Immanent Practice: Accounts of Optical Sound Filmmaking

Jasmine Butt, Benedict Gaster, Nathan Renney, and Tom Mitchell

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

This paper offers an account of optical sound filmmaking practices; involving a form of photochemical synthesis where light and matter are used to create sound and image. Diffractively analysing interviews with optical sound filmmakers, we reflect on the concept of an `immanent practice', which pays close attention to what the apparatus does, not what it is for. An engagement with film's chemical nature, the philosophical history of the medium, and the repurposed nature of the equipment used, firmly roots this work in materialist thinking. These practices are co-constituted with their material surroundings, where microscopic material behaviour has a profound effect on wider patterns in the making process, and vice-versa. We believe insights from our analysis offer an understanding of how `immanent practice' can unfold within a system, allowing for a plurality of approaches as well as a deep understanding of, and care for, material assemblages.

Citation

Jasmine Butt, Benedict Gaster, Nathan Renney, and Tom Mitchell. 2026. Immanent Practice: Accounts of Optical Sound Filmmaking. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20784080 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@inproceedings{nime2026_19,
 abstract = {This paper offers an account of optical sound filmmaking practices; involving a form of photochemical synthesis where light and matter are used to create sound and image. Diffractively analysing interviews with optical sound filmmakers, we reflect on the concept of an `immanent practice', which pays close attention to what the apparatus does, not what it is for. An engagement with film's chemical nature, the philosophical history of the medium, and the repurposed nature of the equipment used, firmly roots this work in materialist thinking. These practices are co-constituted with their material surroundings, where microscopic material behaviour has a profound effect on wider patterns in the making process, and vice-versa. We believe insights from our analysis offer an understanding of how `immanent practice' can unfold within a system, allowing for a plurality of approaches as well as a deep understanding of, and care for, material assemblages.},
 address = {London, United Kingdom},
 articleno = {19},
 author = {Jasmine Butt and Benedict Gaster and Nathan Renney and Tom Mitchell},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20784080},
 editor = {Benedict Gaster and João Tragtenberg and Anna Xambó and Tom Mitchell},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 note = {},
 numpages = {20},
 pages = {155--174},
 presentation-video = {https://youtu.be/80pvqmu_tYQ},
 title = {Immanent Practice: Accounts of Optical Sound Filmmaking},
 track = {Paper},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_19.pdf},
 year = {2026}
}