نشریه هنرهای زیبا - هنرهای نمایشی و موسیقی
پیاپی 71 (پاییز 1400)

Plays represent life stories both through narration and performance. Theatrical literature evokes memories in such a way that these stories become persistent in the stream of consciousness of the audience. This paper seeks to explore the concept of memory with the analysis of characters from three plays: Sleeping in Empty Cups, Echolocation, and The Language of Wild Raspberries by female playwright Naghme Samini. These plays and their structures are evaluated to address the importance of memory for the characters by using a descriptive-analytical research method. In each case study, the main characters of the play are explored based on their behavior and dialogues, with a focus on the concept of collective memory. In this context, collective memories are defined as events that are remembered by a group of people who are involved in building and shaping that memory. The more people remember and recall a shared memory, the greater is the semantic and collective burden of that memory. The case studies are evaluated based on different criteria. One is the main subject of the story and the time that events of the play are happening. Another aspect considered in the three plays is the influence they have on the audience. Characteristics of the leading roles and their behavioral patterns are other factors that were considered in comparison of the three plays. The first case study, Sleeping in Empty Cups, happens in a historical era (Qajar dynasty) and therefore, evokes memories from the past through many references to the social environment of the time. In this play, the audience is encouraged to compare social issues of that era with the challenges of contemporary society. Within the second play, Echolocation, two main eras of the modern history of Iran are compared: before and after the revolution of 1978. Dialogues and events of this play recall many political incidents of the time, but it also includes many symbolic references to ancient myths. The play represents the conflicts between two eras, as well as the oppositions among different characters. The Language of Wild Raspberries is a play that could be categorized as a surreal work that represents many ambiguous concepts both in form and in content. The main events of the play take place in the present, but the story repeatedly moves forward and backward in time. This structure evokes many memories through detailed symbols which are referred to by the characters. The results of this comparative study with these three plays indicate that characters have more significant effects on evoking the audiences' memory through narrations and the creative juxtaposition of the storyline within the dialogues. Among these case studies, The Language of Wild Raspberries has the most influence in terms of persistence in memory. Although the play is a narrative of contemporary life, it contains many details in dialogues, especially by the male character. In all three plays -and mostly in The Language of Wild Raspberries - memories are made and recalled through different time and spatial factors, as well as socio-cultural and perceptional factors.

This article critically assesses the concept of Maktab-e- Esfahan in contemporary history of Iranian classical music in the city of Esfahan. As it is argued, Maktab –e- Esfahan is one of the concepts in Persian classical music that has associated music with the question of identity. It is argued that this term, unlike what is generally projected by its proponents, is a modern phenomenon. Therefore, the birth of Maktab-e- Esfahan is situated in the early 1960's and the exponents of this idea are divided in to two groups: (1) The Sepanta – Kasaei – Omumi faction and; (2) the Yavari – Kazemi group. This concept initially came into written discourse with the writings of Sasan Sepanta in the music journal of Muzik-e- Iran in the early 1960's. The debates concerning this term continued later in the 1970's with performances of a Radif narrative by Hassan Kasaei, the Ney virtuoso and were also reflected in his interviews. In the other faction, Hossein Yavari, also a Ney performer, proposed his orthodox ideas visa-vis Radif and its roots in the city of Esfahan in 1960's and 1970's. It is discussed that the orthodox views of Yavari were targeted against Hassan Kasaei's nationally recognized position as a Ney virtuoso. On the other hand, Hassan Kasaei's views, early in 1970's were a reaction to the music revivalists of Tehran, and specifically the activities of Nourali Borumand, one of the leading revivalists in Tehran, and his emphasis on the significance of the late nineteenth century Qajar repertoire. As it is argued, Kasaei was for many years, one of the most important advocates of the idea. In addition, it is argued that Kasaei's views were formed as a reaction to the changing nature of audience in regards to classical Iranian music in the mid 1960's. Yavari's orthodox views, in post-revolutionary Iran, were pursued by one of his pupils, Abbas Kazemi, who gave a different impetus to a more orthodox narrative of Radif and its roots in Esfahan. His orthodox views too, like his predecessor, were directed against the other faction and the national and local status of Hassan Kasaei as a Ney performer. This article also submits that the Sepanta – Kasaei – Omimi faction had always enjoyed an influential position within musical circles of the city. This authority was on the one hand related to the position of Hassan Kasaei as a virtuoso and on the other hand to the academic background of its experts. Moreover, this wing always enjoyed financial resources. In contrast, the Yavari – Kazemi wing was the subaltern of the city's musical life. This was partly because of the powerful position of the other faction and the weak economic resources of the musicians of this group.

This article seeks to achieve a structure that can be used to study and reproduce action scenes in other types of animation by studying the construction procedure and the points affecting the action scenes in Japanese anime. Japanese anime, with its unique way of capturing action-packed scenes, has for years been a good source of inspiration for many international productions. The article seeks to study the history of the formation of anime from the time of Osamu Tezuka, known as the creator of anime, to the present day, to examine the course of changes observed in the elements of animation, camera movements, decoupage and other factors in action scenes. Then, by selecting the methods of the selected animators, a number of the best works among the anime in the action genre are examined in order to recover the structures used in these works. By resisting anime reading Miyazaki’s films draws a line between anime and other Japanese animations. Ultimately, however, the impact of all Miyazaki films on anime frameworks is undeniable. This article historically / analytically examines and identifies the principles and foundations in the formation of action scenes in Japanese anime, especially in animation methods, decoupage and camera movements, space and the effect of background. The results of the article indicate that one of the most important factors affecting the action scenes of anime is the limited animation, camera movement and visual effects. The most important developments that have taken place throughout the history of the action genre in anime from a technical and visual point of view can be the maturity of the use of limited animation, optimal use of camera movements, the introduction of exaggerated image angles such as viewing from more extreme angles or fisheye lenses, the importance of exaggeration in lighting and contrast, use of texture both in character design lines and in visual surfaces and understanding the importance of categories such as speed and realism in anime. In animating animes, by emphasizing realistic forms, an attempt is made to exaggerate and transform the same forms. Also, the presence of the main keys is much more colorful than the middle keys, and it is tried that the different components of each object or body have integration in their animation. Creating a flow of motion that varies sinusoidally between high-speed and slow-motion movements is another important point of these scenes. The most important thing in camera movements (in Japanese anime) is to create a camera on the shoulder effect in such a way that the camera is constantly trying to follow the events of the scene in the image and, like a real camera, it vibrates, changes focus and locks. Coordinating the camera with the direction of movement and the background position is also very effective in conveying a sense of engagement. Also, visual effects such as collision frames, dust animation in different layers and the formation of a shock wave are other basic factors in creating action scenes in anime.

Despite the importance of the definition of ‘musical instrument’ for theoretical and practical issues in the field of musicology (such as classification, orchestration, and education), the available definitions such as those offered by Von Hornbostel (1933), Lysloff and Matson (1985), and Bielawiski (1979), seem to be flawed, since they lack some of the logical requirements that a standard definition should meet. Specifically, these definitions need to be revised and reformed as they are not exclusive and do not clearly indicate what the most general ontological kind, class, or category of the objects ‘musical instrument’ belongs to. The present article, thus, deals with the issue of what a ‘musical instrument’ is, and it aims to provide a comprehensive definition of musical instrument, meeting all the logical requirements of a standard definition. To this end, the qualitative method of logical or conceptual analysis is used, as one of the main methods of deductive sciences and one of the most important methods of defining scientific concepts. The article also introduces the defining elements of ‘musical instrument’ through sequential analyses. In the first analysis, ‘musical instrument’ is ontologically recognized as an object of a technical system. In the second and third analyses, each of the specific differences distinguishing it from the other technical systems is identified: functional properties and design (or structural) properties. These two analyses are performed based on the 2003 version of the ICE-theory of functions, considering the multiple user roles and the functional modeling theory, respectively. Finally, a standard definition is formulated using conceptual analysis. According to this definition, a musical instrument features the following three characteristics. (1) With respect to its ontological kind, it is a technical artifact of a specified technical system. (2) With respect to its function, according to the justifiable belief of the composer, it has the capacity to produce sound with certain pitch and timbre in accordance with a particular aesthetic experience and function for the composition as a whole and its effect on the listener. According to the justifiable belief of the performer, it has the ability to transform scripts into sound with certain pitch and timbre. And, in the case of the listener, it has the ability to create aesthetic experience by producing sounds with certain pitch and timbre. In addition, a musical instrument has the capacity to produce sound with certain pitch and timbre as its proper function is taken into account by d-agents; it is also constantly (i.e., not as an exception, for trial, or fun) used by u-agents as an instrument with the above capability by u-agents. In other words, some pieces are made or arranged by the composer, some other pieces are performed by the performer, the way of working with it (its use plan) is taught, and the sounds produced by it are recognized as distinct with appropriate aesthetic properties by the listener. (3) And finally, with respect to its structure, a musical instrument is a given normal configuration that consists of an energy element, control element, and sound element.

John Dewey thought that the mission of philosophy was social change, and the desired change could be achieved through education. According to Dewey, the sole purpose of education is to reform society and pave the way for social progress, thus demonstrating the necessity of education for the survival of society. Cultural and artistic venues such as educational theater are useful venues that can have great effects on moral growth and desired social change for their communities. Creative Drama provides an opportunity for people to express their inner desires. Here, certain situations similar to reality are created, where the audience is allowed to practice and experience life, without having to endure losses and lose opportunities. Dewey's aesthetic and educational theories can be useful in increasing the social and artistic function of creative drama.This study was mainly based on secondary research using existing fundamental works of Dewey's education philosophy and aesthetics, aiming to explore the effect and importance of theatrical plays as a means of promoting education in schools and the community at large. The main features of applied theater are introduced and suggestions are provided to increase the effectiveness and function of this art form as a way to improve people's social lives. For this purpose, after examining the basic concepts of Dewey's philosophy (e.g. pragmatism, experience, aesthetics, education, and the role of theatrical plays in education) certain and specific aspects of the applied theater are introduced. This study also included a case study of creative drama based on Dewey's educational theories. By re-reading creative drama, suggestions are presented in order to use Dewey's educational theories, hoping to help artists to take proactive steps in the field of education aimed at social awareness and change.According to Dewey, students develop in an educational setting where they can experience and interact with the issue at hand. Each and every student needs to play a role and cooperate in their learning process. Dewey believed problem-solving to be the best teaching method, fitting individuals for life and empowering them to solve problems in their personal lives and their social interactions. Problem-solving was deemed the best teaching method by Dewey, which leads to creative drama and its effectiveness since its base foundation is formed around the theory of problem-solving. The first step in creative drama is to tell a story to students thoroughly. This paper seeks to show that when a story is told to students incompletely, in order to be completed by them in a creative drama, a problem will be formed in their minds, encouraging them to solve it. If the content of creative drama is presented to learners in full detail, their mental engagement with the content will be reduced, and, consequently, their ability and motivation to interact will diminish. Performing creative drama based on problem-solving exposes students to the problem in a creative manner; they are encouraged to cooperate and think to bring the drama to a desirable end. Placed at the core of problem in creative drama, students are forced to think and provide solutions that ultimately are skills that they will need in their own lives.

Once Upon a Time, Cinema (“Nasser al-Din Shah Actor Cinema”) narrates a fictional story of the arrival of cinema in Iran based on real and fictive cinematic characters. The film is focused on the character of Akkasbashi (meaning Cinematographer) who is the first person to bring an early motion picture camera to Iran and the court of the then kings and who is also in love with Atieh (meaning future). From this entry into history, the film also reviews the history of cinema in Iran culminating in a montage of segments from a number of Iranian films. The film presents a fictional magical story, and incorporates themes dealing with the problems of filmmaking, auditing, and cinema restrictions as well as the role of the ruling power elite in this process. Throughout the narrative, scenes from previously made documentary and feature films are shown to the Shah and the courtiers, and from this perspective, the film acquires a self-reflective quality. In Once Upon a Time, Cinema, the boundaries between the supposed real space of the story world and the cinematic space within the narrative are constantly blurred; sometimes the characters of a film enter the real space and eliminate the perspective distance and safe place of watching, and sometimes the spectator enters the space and frames of a film interacting with the film characters in their world. This is reminiscent of physical experiments from the different stages of cinema history that incorporated the direct implementation of all senses other than just sight. We know the declarations by Sergei Eisenstein, Rudolf Arnheim, and Charlie Chaplin, who opposed the introduction of sound and who were in defense of a pure visual art cinema. In addition, attempts to directly engage the audience's sense of smell and to use fragrance during the screening of a film go back to the period before 1906. However, the two dominant senses that film directly reaches out to are the sight and sound which for some critics and researchers incorporate all of our senses when watching a film. From this perspective, the film can be considered as a creative exploration of the cinematic viewing experience. As the curtain is opened and the boundary between the cinematic observer and the scene is broken, Once Upon a Time, Cinema shows a pattern of observation based on tactile contact and physical communication. This is the same point that has been considered in film studies in recent years by theorists who seek to provide alternative models for the perceptual experience of encountering cinematic images. The present study, which has been carried out by descriptive-analytical method and using library sources, raises the argument that the film Once Upon a Time, Cinema has tried to pay homage to the history of Iranian cinema and by using creative cinematic techniques question the traditional view of cinema and emphasize the physical aspects and haptic perception of watching films in addition to other restrictions and fixed expectations that the filmmaker feels inappropriate.