Constructed from thirty-seven hours of tape recordings of the 1961 Harvard Peabody Expedition to West Papua (which resulted in the creation of a number of noted ethnographic works including Robert Gardner’s Dead Birds), Expedition Content is an augmented sound work that documents the encounter between the expedition group and the Hubula people. Created by anthropologist Veronika Kusumaryati and sound artist Ernst Karel, this piece of sonic cinema reflects on intertwined and complex historical moments in the development of approaches to multimodal anthropology and the ongoing history of colonialism in West Papua, whilst also acting as a fascinating examination of the processes and properties of recorded sound.

Following the live-stream presentation, directors Ernst Karel and Veronika Kusumaryati will be joined by Stephanie Spray, Salomé Voegelin, Nicholas Stanley, and Korneles Siep to discuss Expedition Content, its histories and contexts, and audio in/as ethnography.

Expedition Content | Ernst Karel, Veronika Kusumaryati | 2020 | USA | 78’

You can read an interview with the directors by Che Applewhaite here,

Please note: There will no longer be a second livestream on Monday. This film, and a recording of the live conversation, can now be watched on Festival Scope as part of the festival. Expedition Content is available here in the UK until 15th September.