Matthew Kendall: Boisterous Utopia: Dziga Vertov and Soviet Sonic Culture

UIC Art History Colloquium

Matthew Kendall: Boisterous Utopia: Dziga Vertov and Soviet Sonic Culture

Friday, February 7, 2020
3:30–5:00pm
Henry Hall 106

Although better known for his work in silent cinema, the Soviet filmmaker Dziga Vertov pursued an often overlooked sonic experiment with his 1930 sound film, Enthusiasm. This talk addresses a problem that has followed Enthusiasm since its premiere: why was it that Soviet critics rejected Vertov’s work, but their counterparts––audiences and critics abroad––found the film delightful? I contend that the uneven reception of Vertov’s film is evidence for a unique sonic culture that took root in the Soviet Union, where listening and sound were discussed with terms and ideas wholly different from those that defined the ear of capitalist modernity. To do so, I explore a variety of case studies that had unexpected connections with Vertov’s film, ranging from Soviet methods for recording birdsongs, imaginary architectural plans for sound cinemas, and the radio transmission of Vladimir Lenin’s funeral (to name only a few).

Matthew Kendall is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Polish, Russian, and Lithuanian Studies at UIC.