(Listening Techniques for Audiovisual Language)
Palermo 11-17 June 2021
Application deadline: May 17th
Contacts: luigi.brandi17@gmail.com; benedettavalabrega@gmail.com;
The workshop takes place at Ecomuseo del Mare Memoria Viva.
The participants are hosted by Mojo Cohouse, in Palermo city center (Via degli Schioppettieri 11).

It is a workshop that uses cinema as a tool for stimulating self-reflection and critical thinking among participants, adopting an interactive and multisensory approach.
It is underpinned by an action research methodology whereby participants engage with the space/environment they live in to transform it into realities that are as close as possible to their imaginary dreams.

Where, when and what?

The workshop will take place in Palermo (Italy) from the 11th to 17th June 2021 at the Ecomuseo del Mare Memoria Viva. The exploration of the eastern coast of Palermo, the so called “South Coast”, will provide participants with an opportunity for collectively engaging in action research.

Why this area of the city?

The “South Coast” of Palermo constitutes a historically scarred area, point of convergence of various interests and contradictions. Because of its proximity to the the historical quarters of the Sicilian capital, it would naturally function as the city’s corridor to the sea. Yet, the modernisation and urbanisation process which took place in the 1960s turned this area into a polluted  wasteland, which was subsequently abandoned and neglected. For this reason, it represents an ideal place not only to get to know the city’s history but also to use as a blank canvas for imagining and constructing alternative forms of living.

Who can participate in the workshop?

The workshop is open to anyone interested in cinema, video & sound recording techniques and also willing to use them in critical and imaginative ways, as tools for seeing, listening and learning about worlds, people and living beings  who share with us spaces, places and  resources.

Will we make films in this workshop?

The outcome of this workshop will not be only a ‘film’. It will be the accomplishment of a collective journey of cinematic critical engagement with the city and one another, by walking through its streets and making videos and sound recordings. At the end of each day we will analyse and comment footages and recordings. On the sixth day we will edit all the material together to create a collective film reflecting our learning curve, critical outlooks and visions of alternative city configurations.

Are there any prerequisites for participation?

No, there are not specific prerequisites for participating to this workshop. However, applicants will be required to engage in two preparatory activities in advance of the June workshop. Specifically, we ask each participant to make and submit two ‘ video portraits’ (in a broad sense):

• the portrait of a place to be submitted by the 7th of May.
• the portrait of a person or people, who live in this place, to be submitted by the end of May.

There are no prescriptions on the means used for the realisation of these video portraits. Drawings, written compositions, photos, collages of pre-existing images, choreography, and so on will all be accepted.

Please, note that each ‘video portrait’ will have to be saved in a digital format as part of a three—minute video and submitted electronically to labanditafilm@gmail.com. Once all submissions are received, the videos will be shared among all participants through our youtube channel. This will permit us to begin to get to know each other before we all convene for the first day of the workshop at the Ecomuseo of Palermo.

This project is financed by the Erasmus + Youth Mobility Program.