Translation Studies Research Seminar Series: Louis and Languages In brief Date - 20 March 2024 Venue - Room LG.09, 40 George Square Film - Louis and Languages ('Louis et les langues', dir. Aurélien Froment, 2023) Format - Film screening followed by a Q&A Chair - Katherine Heller Abstract Although we can look away or close our eyes, we can't close our ears. In his film 'Louis and Languages' (2023, 22 mins), Aurélien Froment makes this idea tangible by exploring cinematically the perception of a body refusing to communicate. The film is born from a 3-year long examination into the two books published in French by Louis Wolfson. As an American young man, Wolfson was diagnosed with schizophrenia. This condition and its treatment triggered a rejection of English, his mother tongue. His entire life has been shaped by this negation, as depicted in 'Le Schizo et les langues' (Paris, Gallimard, 1970). In response, Wolfson taught himself Russian, Hebrew, German and French. Equipped with a battery of foreign words connected through etymology, he looked for coping mechanisms with the hope to function like anyone else. How is it to live as a foreigner in one’s own mother tongue? In an era characterised by the possibility of instant global communication and transparency, the experience of Wolfson cast a unique light on our relation to language, and its expected legibility. Through this film, Aurélien Froment imagines a way to tell Louis Wolfson’s poignant story to an English-speaking audience. About the director Aurélien is a lecturer in Art at the Edinburgh College of Art in the University of Edinburgh where he teaches art practice and a moving image introduction to BA students. He is the current School of Art director of research. Aurélien has developed his art practice through an interest in cinema. Following intensive research, his works channel histories and ideas of concrete utopias, tracing their origins and circulation through to the present day. From films conceived as small theatres (The Apse, the Bell and the Antelope, 2005), to large-scale photographic installations (Théâtre optique, 2023), his work has been presented in institutions internationally including at Les Rencontres de la photographie (2023), Centre Pompidou (2022), Institut pour la photographie (2021), Wellcome Collection (2019), M Museum (2017), Dakar Biennale (2016), Sydney Biennale (2014), Venice Biennale (2013), and Gwangju Biennale (2010). 'Louis and Languages' has been selected for the New Cinema Award at the Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival (2024) and is in competition at the International Documentary Festival Cinema du reel (Paris, 2024). How to attend This screening is free to attend and open to all. It is in-person only, but no registration is required. About the seminar series Each semester, we welcome a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues to present a seminar on their work in translation. Our seminar series is run collaboratively by staff and postgraduate students, enabling our early career researchers to build networks and experience. This semester, the students are Katherine Heller and David Hayes. Entry is free and no booking is required. Everyone is welcome. Ask us for a link to join the seminar online Are you interested in Translation Studies at Edinburgh? Providing excellent teaching and supervision, our postgraduate MSc and PhD programmes are among the UK's most comprehensive and flexible. Our expertise covers a wide range of research areas and many languages, of which you can choose to work with two. Find out more about postgraduate programmes in Translation Studies Mar 20 2024 16.10 - 17.30 Translation Studies Research Seminar Series: Louis and Languages Join us in-person for a free screening of the recently-released film 'Louis and Languages' (dir. Aurélien Froment, 2023), based off an examination of the life of Louis Wolfson by Aurélien Froment (Edinburgh College of Art). Room LG.09 40 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9JX Find the venue
Translation Studies Research Seminar Series: Louis and Languages In brief Date - 20 March 2024 Venue - Room LG.09, 40 George Square Film - Louis and Languages ('Louis et les langues', dir. Aurélien Froment, 2023) Format - Film screening followed by a Q&A Chair - Katherine Heller Abstract Although we can look away or close our eyes, we can't close our ears. In his film 'Louis and Languages' (2023, 22 mins), Aurélien Froment makes this idea tangible by exploring cinematically the perception of a body refusing to communicate. The film is born from a 3-year long examination into the two books published in French by Louis Wolfson. As an American young man, Wolfson was diagnosed with schizophrenia. This condition and its treatment triggered a rejection of English, his mother tongue. His entire life has been shaped by this negation, as depicted in 'Le Schizo et les langues' (Paris, Gallimard, 1970). In response, Wolfson taught himself Russian, Hebrew, German and French. Equipped with a battery of foreign words connected through etymology, he looked for coping mechanisms with the hope to function like anyone else. How is it to live as a foreigner in one’s own mother tongue? In an era characterised by the possibility of instant global communication and transparency, the experience of Wolfson cast a unique light on our relation to language, and its expected legibility. Through this film, Aurélien Froment imagines a way to tell Louis Wolfson’s poignant story to an English-speaking audience. About the director Aurélien is a lecturer in Art at the Edinburgh College of Art in the University of Edinburgh where he teaches art practice and a moving image introduction to BA students. He is the current School of Art director of research. Aurélien has developed his art practice through an interest in cinema. Following intensive research, his works channel histories and ideas of concrete utopias, tracing their origins and circulation through to the present day. From films conceived as small theatres (The Apse, the Bell and the Antelope, 2005), to large-scale photographic installations (Théâtre optique, 2023), his work has been presented in institutions internationally including at Les Rencontres de la photographie (2023), Centre Pompidou (2022), Institut pour la photographie (2021), Wellcome Collection (2019), M Museum (2017), Dakar Biennale (2016), Sydney Biennale (2014), Venice Biennale (2013), and Gwangju Biennale (2010). 'Louis and Languages' has been selected for the New Cinema Award at the Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival (2024) and is in competition at the International Documentary Festival Cinema du reel (Paris, 2024). How to attend This screening is free to attend and open to all. It is in-person only, but no registration is required. About the seminar series Each semester, we welcome a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues to present a seminar on their work in translation. Our seminar series is run collaboratively by staff and postgraduate students, enabling our early career researchers to build networks and experience. This semester, the students are Katherine Heller and David Hayes. Entry is free and no booking is required. Everyone is welcome. Ask us for a link to join the seminar online Are you interested in Translation Studies at Edinburgh? Providing excellent teaching and supervision, our postgraduate MSc and PhD programmes are among the UK's most comprehensive and flexible. Our expertise covers a wide range of research areas and many languages, of which you can choose to work with two. Find out more about postgraduate programmes in Translation Studies Mar 20 2024 16.10 - 17.30 Translation Studies Research Seminar Series: Louis and Languages Join us in-person for a free screening of the recently-released film 'Louis and Languages' (dir. Aurélien Froment, 2023), based off an examination of the life of Louis Wolfson by Aurélien Froment (Edinburgh College of Art). Room LG.09 40 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9JX Find the venue
Mar 20 2024 16.10 - 17.30 Translation Studies Research Seminar Series: Louis and Languages Join us in-person for a free screening of the recently-released film 'Louis and Languages' (dir. Aurélien Froment, 2023), based off an examination of the life of Louis Wolfson by Aurélien Froment (Edinburgh College of Art).
