Fourteenth International Conference on The Image

Abstract

This research project explores the impact of film and performance on individuals’ perception and subsequent behavior. Utilizing a documentary film as a catalyst for a structured dialogue, this multi-tiered study examines human behavior both as a reaction to witnessing a documentary, and also within the context of the dialogue process itself. Findings indicate how the process of audiencing allows for empathy, and how interacting with others allows for embodied cognition. The combination of both has transformative power and suggests new directions for the images and archetypes we focus on in popular culture.