The Continuous View, Practices of Attraction in the Moving Image

This PhD project proposes the idea of ‘attractions’ as a tool for the critical analysis and reassessment of moving images. The term ‘attraction’ is not a description of textual features, but an interpretation of a dynamic interchange between the spectator and the screen. My methodology for this research examines the structuring principles of ‘attractions’, focusing on the single shot looped film. I reflect upon its relationship with narrative, its modes of temporality and its method of audience address. My practical enquiry develops moving image works that incorporate these principles and attempt to reconfigure the perceptions of time through the movement of objects and things. In my written component, I accordingly expand and develop an understanding of the term ‘attractions’ to include practices that resist narrative integration, practices ranging from the ‘pre-cinematic’ devices of the nineteenth century, through the avant-garde filmmakers of the 1970s, and finally to contemporary digital developments. The moving image loop has become a common mode of gallery presentation. However, there have been few enquiries into its mode of spectator address. I do not believe that adequate distinctions have been drawn between practices of narrative integration and practices that demonstrate ‘attractional’ principles. This research therefore considers the articulation of temporality, questions of narration, and the structural determinants shaping the moving image. I attempt to redefine these practices and to provide new answers by pointing to neglected connections between practices of narrative and practices of ‘attraction’