Work by Vincent O'Brien, shared on . Posted in Showcase

Researching Everyday Lives

Researching Everyday Lives was produced as part of a multi disciplinary study into health and well being in rural communities in Kazakhstan.

Researching Everyday Lives emerged during an visual ethnography study exploring everyday life, health and well being in rural communities in Kazakhstan. The Funders (Ministry of Education and Science Innovative Research Fund) asked for exhibition materials for a national event celebrating Research Innovation in Kazakhstan. As is often the case it was a very last minute request (demand?) so I put the film together the film in four hour late night editing spree. A day later I had some Russian Subtitles sent to me and made some minor revisions to the film to tidy it up. It gives some insights into how the research was carried out and the whole experience- from fieldwork to film editing- demonstrates, to me at least, how important it is to be flexible and responsive when you are working across language and cultural boundaries. My co ethnographer on this project was Dr Ian Convery, University of Cumbria.

The film and a photographic exhibit will be shown at the Ministry of Education and Science exhibition Education- Science- Innovation in Astana, Kazakhstan during April 2013.

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  • If you want to tell the untold stories, if you want to give voice to the voiceless, you’ve got to find a language. Which goes for film as well as prose, for documentary as well as autobiography. Use the wrong language, and you’re dumb and blind.

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