At the beginning of this month, I became a pre-PhD fellow Cinema History. So, let me introduce myself. In 2012, I graduated from Vrije Universiteit, where I studied Comparative Arts and Media Studies. My curiosity towards cinema history was piqued by the course The Art of Comparison: Cinematic City by of dr. I. L. Blom, in which insights were gained into theories, histories, and applications of intermediality, in particular regarding connections between cinema and architecture. After graduation, I specified the research towards the cinema The Movies in Amsterdam, which resulted in the book Samen naar de Movies – 100 jaar bioscoop op de Haarlemmerdijk.
After completing my master degree, I was offered a position at VU, where I have gained experience as a junior lecturer. I was responsible, among other lectures, for the seminars of ‘Beeldcultuur’ and ‘Beeld van Nederland’. I have also assisted at seminars for Cinematic City as well as researched the possibilities to deploy mobile applications for this course (Pilot study “Cinematic City”). Along with my regular work, I also have researched location-based (mobile) applications.
During this pre-Phd period, I will focus on a geospatial analysis of cinema density in the Netherlands and Flanders (1950-1970) with historical data on pillarization, class and the organization of the industry. By the means of a pilot study, this research should direct the question of how the development of cinema, as a specific cultural industry, interrelates with the social and cultural dimensions of modern public life more specifically.