Journal of Fine Arts: Performing Arts and Music
Year:2020 | Volume:25 | Issue:3|Papers Count:6

In Iranian cinema, it is possible to find various films that have built their own structure on the depiction of boredom of their heroes. In these works, there are passive characters rising from modernity that do not have an affinity with classical cinema’ s active characters. Since these characters are manifesta-tions of modern human conditions, it is possible to recognize their characteristics by investigating their encounter with modernity and urban influence. Despite the discourses related to modernity and that Flaneur is often considered a person who warmly embraces the stimuli and discord of the modern city, Some theoreticians believe that Flanerie might be read with what Simmel has regarded as a blasé characteristic of modern subjects. From Simmel’ s point of view, “ devaluating the whole objective world” is the experience of a blasé person who is devoid of “ qualities. ” This leads to a perception based on Simmel’ s analyses and thoughts that have left a great influence on Walter Benjamin’ s ideas in his discussions about concepts such as distraction and boredom. Benjamin believed that when passing through the modern city, in confrontation with the assault of images, the eye would lose its ability to concentrate, and as a result, a new kind of perception would emerge, which is a perception based on the movement of eyes between countless and diverse surfaces and images, that is associated with the impossibility of contemplation and concentration: the distracted perception. The main point is that despite the existence of films focused on the concept of boredom, very little research has been done about Iranian cinema that focuses on how to display boredom and blasé thus far. In order to investigate the perception of this subject in confrontation with urban modernity based on the ideas of Simmel and Benjamin, this research focuses on Gavkhooni )The River’ s End) directed by Behrooz Afkhami. In most of the works that try to depict their character’ s boredom, this concept appears more at a narrative/fictional level, and the filmmaker is not able to convert the sense into the cinematic matter. According to the discussed issues in the present article, Gavkhooni )The River’ s End) is declared a specific example of Iranian post-revolution cinema, which succeeded in developing the character/narrator’ s boredom at various cinematic levels. For example, the relation between boredom and the narrator is reproduced in the relation between him and the geography of the city of Isfahan. In order to visualize as much as possible the aimlessness and boredom of the character, which emerges as a result of the daily routine that surrounded him, Afkhami creates a vague cinematic city that is far from the real geography of Isfahan. As a result, and according to the findings of this study, it can be stated that Gavkhooni )The River’ s End) goes beyond merely displaying a narrative about the boredom and has succeeded in improving this sense based on the fundamental features of cinematic art.

The concept of sustainable development is considered in all contemporary activities, including the arts, and has been utilized in the cinema. Since 2004, this progressive concept was revealed with introduction of the term “ Ecocinema” as a field of study. Earlier, film criticism and analysis of ecolog-ical issues was limited to the works of critics such as Wilson, Armstrong, Seibert, Mitman, and Bousé with focus on wildlife documentaries. But from 2004 on wards and within a short time, all kinds of cinematic genres, from fictional to documentary and experimental films attracted the attention of critics. Similarly, many researchers from the humanities and social sciences have focused on ecological issues in cinema studies. As we see, nowadays, there is an expansion of ecofeminist studies; which is the representation of gender, ethnic, and racial issues, along with local and global actions within the context of environmental and biological justice and ecosystems. Besides considering the effects of cinema as an industry on the environment, part of these studies focus on the promotion of ecological awareness and the role and effectiveness of cinema with regards to social and cognitive responses. In this regard, the aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between aesthetics of cinematic image and environmental awareness of the audience. For this purpose, the relationship between sustainable development and aesthetics is explained initially, and then, an attempt is made to classify different ecosystems from a thematic and a range of studies so that later on, the relation between image or visual aesthetics and ecological awareness can be compared. Thus, dividing these two viewpoints into two general categories for a comparison and critical analysis. This paper addresses the written views of experts in this field by using descriptive-analytical and critical approaches. While some experts such as Mitman, Brereton and Ingram believe in explicitly loading the ecological message into films based on common patterns and forms of filmmaking, Bousé , McDonald, Vivanco, and Ladino find commercial cinema lacking the power to influence environmental awareness and argue that the avant-garde empirical cinema, which uses different aesthetic forms than commercial cinema to express its subject matter, is the perfect vehicle for projecting ecological issues. Also, the critical examination of the two groups’ views reflects three serious challenges in their analysis: 1) In many analyses, the relationship between aesthetics and environmental perception is not based on a theoretical basis, 2) In many works, serious attention is not paid to the main texts of research which are films in this case, 3) In many of these works that emphasize on audience behavior analysis, field research does not perform. The results of the paper indicate that while all critics agree on the central idea that cinema is capable of portraying environmental issues and a closer analysis of films from an ecological perspective can reveal fascinating assessments on the relationship of cinema with the world around us, but in terms of the relationship between aesthetics and ecological awareness, there are profound theoretical and intellectual differences that go back to how ecological issues are represented.

An important feature of Radif, in Iranian music repertoire, is consecutive modulations )otherwise known as modulation chains). In this article, we try to search for the roots of these modulations and find the probable reasons for the changing notes in Dastgah-e Mahoor from MirzaAbdollah-version. There have not been any specific explanations with this subject in mind in previously published references even though there are numerous articles with general and qualitative theories about the compositional structure and theory of Dastgah. The first step of this procedure is specification of the unattached and semi-unattached notes with regard to the defined basic scale of Dastgah-e Mahoor. They can be determined as the notes that are prone to change. Unattached and semi-unattached notes are defined as notes that do not have perfect fourth interval relationship with other scale notes. As an explanation, the first ones do not have fourth interval from two sides, and the second ones do not have from one side with scale notes. These definitions, is derived from Owen Wright’ s definition, but with a little difference in regards to the unattached note in relation to determining the consonance ratio. On the other hand, the presence of dissonance factors can exert principals without violating the aural structure when composing melodies. In this discussion, the perfect fourth interval has a pivotal role. It is not only a criterion for melodic intervals, but it is used as an important interval for defining unattached or semi-unattached notes and finally for any changing notes. The other dissonance factors are about the sequence and presence of melodic intervals named “ Tanini” and “ Mojannab” and “ Baghieh” in a Tet-rachord. Safieddin was the first documented individual whom theorized the arrangements of these intervals for the formation of consonance tetrachords. He has mentioned some tips in this matter, about taking to account of them in progression of a melody. So these criteria could use for more smooth and beautiful compositional lines, including Radifs gushehs. In fact, it is assumed that the Safieddin’ s rules, which occurred before the formation of the Radifs, could have functionality within this form. Therefore, the researchers could use this theory in their analysis, as well. Investigating the Mahoor scale, the fourth and seventh notes do not have a perfect fourth interval. Therefore, it expected that the first changing notes are these. By use of this method, you can justify some Gushehs like “ Shekaste” and others, thus, transferring from one mode to another to resolve the dissonances. In this way, some little Gushehs are for the use as connectors. The ones between Shekaste and Rak mostly have this role. According to analysis on Dastgah-e Mahoor in this article, beside the mentioned dissonance factors, some other matters need to consider for explaining the main subject, changing notes. Practicable playing register of Tar, condition of the changing notes and condition of expression are of these matters. For example, because of their register, some changing notes cannot play in their right octave, so they appear in other octave.

The first Iranian choir was founded in 1946 by Ruben Grigoryan, an Iranian-Armenian composer and choirmaster. Since then, many choral groups have been established, and Iranian composers have had remarkable success with choral folksong arrangements. However, Iranian choral music, outside the genre of Iranian national music, has faced chal-lenges and obstacles which in turn has affected its progress. Some of these challenges were linked to vocal and verbal complexities, in relation to Iranian culture and literature which is reflected in the repertoire’ s limitations. Other unforeseeable obstacles were due to the aesthetic culture of Iranian audiences, and the fact that some Iranian musicians were opposed to promoting Western music which they associated with choral music. The history of Western music has shown that polyphony has been closely linked to religious vocal music. And over time, most polyphonic techniques have shifted from vocal )choral) music to instrumental music. This evidence suggests that “ polyphonic texture” is one of the cornerstones of choral music and is linked to the formation and development of religious music and their relevant genres. The opposing viewpoints of church music with Iranian religious culture has been yet another reason why choral music has been overlooked in Iran. In addition to the reasons mentioned above, other dilemmas facing Iranian choral music are that there are few written sources on Persian choral music, and much of the choral work of Iranian composers has not been published. One notable source in the history of Iranian choral music is Amir Ashraf Aryanpour’ s book, “ Iranian music from the Constitutional Revolution to the Revolution of the Islamic Republic of Iran” , which includes reports on the establishment and activities of Iranian choirs. The present study, based on a few written and audio sources, as well as using interview methods and questionnaires, has explained and analyzed the challenges and obstacles of Iranian choral music. In this study, we interviewed ten Iranian musicians, among whom were composers, choirmasters, and musicologists, about the issues of Iranian choral music. Also, the opinions of 170 musicians such as researchers, instrumentalists, vocalists were surveyed through a Likert-type questionnaire. This study focuses on the main issues of Iranian choral music and studies the reasons for its underdevelopment. This research evaluates the factors of the non-expansion of choral music in Iran as follows: the complexities of composing and performing Iranian choral works, the strangeness of the Western choral singing style and the lack of connection between Western religious choral works and Iranian audiences. The present study emphasizes that future research on the social effects of singing in Iranian choirs can be effective in the development of Iranian choral music. In addition, in order to overcome the technical quandaries of choral music, Iranian composers must take a definitive approach to this genre and explore polyphonic features present in Iranian music and incorporate them in this genre. This way, the popularity of this genre will grow in addition to presenting its originality and identity, thus relating better with the Iranian audiences.

Literal and Figurative approaches have always been prominent issues for researchers who L have surveyed several literary archetypes, and have used either literary or linguistic approaches in order to gain a better understanding of these two literary forms. Contradictions between the literal and figurative forms of rhetoric figures, as a form of language, has represented itself as a polemical matter in classical literary and dramatic texts. Erich Auerbach is one the authors who probed into these two central archetypes in Western literature by discussing both Homer’ s Iliad and Odyssey and the Holy Bible. He compares these two important literal texts with each other, and creates two new worlds by those two texts. Known as “ Ireland’ s Chekhov, ” Brian Friel is one of the most prominent dramatist of Ireland in the last fifty years. Dramatist experts of Ireland believe that he is the true successor of playwrights like Yeats, Synge and O’ Casey. He studied at catholic school and church to be a priest. Then he changed his path to be an instructor, narrator and a playwright at the same time. The play Molly Sweeney, which is Brian Friel’ s magnum opus, is one of those special cases impressed partly by Homer’ s Iliad and Odyssey, as well as the biblical archetypes with literal and figurative literary forms. Sometimes in literary and dramatic texts, we face an obscure and dark point where the text tells nothing about them. To be more precise, sometimes the reader faces a question about the characters or the story and sometimes he or she is unable to understand part of the text correctly where the text has no answer. Therefore, the “ ambiguity” is the problem in such texts. As a result, without attaining all semantic arrangements and word order, one cannot attain the fact. Also without considering the artwork’ s general context, no correct readings happen. A context consisting of words, clauses and sentences bound to each other, forms a shape that shows the architecture of the artwork. Therefore, it should be noted that it is the “ Context” which leads us to the correct answers of the questions or ambiguities. The ambiguity in the relationship between the “ Mother” and “ Father” , and the fact that the father does not letting Molly go to school, is not an issue perceivable in the first reading of the text. Given the fact that Friel studied at a catholic school, and acted as a priest, and was an author with language-centric concerns, we may consider signs of the Bible context into the text. Figurative readings of the play and discovering the hidden metaphors into ambiguities in this play has been done on the basis of Erich Auerbach’ s ideas reflected in his book Mimesis. Through this reading, we may face a form of metaphoric pattern in Molly Sweeney, and the necessity of close reading of this text within a Biblical context and a descriptive and analytical manner, leads us to a better understanding of the metaphoric pattern, and paves the way for answering the internal ambiguities of this play.

Literature and the performing arts can be considered as two comparable systems that often have similarities in narrative features. The aim of this study is to recognize how movies use narrative methods and techniques in conveying meaning to the audience, based on postmodern literary theories; and it presents arguments to answer this question: Which postmodern literary expression techniques are used to convey meaning in movies? Our finding showed that the narrative structure of “ Inception” was uniquely similar to postmodern novels with at least eleven narrative features of postmodern novels that have been used to convey meaning to the audience. Implicit to “ Memento” and anachronism were the most important postmodernist feature in the film “ Inception” . This film consciously merged reality and representation and created a vicious circle in the viewer’ s mind. Simulation in the Jean Baudrillard theory, manifested itself in movies and signs were no longer a reflection of reality. Short circuit to closing the gap between the real world and the fiction was another feature of the narrative that are used in postmodern movies. Presence of the dead character such as “ Mal” and its relationship to the living was similar to the phenomenon of short circuit in David Lodge ‘ s theory. The principle of contradiction, can manifest itself as a conceptual and visual inconsistency in movies similar to novels. The conversations between Sative and Dammkab at the end of the film was the example of contradiction in the movie “ Inception” . Although only brief moments passed, the effects of aging can be seen on the faces of both characters clearly. Attention to subcultures and cultural eclecticism was very important in the postmodern novel, which was presented as the abolition of racist and patriarchal roles in this film. In fact, this phenomenon indicates the emergence of “ Pluralism” in the postmodern world and collapse of “ Centrist” in modern thought. Unexpected changes in camera angle, distortion and metamorphosis of image in “ Inception” were the examples of the language disorder in postmodern novels. According to the content of the story, in some scenes of the film, the lack of attention to gravity is evident. Demonstrating the inability of human beings to penetrate to deeper levels of dreams indicates the collapse of meta-narratives in the fourth level of dreams. Like the postmodern novels, the film constantly reminds the viewer that the story and film are artificial. Planting an idea in the human mind was an example of the collapse of values in this film. This developmental descriptiveanalytical study compared two different systems of literature and cinema. Information was collected through library searching and sample movie viewing )Inception, 2010, Christopher Nolan). The data have been selected purposefully from the actions and dialogues. The information has been compared with the techniques that are used in postmodern novels and has been analyzed and interpreted qualitatively.