and critical essays in this volume explore the ways in which the two media converge and diverge, expanding the boundaries of each in interesting and unexpected ways. The book’s innovative approach to film and photography produces what might be termed a hybrid “third space,” where the whole becomes much more than the sum of its individual parts, encouraging viewers to expand their perceptions to begin to understand the bigger picture.

The latest edition in Intellect’s Critical Photography series, Photocinema represents a nuanced theoretical and practical exploration of the experimental cinematic techniques exemplified by artists like Wim Wenders and Hollis Frampton. In addition to new critical essays by Victor Burgin and David Campany, the book includes interviews with Martin Parr, Hannah Starkey, and Aaron Schumann, and a portfolio of photographs from various new and established artists.

Directory of World Cinema: France

Tim Palmer; Charlie Michael — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Artistic, intellectual, and appreciably avant-garde, the French film industry has, perhaps more than any other national cinema, been perennially at the center of international filmmaking. With its vigorous business and wide-ranging film culture, France has also been home historically to some of the most influential filmmakers and movements – and, indeed, the very first motion picture was screened in Paris in 1895.

This volume addresses the great directors and key artistic movements, but also ventures beyond these well-established films and figures, broadening the canon through an examination of many neglected but intriguing French films. Framing essays explore the salient stylistic elements, cultural contexts, and the various conceptions of cinema in France, from avant-gardes to filmmaking by women, from documentary and realism to the Tradition of Quality, as well as genres like comedy, crime film, and horror. Illustrated by screen shots, film reviews by leading international experts offer original approaches to both overlooked titles and acknowledged classics. Readers wishing to explore particular topics in greater depth will be grateful for the book’s reading recommendations and comprehensive filmography.

A visually engaging journey through one of the most dynamic, variegated, and idiosyncratic film industries, Directory of World Cinema: France is a must-have for Francophiles and cinema savants.

Why I Buy

Rami Gabriel — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Why do we buy? How do our acts of—and ideas about—consumption impact our selves, our institutions, and our societies? An incisive response to these questions, Why I Buy explains how consumption came to give meaning and value to social and personal life.

Balancing psychological, conceptual, and historical analyses with examples drawn from popular culture and mass media, Rami Gabriel traces the ways in which beliefs about the self—including dualism, individualism, and expressivism—influence consumer behavior. These understandings of the self, Gabriel argues, structure the values that Americans seek and find in consumer society; they therefore have structural consequences for our cultural, political, and economic lives. For example, Gabriel describes how imbalances in the institutions of participatory politics have directly resulted from a consumer society centered on powerful nongovernmental institutions and a scattered body of disengaged citizens whose social and individual needs are not primarily satisfied through civic involvement. By exploring the relationship between our individual needs and our institutions, Gabriel ultimately points the way toward transformations that could lead to a more sustaining and sustainable society.

World Film Locations: Chicago

Scott Jordan Harris — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

While some call it the Second City, Chicago is no stranger to the silver screen. Director Christopher Nolan transformed Chicago into the darkly foreboding Gotham City for The Dark Knight. Ferris Bueller rode a parade float down Dearborn and made stops during his epic day off at a host of landmarks, from Buckingham Fountain to Wrigley Field. Everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed blues act ended their film’s climactic chase by taking the Bluesmobile through the plate-glass windows of the Richard J. Daley Center.

With World Film Locations: Chicago, critic Scott Jordan Harris takes readers on a cinematic tour of the city, featuring modern blockbusters and beloved classics. Along the way, scenes from almost fifty films made or set in the city are discussed, accompanied by full-color stills and interspersed with essays examining the city’s unique character onscreen. Among the contributors are Gordon Quinn, cofounder of Chicago’s Kartemquim Films; Elizabeth Weitzman, film critic for the New York Daily News; the BBC’s Samira Ahmed; and Steve James, director of the coming-of-age classic Hoop Dreams. For readers hoping to locate landmarks from favorite films, the book also includes detailed maps that point out key scenes.

A fun and fact-packed read, World Film Locations: Chicago will be welcomed by film fans and anyone planning a trip to the Windy City.

World Film Locations: Glasgow

Nicola Balkind — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

World Film Locations: Glasgow explores Scotland’s biggest city and the many locations in which its films are viewed, set, and shot. Taking in the important moments and movements in its rich cinematic history, this book seeks to discover the city’s culture, character, and comedy through its cinematic identity. Essays cover a variety of topics including a background of Glasgow’s cinema-goers and picture houses, the evolution of Scots comedy, and the role of the city as inspiration for grassroots and underground filmmakers, as well as big Hollywood productions. Thirty-eight films are featured, from classics like Forsyth’s Gregory’s Girl and Loach’s Carla’s Song to cult hits like Boyle’s Trainspotting. Bollywood is also represented, alongside European titles and grim Scots realism like Sweet Sixteen, My Name is Joe, and Red Road, and new titles including Fast Romance, Perfect Sense, and NEDs, making this an essential guide to Scotland in film.

World Film Locations: Venice

Michael Pigott — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

This book explores the rich history of films that have used the floating city as evocative backdrop and integral character. Few cities are as densely packed with picturesque cinematic locations. Extensively illustrated with maps, film stills, and present-day location photos, this book provides both a colorful guide to, and an incisive examination of, Venice on film. It contains insightful film entries describing carefully chosen scenes from each film, as well as six thematic essays, written by an impressive international selection of film critics, academics, and Venice experts. The grand and familiar tourist spots take on new significances, and the book highlights less well-known spots beyond the tourist trail, including gondola repair yards and legendary, but well-hidden, restaurants. From one of the earliest mobile shots in film history—a voyage up the Grand Canal shot in 1896—to classic depictions of the city like Summertime, Death in Venice, and Don’t Look Now, as well as recent big budget productions such as The Tourist, this book spans the history of filmmaking in Venice.

World Film Locations: Vancouver

Rachel Walls — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Vancouver, the fourth largest film and television production center in North America, has hosted Hollywood filmmakers from Robert Altman and Dennis Hopper to Jason Reitman and Brad Bird, and is home to independent talent such as Bruce Sweeney and Mina Shum. World Film Locations: Vancouver offers insight into how so-called “runaway” productions from Hollywood use Vancouver as a stand-in for other locations and it highlights the work of Canadian filmmakers who deserve more attention. Thirty-eight analyses of different film scenes reveal the cinematic city in its myriad forms, while spotlight essays provide insight into the creativity and contradictions of Vancouver’s film industry throughout the ages. The volume presents Vancouver’s rich diversity and complexity, where magnificent marine and mountain views are both showcased and masked, downtown landmarks provide the backdrop for thrilling sequences, and lesser-known neighborhoods frame intriguing characters and plotlines. This book offers new perspectives on the relationship between the movies and the metropolis.

World Film Locations: Marseilles

Marcelline Block — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

As France’s oldest city, Marseilles has a significant cinematic culture, dating back to the 1890s when the Lumière brothers shot many films there. Due to its prolific film industry in the 1920s, Marseilles was referred to as “the French Los Angeles.”

World Film Locations: Marseilles examines the representations of this port city in cinema, through essays and film scene reviews devoted to an exploration of its topography as depicted by Jean Epstein, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Melville, Jean Renoir, Jean-Jacques Beineix, and many others. This volume showcases Marseilles’s diversity as articulated onscreen: from the winding streets of the Panier to the Old Port’s noisy markets, from the bustling Canebière to the dockyards of the Grand Port Maritime, from the cliffs of Provençal encircling the city to sun-drenched calanques leading to the dazzling cerulean sea. World Film Locations: Marseilles features maps of film scenes, high-quality screengrabs, and images of movie locations as they appear today, accompanied by original texts penned by leading international film scholars and critics and an interview with Marseillais director Robert Guédiguian. Marseilles has been named a 2013–14 European Capital of Culture and this book is a fitting and timely tribute.

Stanley Kubrick at Look Magazine

Philippe D. Mather — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

From 1945 to 1950, during the formative years of his career, Stanley Kubrick worked as a photojournalist for Look magazine. Offering a comprehensive examination of the work he produced during this period—before going on to become one of America’s most celebrated filmmakers—Stanley Kubrick at "Look" Magazine sheds new light on the aesthetic and ideological factors that shaped his artistic voice.

Tracing the links between his photojournalism and films, Philippe Mather shows how working at Look fostered Kubrick’s emerging genius for combining images and words to tell a story. Mather then demonstrates how exploring these links enhances our understanding of Kubrick’s approach to narrative structure—as well as his distinctive combinations of such genres as fiction and documentary, and fantasy and realism.

Beautifully written and exhaustively researched, Stanley Kubrick at "Look" Magazine features never-before-published photographs from the Look archives and complete scans of Kubrick’s photo essays from hard-to-obtain back issues of the magazine. It will be an indispensable addition to the libraries of Kubrick scholars and fans.

Sustainability, Participation and Culture in Communication

Jan Servaes — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

At a time when sustainability is on everyone’s lips, this volume is one of the first to offer an overview of sustainability and communication issues—including community mobilization, information technologies, gender and social norms, mass media, interpersonal communication, and integrated communication approaches—from a development and social change perspective. Drawing on contemporary theories of communication as well as real-world examples from development projects around the world, the contributors showcase the increasing richness and versatility of communication research and practice. Together, they make a case for adopting a more comprehensive perspective on communication in the areas of development and social change.

Shanghai Street Style

Vicki Karaminas; Toni Johnson-Woods — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Although fashion fixtures and A-list celebrities pack the front rows at the biggest, most glamorous shows at fashion week, the most creative attire is often found not on the catwalks or inside the auditoriums but on the streets. Nowhere is this more evident than in the cosmopolitan city of Shanghai, where a vintage Vivienne Westwood frock pairs perfectly with a chic puffer, and neon brights elevate distressed denim to veritable haute couture.

Shanghai Street Style marksthe inaugural volume in an exciting new street style series from Intellect. With an array of up-and-coming young designers like Coko Wan, Nio, and Helen Lee, Shanghai is swiftly cementing its status as a global fashion destination—its first fashion week was in 2011—and this book brings together more than one hundred full-color photographs showcasing the remarkable diversity of styles seen on its streets. Alongside the photographs are short pieces of critical commentary by Vicki Karaminas and Toni Johnson-Woods, shedding light on the city’s changing culture and how this is expressed through the clothing choices of ordinary city-dwellers going about their daily routines. The result is a stunning street-level look at the trends shaping Shanghai’s fascinating fashion scene, with interesting echoes of East meets West and old meets new.

Eye-catching, entertaining, and informative, Shanghai Street Style gets at the roots of Shanghai trendsetters’ distinct personal styles, identifying the ideas and important cultural forces behind the trends.

Advertising as Culture

Chris Wharton — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Penned by contributors from a range of disciplines, including art history, sociology, and media and cultural studies, the essays that constitute Advertising as Culture offer an informed and critical overview of approaches to the study of advertising. These in-depth contributions explore such topics as the conceptual relationship between advertising and culture; the development of advertising through the industrial period; the nature of advertising production and reception; the relationship of advertising to a range of cultural fields such as art, fashion, and music; and developments in digital media practice.

Invisible Country

Teresa Murjas — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The late nineteenth and early twentieth century marked a tumultuous period in Poland’s history, with artists and writers working under difficult sociopolitical conditions. This book contains the first English- language translations of four plays by Polish writers in the modernist tradition: Snow by Stanislaw Przybyszewski, In a Small House by Tadeusz Rittner, Ashanti by Wlodzimierz Perzynski, and All the Same by Leopold Staff. Well-chosen and carefully annotated, these translations provide important insight into this underexplored area of Polish dramatic history and practice and facilitate greater understanding of its role in the development of European theater. Also included is a broad discussion of the characteristics of translation for the theater.

Theatre and Performance in Small Nations

Steve Blandford — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Arguing that the cultures of small nations offer vital insights into the way people relate to national identity in a globalized world, Theatre and Performance in Small Nations features an array of case studies that examine the relationships between theater, performance, identity, and the nation. These contributions cover a wide range of national contexts, including small “stateless” nations such as Catalonia, Scotland, and Wales; First Nations such as indigenous Australia and the Latino United States; and geographically enormous nations whose relationships to powerful neighbors radically affect their sense of cultural autonomy

Selling War

Josef Seethaler; Matthias Karmasin; Gabriele Melischek; Romy Wöhlert — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

This book is the first collection of essays to explore the changing relationships between war, media, and the public from a multidisciplinary perspective and over an extended historical period. It is also the first textbook for students in this field, discussing a wide range of theoretical concepts and methodological tools for analyzing the nature of these relationships. Shedding new light on conflicts spanning from World War I through the so-called War on Terror, the contributors explore the roles of traditional media, war blogs, and eyewitness reporting; of war correspondents and embedded journalism; and of propaganda, wartime public relations, and information warfare.

Directors

Susan Beth Lehman — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Despite the increasing popularity of academic filmmaking programs in the United States, some of contemporary America’s most exciting film directors have emerged from the theater world. Directors: From Stage to Screen and Back Again features a series of interviews with directors who did just that, transitioning from work on stage productions to work in television and on full-length features.

Taken together, these interviews demonstrate the myriad ways in which a theater background can engender innovative and stimulating work in film. As unique and idiosyncratic as the personalities they feature, the directors’ conversations with Susan Lehman range over a vast field of topics. Each one traces its subject’s personal artistic journey and explores how he or she handled the challenge of moving from stage to screen. Combined with a foreword by Emmy award–winning screenwriter Steve Brown, the directors’ collective knowledge and experience will be invaluable to scholars, aspiring filmmakers, theater aficionados, and film enthusiasts.

From NWICO to WSIS: 30 Years of Communication Geopolitics

Divina Frau-Meigs; Jérémie Nicey; Michael Palmer; Julia Pohle; Patricio Tupper — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Two major regulatory activities have framed global media policies since World War II: the New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO) and the more recent World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Through extensive research and testimonies from those involved, this book presents an in-depth account from the 1970s to today of the major issues concerning information flow in international geopolitics, including a look at the negotiations surrounding the major policy debates. Few studies of NWICO and WSIS have considered the continuity between the two activities—or included in the debate the crucial intermediary period between—and this book provides new insight into an issue of multilingual and multicultural importance.

Trends in Communication Policy Research

Manuel Puppis; Natascha Just — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

With contributions from leading international experts from within both the communications industry and academia, Trends in Communication Policy Research comprises the very latest developments in the theories, methods, and practical applications of this dynamic field. Topical and politically relevant, this authoritative and up-to-date volume will prove an invaluable reference for students and scholars seeking to understand communication policy issues.

World Film Locations: Helsinki

Pietari Kääpä; Silja Laine — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Part of Intellect’s World Film Locations series, World Film Locations: Helsinki explores the relationship between the city, cinema, and Finnish cultural history. Cinematic representations of Helsinki range from depictions of a northern periphery to a space of cosmopolitanism, from a touristic destination to a substitute for Moscow and St. Petersburg during the Cold War. The city also looks different depending on one’s perspective, and World Film Locations: Helsinki illustrates this complexity by providing a visual collection of cinematic views of Helsinki.

This cinematic city is a collective work where individual pieces construct a whole, and one which we, as viewers, then shape according to our perspectives. The contributors emphasize the role of the city in identity and cultural politics throughout Finnish film history and its central role as the locus for negotiating Finland’s globalization.

Why Would Anyone Wear That?

Celia E. Stall-Meadows; Leslie Stall Widener — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Bustles. Tight-laced Corsets. Caged crinolines that encased the hapless wearer in hoops of steel. Why would anyone want to wear such things? Yet, you can be certain that no lady of the Victorian upper class would choose to leave home without them—and she’d complete her look with a feather- and flower-festooned bonnet as befit the latest fashion.

With a blend of wisdom and wit, Why Would Anyone Wear That? explores extreme fashions from around the world. The Victorian era was by no means alone in strange sartorial choices. Throughout history, men and women have turned to clothing and accessories to adorn and accentuate parts of the body. Some of the fashions, like bloomers, were surprisingly functional. Others, like powdered wigs and hobble skirts, were inconvenient and uncomfortable. And a few particularly painful practices could even permanently disfigure the wearer, like brass coils worn in Burma to lengthen the neck and the custom of binding of women’s feet to fit tiny lotus slippers in Song dynasty China. Presenting dozens of the most peculiar fashions, including shoes, hats, jewelry, undergarments, and outerwear, the book provides insightful commentary, placing the garments and accessories in the proper historical, social, and cultural context.

If you’ve ever wondered why the codpiece was created or the leisure suit went out of style, this book will answer that question and many more. Fully illustrated and packed with fun facts, Why Would Anyone Wear That? introduces readers to the fascinating stories behind some of the world’s weirdest fashions.