In digital worlds, ever dominated by screens and proliferating virtual landscapes, what happens to our communications and communities in the face of blurry images? From smartphone applications promising AI interventions that unblur photos to the flow of faster internet speeds that banish rendering and buffering in even higher definition images, the desire for a blur-free world constantly meets its limits in ‘imperfect’ images. Blurry Logics will explore the history of blurred images to understand how and why they have been a focal point for such consternation as well as alternative aesthetic delight.

Dr Laurence Kent is a Lecturer in Digital Film & Television at the University of Bristol. He has published and presented on various topics within film theory and philosophy, from Deleuzian ethics, experimental cinema, Hollywood action film, archiving practices, and anticolonial aesthetics. His articles and book reviews have appeared in Film-Philosophy, Alphaville, Studies in World Cinema, Pli: The Warwick Journal of Philosophy, Frames Cinema Journal, and Cinema: Journal of Philosophy and the Moving Image, amongst others. His current research explores forms of contingency and noise within screen media.

Join us online on YouTube Live, or in the building on Friday 28th February 2025 at 1pm for the talk and to take part in the Q and A discussion afterwards. 

The Pervasive Media Studio is a partnership between the Watershed, University of the West of England and University of Bristol. The lunchtime talks are partly supported by MyWorld, a project led by the University of Bristol to support creative industries in the region. Watershed is supported by Arts Council England.

Address:
Watershed, 1 Canon's Rd, Bristol BS1 5TX

Directions:
The Lunchtime talks take place in the Pervasive Media Studio Event Space. To access the Studio, please go to the Main Watershed Box Office entrance and go upstairs to the Café Bar. Walk across the cafe bar, turn right and walk towards the double doors. Go through into the corridor and walk all the way down until you reach the Studio. A member of staff will sign you in, and check your ticket, if you have booked.

The Studio is wheelchair accessible, and the events space has a hearing loop. The last talk of every month is BSL interpreted. 

For more information on accessing the studio take a look here.

*Please note this is a hybrid event and will be live streamed so please be aware you will be in the live broadcast and recording when watching in the Studio.