Encountering Experimental Cinema as Performance Art: Focusing on the Theories of David Davies (Case Studies: the films

Yarmohammadi, Mehdi; Piravi Vanak, Marzieh

doi:10.22059/jfadram.2026.410803.616207

Encountering Experimental Cinema as Performance Art: Focusing on the Theories of David Davies (Case Studies: the films "Jam-e Hasanlu" and” In Jam-e Jahan bin" Directed by Mohammad Reza Aslani)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Mehdi Yarmohammadi ¹

Marzieh Piravi Vanak ²

¹ PhD Candidate in Art Research in Art Univeristy of Isafahan

² Full Professor at Isfahan University of Art

10.22059/jfadram.2026.410803.616207

Abstract

Abstract

Experimental cinema, by challenging established narrative and representational patterns, opens a new dimension of artistic encounter where the artwork transcends a finished product to become a performative event realized through the viewer’s presence. Grounded in David Davies’s theory of the artwork as action and event, this study explores the ontological, epistemological, and experiential dimensions of experimental cinema to analyze its conceptual affinity with performance art. Addressing how experimental cinema extends beyond text-centered interpretations, the research employs a qualitative, analytical-interpretive approach, focusing on Mohammad Reza Aslani’s Jam-e Hasanlu and In Jam-e Jahan-bin as seminal examples of Iranian experimental cinema.

Findings indicate that fragmented narrative structures, an emphasis on presence and process, and the activation of the viewer’s perceptual engagement elevate the film to a performative event where meaning is enacted rather than merely conveyed. Consequently, the viewer acts as a co-creator, participating in the work’s realization. This artistic experience, framed as a shared act, enables a profound redefinition of the fundamental concepts of artwork, audience, and encounter.

Keywords

Audience encounter

Experimental cinema

Performance art

David Davies

Jam-e Hasanlu

In Jam-e Jahan-bin

Subjects