The ‘Waste Land’ project: framing practice-based research through literary adaptation

Abstract

ABSTRACTT. S Eliot’s seminal poem, ‘The Waste Land’ (1922) was chosen as an explorative text to acquire an understanding of my interpretation methods for my practice-based PhD, which culminated in a collection of photographic and video installations (2005–2010). Examination of orthodox film adaptation theory established the key debates within this genre – its emphasis upon fidelity criticism, the latitude of translation and the range of methods available to the adaptor. Recognition of the subversive quality of European avant-garde films and its relationship to modernist literature allowed me to implement appropriate stylistic strategies that replicated ‘The Waste Land’s’ cinematic montage. This article considers the way in which my early video experiments were informed by this theoretical and contextual framework, testing out different modes of adaptation in order to reflect upon my process. I argue that undertaking such a methodical approach enabled a better understanding of my role as an editor, re-imagining the source text through extracting fragmentary elements that possess an autobiographical significance. By questioning how literature operated as a resource to represent the self within my practice and acknowledging biographical connections to Eliot, the ‘Waste Land’ project became an attempt to address the breakdown of my parent’s marriage.