"Place, as distinct from space, remains a problematic topic in contemporary theory, including film theory, often being overlooked or neglected. In a highly original and creative undertaking, Elisabeth Brun’s new book addresses this issue head-on, showing how experimental film, and film more broadly, is fundamentally shaped by its topographical character. This a major contribution both to film theory and to the thinking of place that is likely to have an important impact well beyond the confines of film theory alone."-- Jeff Malpas, University of Tasmania, Australia"Numerous studies of the essay film have appeared in recent years, but Brun's book stands out as one of the most sophisticated and original. It brilliantly focuses on the topos of place as part of the recent spatial turn in the arts and humanities and as a rich and often overlooked arena for essayistic epistemological strategies. That the author’s own stunning essay film 3xshapes of Home--a meditative representation about the village in which she grew up--parallels and supports this argument adds a scintillating layer to this superb work."-- Timothy Corrigan, University of Pennsylvania, USA"Elisabeth Brun’s book is a beautifully fluid synthesis of explorations between theoretical and creative realms, offering its readers engaging and stimulating perspectives through which to deepen understandings of the human relationship with place. Through the tool of the camera and essay-film, and with emphasis on embodiment and ways of knowing, her research foregrounds ‘topographical thinking’ and the essential role of place in meaning-making and identity. Brun’s weaving of artistic practice, theoretical inquiry, and methodological innovation makes compelling reading for academics and practitioners across film, geography, architecture, landscape architecture, the environmental humanities, and all those concerned with the power and potential of spatial experience.” -- Anna Ryan, architect and geographer, University of Limerick, Ireland
