Sensing Collective Trauma: Acousmatic Sound in Memoria by Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Abstract

This thesis explores the concepts of memory and trauma, individual and collective, based on the analysis of the film Memoria by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Shot in Colombia, the film indirectly engages with the violent and multifaceted conflict that has been affecting the country to various degrees since the 1960s. Drawing on the concepts of memory and trauma in psychology and cultural studies as well as the film theory, the analysis reveals that Memoria offers a radically different way of viewing collective trauma. This approach can be considered a subliminal theory of trauma present in Memoria, with acousmatic sound being at the center of it. The analysis adopts a topographical approach, which is based on the deep reading of the film, in order to closely follow the trajectory and trace the transitional spaces traversed throughout the film. As sound travels in the earthly realms, so does the character and ultimately the spectator. It also allows to unpack the multiple layers of meaning along the way, as the character moves from the urban environment into nature, from lieux de memoire, including monuments and institutions, to milieux de memoire, the living realms where memories are created and preserved.