It Shouldn't Be There: Splitting Sound in Cinema

A great deal of past and present audiovisual production assumes the forced and illusory commitment with the spectator that both the sound and its sources, as well as the sound and the images, are something that gets synchronized in a seamless and spontaneous way. This appearance of a unified whole hides the true nature of audiovisuals, which is none other than the separation between image and sound. This division derives not only from the technical characteristics of the two, but also from the chronology of their production and formal organization, as well as their modes of exhibition and public reception.

There certainly are, however, other ways of handling this split and there are also examples of films that work precisely by highlighting the juxtaposition and differences of these two elements, accentuating contrasts and counterpoints, producing recontextualizations or deviations.

It shouldn't be there: Splitting sound in cinema is meant to be a space for speculating on these other possible paths of expression through the practices of actively splitting the visuals and the sound, of rupture or extension of the appearance of plot. Especially on its possible application in the type of audiovisuals where naturalism is most commonly emphasized, such as documentary and archival cinema.

Explored here are the activist possibilities of what is known as schizophony, a term coined in a negative sense by Murray Schafer to refer to the gap between sound and its source derived from the transmission and portability of electronic media. And to reflect on and discuss creative strategies involved in the practice of desynchronization through postproduction.

The workshop is meant for not only filmmakers or people who create music or sound in the audiovisual field, but also anyone interested in sound and visual experimentation, audiovisual thinking and practice, as well as philosophy, literature and history.

> Led by Abel Hernández Pozuelo
Alongside his fame in the Spanish and international pop music scenes as a composer and performer for his various projects (Migala, Emak Bakia, El Hijo), Abel Hernández Pozuelo (Madrid, 1973) has expanded his body of work by composing and producing numerous pieces for cinema, art, television, and the stage arts. He has scored the music and designed the sound for several films, including La casa Emak Bakia, directed by Oskar Alegría, and the rediscovered 1912 film Lucha de corazones, by Joan María Codina, for which he has recently also performed the live accompaniment of screenings at the Cine Doré, Madrid, the 68th Senimici, Valladolid and the i23 gallery in Madrid. He has also done work for television (most notably Jose and Alberto Sánchez Cabezudo's Nos vemos en otra vida for Disney+, composed and produced along with Oliver Arson).

He has composed original music for film screenings (Kiesler 100% Cinema, Buster, and along with Tórtel Futuros posibles - Cine y mundos por venir with Jose Sánchez-Sanz and Mario Quiñones, as well as Errores, tecno, espectros with Blanca Velasco. He has also created music for the stage (such as Hipóstasis 1: Parákletos), art exhibitions, and literary readings (such as Otras vidas based on works by Sophie Calle).

His extensive corpus also includes his prolific work as a music producer, collaborating with various artists such as Grupo Salvaje, McEnroe, Ornamento y Delito, Territoire, Tulsa, Tórtel, and Roldán, as well as with composers Olivier Arson, Beatriz López-Nogales and Bruno Dozza on soundtracks for films and television series.

Capacity: 12 participants max.
Public: anyone over 18 years of age.
Price: Free entrance. Tickets acquired in advance.
Duration: Three consecutive sessions of 120 min.

If you are interested in attending the workshop, please contact us at +34 91 318 44 76, or by email at: invitados@documentamadrid.com