%0 Journal Article
%T Cinema as Archeology: The Acousm那tre and the Multiple Layering of Temporality and Spatiality
%A Hye Jean Chung
%J Contemporaneity : Historical Presence in Visual Culture
%D 2011
%I University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
%R 10.5195/contemp.2011.22
%X Michel Chion＊s concept of the ※acousm那tre§ is useful when exploring the spectator＊s cinematic experience in regard to the juxtaposition of sound and image, as the acousmatic presence troubles the false sense of unity that is created by the synchronization of sound and image by its invocation of off-screen space through sound. The acousm那tre neither prioritizes sound nor image but calls attention to the disjunction between them. Also, the acousm那tre leaves the source of the sound open to imagination and interpretation. Thus the presence of the acousm那tre destabilizes the seemingly unified, contained realm of the film by expanding the temporal and spatial boundaries of the diegesis. In this essay I explore how the power of this ghostly voice of the acousm那tre is manifested in cinema, and the significance of its power to the spectators in their relationship to the film, by asking questions regarding the function and effect of the disembodied voice and spectral presence of the acousm那tre, the scope of the acousm那tre＊s power, and what can be created from the disequilibrium that is provoked by this power. I explore possible answers by analyzing the use of the acousmatic voice in Y Tu Mama Tambien (dir. Alfonso Cuaron, 2001) and Calendar (dir. Atom Egoyan, 1993).
%K acousmetre
%K archaeology
%K sound theory in cinema
%U http://contemporaneity.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/contemporaneity/article/view/22