Corps et écrans. Considérations autour d’une phénoménologie de l’installation des images en mouvement

Abstract

The article argues for a phenomenology of moving image installations in three steps. First, I present Vivian Sobchack’s central concept of the film’s body in the context of the cinematic apparatus, paying special attention to aspects that concern non-cinematic projection and differences between film projection in the movie theater and the gallery space. Secondly, I develop Juhani Pallasmaa’s ideas about the phenomenology of architecture to bring into focus the spatial and structural aspects of moving image installations. Then I argue for the concept of “embodied self-reflexivity”, which could quite accurately describe the spectators’ experience of a film exhibited in a gallery or museum. Finally, I provide a brief description and interpretation of two panoramic video installations where the embodied self-reflexivity experienced by the viewers seems to be central to understanding the artworks.