Susannah Gent

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Dr Susannah R Gent Ph.D.

Senior lecturer (Film and Media Production)

Summary

Susannah Gent is a filmmaker, artist and senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University where she teaches undergraduate and post-graduate film production. Her films that have gained awards at international festivals over the past twenty years explore experimental approaches to representing subjectivity. Her Ph.D., for which she obtained a full-pass in 2019, combines interdisciplinary research including philosophy, psychoanalysis, neuroscience, and filmmaking to explore the uncanny and hauntology. Current research explores physical space, psychical space, and cinematic space through filmmaking and academic publication.

Susannah R Gent

About

Web

ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0091-2555

Overview

Susannah Gent is a filmmaker, artist and senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University where she teaches undergraduate and post-graduate film production. Her films that have gained awards at international festivals over the past twenty years explore experimental approaches to representing subjectivity. Her Ph.D., for which she obtained a full-pass in 2019, combines interdisciplinary research including philosophy, psychoanalysis, neuroscience, and filmmaking to explore the uncanny and hauntology. Current research explores physical space, psychical space, and cinematic space through filmmaking and academic publication.

Experience

Academic Appointments
Senior Lecturer, Media Arts, Sheffield Hallam University 2008-present

Education

Degrees

- Ph.D. Creative practice research, Sheffield Hallam University. Thesis: "The neuroscientific uncanny: a filmic investigation of twenty-first century hauntology", Supervisor: Kivland S 2014-2019
- MA Film & Television production (distinction) Sheffield Hallam University / Northern Media School 1992-1996
- BA (hons) Graphic design, film and animation (1st) Liverpool John Moores University 1989-1992

Certifications

Higher Education Academy, Fellow (FHEA) 2008

Publications

- Gent, S. (2020, May 13). Susannah Gent: a retrospective [Films]. Oberhausen, Germany. Retrieved from https://www.kurzfilmtage.de/en/blog-festival-2020-en/

- Gent, S. (2019). The neuroscientific uncanny: a filmic investigation of twenty-first century hauntology. (PhD Thesis).

- Gent, S. (2019). Haruspex: The birth and death of a spirit guide. [Video].

- Gent, S. (n.d.). The Unconscious and the City: A Neuropsychoanalytic Exploration of Cinematic Space. In A. A. Kavakoglu (Ed.), Narrating the City. Intellect Books.
- Gent, S., Watson, A., Lee, J., Wichert, P., Robinson, S., Robinson, A., . . . Lazenby, M. (2018, November 29). Walk Out (No. Of Pieces: 15) [Video, photography, and sculpture]. Sheffield Institute for Art. Retrieved from here.

- Gent, S. (2018). Unhomely Street: The unconscious and the city. In Moving Images - Static Spaces: Architecture, Art, Media, Film, Digital Art and Design. Altinbas University, Istanbul. Retrieved from here.

- Gent, S. (2017). Exorcising Unhomely Street: filmic intuition and the representation of post-concussive syndrome. Journal for Artistic Research, 14. doi:10.22501/jar.285865
- Watson, A., Lee, J., Parkin, M., Gent, S., Robinson, A., Robinson, S., & Lazenby, M. (2017). SOLAR - a walking app. Sheffield Hallam University Catalyst Fund.
- Gent, S. (2016). The neuroscientific uncanny: an investigation into the limits of scientific method. In Wild or Domesticated: Uncanny in Historical and Contemporary Perspectives to Mind, Interdisciplinary conference. House of Science and Letters, Helsinki, Finland.
- Gent, S. (2016). The wandering mind: a filmic investigation of the uncanny and the walking body. In Wild or Domesticated: Uncanny in Historical and Contemporary Perspectives to Mind. House of Science and Letters, University of Turku, Helsinki, Finland.
- Gent, S. (2016). The voice of anxiety : affect through tone in filmic narration and voice-over. In Performance and performability: actualities and futures (pp. 10 pages). Leeds Humanitied Research Institute, University of Leeds. Retrieved from here.

- Gent, S. (2015). A 20x20 PK style presentation of art practice and scientific study as research methodology in the C3RI Method conference 2015. In METHOD: Ingenuity, Integration, Insight. 2015. Sheffield Hallam University. Watson, A., Lee, J., Gent, S., Ternan, M., Parkin, M., Robinson, A., & Robinson, S. (2015). Poster for Media Arts Walking Research Group. Poster session presented a

Script writing, film directing, experimental film, art direction, visual effects

Teaching

Department of Media Arts and Communication

College of Social Sciences and Arts

Susannah is currently in production with an experimental film which explores the subject of hauntology

Subject Area

Media Arts and Communication

Courses

- BA: Film and Television production
- MA: Filmmaking

Modules

- BA: Production Techniques: Creative Project Realisation
- BA: Major Project Development
- BA: Major Project Production
- MA: Production and Realisation

Research

In progress is a short film adaptation of ‘The Cellar’, a short story by the writer Nicholas Royle. The film, shot during lock-down in summer 2020, features one performer and is produced without a crew. It is an experiment in both adaptation and solo work.

A longer essay film is in progress that explores the experience of the sublime. The work is a progression of the Ph.D. research and expands an exploration of the relation between cinematic and psychological space. This research will form a portfolio of interdisciplinary academic publication that orbits around the film.

Featured Projects

Relevant Projects

Research outputs include the twenty-minute essay film, Unhomely Street and associated portfolio of academic outputs including: ‘The Unconscious and the City’, in Narrating the City, edited by Ayşegül Akçay, Bristol: Intellect Books, 2019, following a conference contribution at ‘Moving Images, Static Spaces’, 2018, and ‘Exorcising Unhomely Street: Filmic Intuition and the Representation of Post-Concussive Syndrome’, Journal for Artistic Research, issue 14, 2017. The short film, Influence of Mars, premiered at the Hamburg International Short Film Festival, 2017. Originally made for ‘Solar: Walking at the Speed of Light’, a collaborative art project including an app, the film has screened at the International Short Film Festival of Oberhausen in 2018 and again as part of the Profile: Susannah Gent in 2020, a retrospective of twenty years of films. Coinciding with the retrospective, the French / German broadcaster Arte screened the film alongside a short documentary on Susannah Gent films.

Publications

Journal articles

Bolland, E., Calver, J., Clarke, H., Finney, L., Gent, S., Kivland, S., ... Smith, R. (2020). The Work as Will. Inscription, 1 (1), 6-15. https://inscriptionjournal.com/2020/06/20/roland-barthes-reading-group/

Bolland, E., Calver, J., Clarke, H., Finney, L., Gent, S., Kivland, S., ... Smith, R. (2020). The Work as Will. Inscription, 1 (1), 6-15. https://inscriptionjournal.com/2020/06/20/roland-barthes-reading-group/

Gent, S. (2017). Exorcising Unhomely Street: filmic intuition and the representation of post-concussive syndrome. Journal for Artistic Research, 14. http://doi.org/10.22501/jar.285865

Conference papers

Gent, S. (2023). Artistic Lines Of Flight: The Mutual-aid Rhizome And The Recovery Machine. In Hristov, Đ., Mađanović, M., & Žikić, S. (Eds.) Deleuze and Guattari Studies Conference 2023: “Space | Control | Resistance”, Belgrade, Serbia, 10 July 2023 - 12 July 2023 (pp. 158-159). Belgrade: Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade: https://ifdt.bg.ac.rs/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/DGS2023-Book-of-Abstracts.pdf

Gent, S. (2022). “Psychotel: Generating Uncanny Representations Through Research-informed, Affect-led Film Production”. In The Uncanny in Language, Literature and Culture, London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Birkbeck College, University of London, 13 August 2022 - 14 August 2022. https://uncanny.lcir.co.uk/

Gent, S. (2022). “Psychotel: Generating Uncanny Representations Through Research-informed, Affect-led Film Production”. In The Uncanny in Language, Literature and Culture, London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Birkbeck College, University of London, 13 August 2022 - 14 August 2022. https://uncanny.lcir.co.uk/

Gent, S. (2022). Adapting film creative project realisation to Covid teaching conditions. In 2022 ECREA OSC Conference: a new era of (digital) teaching? Theory, Creativity and Responsibility in Communication Education, Online, 9 February 2022.

Gent, S. (2020). The Mind Outside the In-Box: The Creative and Collaborative Space of the Walking Arts Research Group. In Anthropology and Geography, Dialogues Past, Present, and Future, The British Museum (orig) / online, 14 September 2020 - 18 September 2020. The Royal Anthropological Institute: https://www.therai.org.uk/conferences/anthropology-and-geography

Gent, S. (2019). Intuitive filmmaking and the territorial unconscious [abstract only]. In The 12th annual Deleuze & Guattari Studies academic camp and conference, London, UK, 8 July 2019 - 10 July 2019.

Gent, S. (2018). Unhomely Street: The unconscious and the city. In Moving Images - Static Spaces: Architecture, Art, Media, Film, Digital Art and Design, Altinbas University, Istanbul, 12 April 2018 - 13 April 2018. http://architecturemps.com/proceedings/

Gent, S. (2016). The neuroscientific uncanny: an investigation into the limits of scientific method. In Wild or Domesticated: Uncanny in Historical and Contemporary Perspectives to Mind, Interdisciplinary conference, House of Science and Letters, Helsinki, Finland, 20 September 2016 - 22 September 2016.

Gent, S. (2016). The wandering mind: a filmic investigation of the uncanny and the walking body. In Wild or Domesticated: Uncanny in Historical and Contemporary Perspectives to Mind, House of Science and Letters, University of Turku, Helsinki, Finland, 20 September 2016 - 22 September 2016.

Gent, S. (2016). The voice of anxiety : affect through tone in filmic narration and voice-over. In Performance and performability: actualities and futures, Leeds Humanitied Research Institute, University of Leeds, 15 June 2016. http://www.fine-art.leeds.ac.uk/events/performance-and-performativity-actualities-and-futures/

Gent, S. (2016). Methodological windows : a view of the uncannythrough filmmaking, psychoanalysis, and psychology. In METHOD: Ingenuity, Integration, Insight. 2016, Sheffield Hallam University, 12 May 2016.

Book chapters

Gent, S. (2021). The Unconscious and the City: A Neuropsychoanalytic Exploration of Cinematic Space. In Kavakoglu, A.A., Haciomeroglu, T., & Landrum, L. (Eds.) Narrating the City. Mediated Representations of Architecture, Urban Forms and Social Life. (pp. 56-75). Bristol: Intellect Books: https://www.intellectbooks.com/narrating-the-city

Books

Kivland, S. (Ed.). (2020). Roland Barthes's Party. London: MA BIBLIOTHÈQUE. https://mabibliotheque.cargo.site/The-Roland-Barthes-Reading-Group-ROLAND-BARTHES-S-PARTY

Reports

Gent, S., & Kivland, S. (2015). Editions II, Removed from the Eyes. Sheffield: MA Bibliotheque.

Gent, S. (2015). (re)collections: fragments for a retrospective film script for "Project SBSBI". Sheffield: Sheffield hallam University.

Theses / Dissertations

Gent, S. (2019). The neuroscientific uncanny: a filmic investigation of twenty-first century hauntology. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Kivland, S. http://doi.org/10.7190/shu-thesis-00269

Artefacts

Gent, S., Parkin, M., Watson, A., Lee, J., Robinson, A., Robinson, S., & Lazenby, M. (n.d.). Solar. [Video works presented on an app]. https://www.shu.ac.uk/catalyst

Exhibitions

Gent, S., Watson, A., Lee, J., Wichert, P., Robinson, S., Robinson, A., ... Lazenby, M. (2018). Walk Out. [Video, photography, and sculpture]. Sheffield Institute for Art. https://www4.shu.ac.uk/sia/events/event-listing.html?event=282

Gent, S., Watson, A., Lee, J., Wichert, P., Robinson, S., Robinson, A., ... Lazenby, M. (2018). Walk Out. [Video, photography, and sculpture]. Sheffield Institute for Art. https://www4.shu.ac.uk/sia/events/event-listing.html?event=282

Gent, S. (2020). Susannah Gent: a retrospective. [Films]. Oberhausen, Germany. https://www.kurzfilmtage.de/en/blog-festival-2020-en/

Gent, S. (2024). Psychotel 2. [video installation]. Trace Gallery, Wollaton Street Studios, Nottingham.

Media

Gent, S. (2019). Haruspex: The birth and death of a spirit guide. [Video].

Gent, S. (2017). Influence of Mars. [video]. http://susannahgent.weebly.com/

Gent, S. (2016). Unhomely Street. [video].

Watson, A., Lee, J., Gent, S., Ternan, M., Parkin, M., Robinson, A., & Robinson, S. (2015). Showreel for Media Arts Walking Research Group. [DVD]. Sheffield Hallam University: http://www.falmouth.ac.uk/whereto

Gent, S. (n.d.). Pregnant Pussy mash up. [VIDEO]. http://susannahgent.weebly.com/

Gent, S., & Musselwhite, F. (n.d.). Taxidermy for beginners. [Video]. https://vimeo.com/74014681

Gent, S., Hall, C., & Wright, R. (n.d.). Jelly Dolly feature film. [DVD]. Cornerstone Media International

Presentations

Gent, S. (2024). PSYCHOTEL: AUT-ANALYSIS AND THE DELEUZIAN UNCANNY. Presented at: 16th International Deleuze and Guattari Studies Conference, Delft, Holland, 2024

Gent, S. (2015). A 20x20 PK style presentation of art practice and scientific study as research methodology in the C3RI Method conference 2015. Presented at: METHOD: Ingenuity, Integration, Insight. 2015, Sheffield Hallam University, 2015

Gent, S. (2015). 7 Walks. Presented at: Where to? Steps towards the future of walking arts, Falmouth University

Posters

Watson, A., Lee, J., Gent, S., Ternan, M., Parkin, M., Robinson, A., & Robinson, S. (2015). Poster for Media Arts Walking Research Group. Presented at: Where to? Steps towards the future of walking arts, Falmouth University, 2015

Other publications

Watson, A., Lee, J., Parkin, M., Gent, S., Robinson, A., Robinson, S., & Lazenby, M. (2017). SOLAR - a walking app. Sheffield Hallam University Catalyst Fund

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