Ximena Castillo Smyntek
Friday, 14th March 2014 10.30am-12pm, Goldsmiths MRB Screen 3
Ximena Castillo Smyntek (Jandy CSG) is a practice-based PhD candidate in Latin-American Cultural Studies and Screen Studies from the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures at the University of Manchester, England. She has a Master's in Spanish Language, Literature and Culture from Syracuse University, NY, USA. Also, she has a Maestría in Communication and Audiovisual Industries in the Iberoamerican Region from the Universidad Internacional de Andalucía, La Rábida, Spain. In addition, she holds a certificate in General Radio & Television production from the Radio Nederland Training Centre, The Netherlands. She has belonged to the Audio-Visual (AV) PhD group at Goldsmiths University since 2013. She has shown her video work in different conferences, festivals and galleries in the USA, Chile and the UK. Her current video ‘PANamericanGEA’ is part of her current PhD research work "The role of the mass media in contemporary Chilean film...”
The video ‘PANamericanGEA’ explores the journey of a man called "Ben" as a metaphorical reflection on identity formation. Ben through the interaction with the mass media, such as the radio, Internet and television, becomes more aware of the complexity that some identity terms (Hispanic, Latino, etc.) have in relation with their historical past. This is a story that expresses the hope for a better integration in the Americas.
Her present research analyses the use of the language of the mass media as a protagonist within the diegesis of selected contemporary Chilean films, including her own video research practice. It examines the use of the mass communication language as an artistic and dramatic expression as well as a narrative and filmic device. This study, based on different theories and critiques, examines how a film can use the speech of the mass media as a language beyond the persuasive. It demonstrates how the mass media could become a protagonist, which can create an impact in the mind of those who are exposed to it. This interaction could allow one to find alternatives that originate ways of expression and open avenues for the development of marginalized or silenced voices that could be subjects of an oppressive system.
Friday, 14th March 2014 10.30am-12pm, Goldsmiths MRB Screen 3
© Ximena Castillo Smyntek
The video ‘PANamericanGEA’ explores the journey of a man called "Ben" as a metaphorical reflection on identity formation. Ben through the interaction with the mass media, such as the radio, Internet and television, becomes more aware of the complexity that some identity terms (Hispanic, Latino, etc.) have in relation with their historical past. This is a story that expresses the hope for a better integration in the Americas.
Her present research analyses the use of the language of the mass media as a protagonist within the diegesis of selected contemporary Chilean films, including her own video research practice. It examines the use of the mass communication language as an artistic and dramatic expression as well as a narrative and filmic device. This study, based on different theories and critiques, examines how a film can use the speech of the mass media as a language beyond the persuasive. It demonstrates how the mass media could become a protagonist, which can create an impact in the mind of those who are exposed to it. This interaction could allow one to find alternatives that originate ways of expression and open avenues for the development of marginalized or silenced voices that could be subjects of an oppressive system.
