Dr Andrew Chesher
Research Interests
Andrew's research focuses on film and video practices, in particular documentary practices, and their relation to conceptions of 'action', 'dialogue', 'perception' and 'subjectivity' explored in phenomenological, post-structural and social philosophies of meaning.
Profile
Dr Andrew Chesher lectures in Art Theory at Chelsea College or Art and Design. He is currently co-ordinator of stage one theory on the undergraduate Fine Art course. In 2010-11 he ran seminar courses in philosophies of meaning and the phenomenology of perception. The subjects he lectures on range from photography and film theory to philosophy and social theory.
As a filmmaker Andrew has concentrated on documentary projects since 2004. His last two completed films were documentaries about music. Changing the System (2007) is an hour-long observational documentary exploring the score and rehearsal of an indeterminate composition by Christian Wolff. Knots and Fields (75 mins, 2010) looks at the history and on-going relevance of the Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, which brought together Boulez, Stockhausen, Nono and Cage, among others, in 1950s. This documentary was produced in collaboration with David Ryan, includes interviews with Pierre Boulez, Helmut Lachenmann and Brian Ferneyhough.
Andrew's PhD on documentary and dialogue, which he completed in 2007, was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. He holds a BA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths College of Art, London, and an MA in the Theory and History of Modern Art from Chelsea, UAL.
Research interests
. Film and Video practices
. Documentary practices
. Film Theory
. Phenomenology and Post-structuralism
. Wittgenstein and Social Theory
Selected Outputs
Selected Screenings
- February 2011, Notation and Interpretation Live Weekend, ICA, London, Changing the System.
- March 2011, Royal Holloway College, University of London, Egham, Knots and Fields.
- March 2011, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London, Knots and Fields.
- November 2010, Coventry University, Coventry, Knots and Fields.
- July 2010, Programmkino Rex and Internationales Musikinstitüt Darmstadt, Germany, Knots and Fields.
- February 2010, Kettle's Yard, Cambridge, Knots and Fields.
- February 2008, Royal College of Art, London, Changing the System.
- November 2007, Centre d'Art Contemporain, Geneva, Changing the System.
- October 2007, Occasionals, London, Changing the System.
- September 2006, Inclusive Communications for Disability Conference, Lobamba, Swaziland, Seeing in the Dark (50-min documentary commissioned by Healthlink International, London).
- Further screenings of Knots and Fields are planned for the Goethe Institute in Rome, and the ISSUE Project Room in New York in 2011.
Selected Research Activities
- May 2010, Sonic Illuminations, National Film Theatre, London (chair of session including Jayne Parker and Anton Lukoszevieze).
- December 2007, Between Categories, Kettle's Yard, Cambridge: 'Film: Describing a Musical Act' (conference paper).
2006-2008, Co-organiser of Thinking Through Practice: A Research Forum - included events with Eyal Weizman (Director Centre for Research Architecture, Goldsmiths, London), David Barrison (Co-director The Ister), and Carles Guerra (Director of N for Negri). - November 2004, Interrupting Connections, London College of Fashion (co-organiser and speaker).
- July 2003, Warp/Woof, AHRB Centre for Theory and History, Leeds University: 'Repeat Performance: Bismuth's Blue Monk in Progress and Enunciative Context' (conference paper).
Translations
Jens-Peter Koerver, 'Nach Reutlingen', in Tom Benson, In Black and White (2010)
Britta E. Buhlmann, 'John Carter - Britisch konkret? Einige Gedanken', in Chris Yetton, John Carter (2010).
Current Research Students
Mike Ricketts: (Post-)Conceptualism / Urbanism
