Arts & International Affairs: Volume 3, Issue 1, Spring 2018 | Page 37

ARTS & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Global Cultural Fellows Programme by Guy Gotto (password: aia37)
In addition, documentarian Guy Gotto has prepared a short film to accompany each
day’s discussions among the Fellows. These films are also published below for pedagogic
purposes. The following multimodal entries for each day reproduce three things: (1)
theme descriptions in italics; (2) IICR blog entries for each day, and (3) documentary
films from each day. The entries are preceded by a short reflection from Guy Gotto on
the ethnography of capturing participatory deliberations through visual media.
Reflections from a Documentarian on Creative Social Engagement
By Guy Gotto
As a practicing filmmaker, and particularly in my experience with documentary, I have
learnt the importance of being engaged and present, even when the camera is not rolling.
This enables additional information to be gleaned about the subjects (which I am able
to incorporate into my work) and also helps to blur the line between what is and is not
being documented. As such, subjects feel less self-conscious (or performative) when the
camera is recording, leading to a more naturalistic style of filmmaking. These experiences
have changed my own behaviour, and this has been crucial for how I documented the
IICR Global Cultural Fellows programme.
Preparation for a large project with uncertain results means taking the time to research
an organisation and understand its overall aims and objectives, along with the individuals
involved. I endeavour to obtain a clear view of the organisation that I am working
with in order to gain an understanding of its public-facing identity. From this, I am able
to garner two key pieces of information: how the organisation wants to be perceived;
and how I, as an autonomous observer, perceive the organisation. These jumping off
points will eventually lead the narrative I construct.
A lens is trained on you; you pose for the picture. You change how you physically present
yourself for others to see. With cameras being such an intrinsic part of contemporary
society, it has become a motor reflex to be aware of a camera in the room, extending the
cognitive function of gaze detection. The observer effect in physics, a theory that postulates
that the simple observation of a phenomenon necessarily changes that phenome-
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