Ppt Kat

LOOKING PAST THE RURAL IDYLL History, TV Fiction and the Representation of the Flemish Countryside Rien Emmery (KULeuven) C-HIM, Brussels, 10 March 2009

1. TV IMAGES AND HISTORY  use of TV images for contemporary history ‘ image-driven society’ ‘ bardic function’  very rarely used ‘ mirror for society’  fiction as a source for history of mentalities  TV images = testimonies about the past (Burke) ,[object Object]

2. TV IMAGES AND RURAL HISTORY  20th century: consumption countryside ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object], ‘ idealized’ or ‘commodified’ countryside on TV?  rural idyll as a proxy for social history

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973)  children ’s series (Flemish public broadcaster) ,[object Object],[object Object], set in Flanders, but filmed in idyllic, rural Provence However , the imagery: - not just a distorted or commodified countryside; - part of a consistent narrative on rural Flanders

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.1 Country life in ‘De Kat’ ,[object Object]

Bruno Pinter and Karin Oste at the ‘Rupsentros’

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.1 Country life in ‘De Kat’ ,[object Object],[object Object]

The Belmont estate, ‘a large domain with forests’

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.1 Country life in ‘De Kat’ ,[object Object],[object Object], green , healthy environments, especially for children

[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.1 Country life in ‘De Kat’ ,[object Object],[object Object], green , healthy environments, especially for children  threathened by property developer Oskar Dias

Land surveyors at Belmont, preparing the parcelling of the estate

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.1 Country life in ‘De Kat’ Rural idyll crafted by audiovisual techniques:  ‘ rural signifiers’ - panoramic shots of natural environment - small settlements as introductory, background and linkage shots

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.1 Country life in ‘De Kat’ Rural idyll crafted by audiovisual techniques:  ‘ rural signifiers’ - panoramic shots of natural environment - small settlements as introductory, background and linkage shots  rural ‘soundscapes’  soundtrack

« The Hollebeek used to look like this… »

« … then the factory came… »

«… now the Hollebeek looks like this.»

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.1 Country life in ‘De Kat’ Rural idyll matches the actual evolutions in the Flemish countryside, especially following WW II  surge in rural population (Wet De Taeye) renovated farms vs. ‘fermettes’ parcelling of historical estates ,[object Object],[object Object]

Beautification through planting of flowers Gardening as a rural pastime

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.1 Country life in ‘De Kat’ Rural idyll matches the actual evolutions in the Flemish countryside, especially following WW II  naming of houses

« Living well », symbolized by a horn of plenty « Open House », symbolized by a beehive

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.1 Country life in ‘De Kat’ References to the struggle over rural Flanders between industry, housing, nature conservation,... - leniency of planning administrations, - loopholes in the zoning laws, - economic ‘regional expansion policy’

De Kat confronts illegal dumping Schoolchildren on a visit to a rural landfill site

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.2 Ecological aspects of ‘De Kat’ Narrative of ‘De Kat’ resembles emergence of the Flemish ecological movement: - at first: grassroots initiative against local case of pollution - gradually: global environmental perspective - frequent social commentary on modern ‘greed’ and ‘consumerism’ , i.e. advertising

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.2 Ecological aspects of ‘De Kat’ ‘ De Kat’ and the Flemish ecological movement: - biological gardening - transportation issue and air pollution

Transportation in ‘De Kat’: by cart, by bike or on horseback

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.2 Ecological aspects of ‘De Kat’ ‘ De Kat’ and the Flemish ecological movement: - biological gardening - transportation issue and air pollution - symbolic/expressive modes of action

De Kat ’s signs warning about poisoned water De Kat sealing off an effluent pipeline

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.2 Ecological aspects of ‘De Kat’ ‘ De Kat’ and the Flemish ecological movement: - biological gardening - transportation issue and air pollution - symbolic/expressive modes of action - individual responsability and structural solutions

Vincent Dalkin (outer left) in his laboratory

3. CASE-STUDY: ‘DE KAT’ (1973) 3.2 Ecological aspects of ‘De Kat’ ‘ De Kat’ and the Flemish ecological movement: - biological gardening - transportation issue and air pollution - symbolic/expressive modes of action - individual responsability and structural solutions - importance of environmental education

The environmentalist garden gnome Clovis, voiced by Bruno

De Kat ’s environmental youth club

4. CONCLUSIONS Rural idyll in ‘De Kat’ ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Fictionalized snapshot of the multi-purpose countryside and the environmental movement - absence of agriculture  industry, tourism, housing - embedded within a global ecological message

4. CONCLUSIONS Historical use of images and rural history? ,[object Object],[object Object],We should not assume that viewers are the ‘cultural dupes’ of a hegemonic rural idyll: the imagery in ‘De Kat’ is merely a hyperreal idealization to underline the ecological message

Ppt Kat

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