SALOMÉ LOPES COELHO
Short Bio
I am a cultural studies scholar researching at the intersection of rhythm, aesthetics and environmental humanities. I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at the NOVA Institute of Communication at NOVA University of Lisbon (since 2022). My project, "Rhythmanalysis and Ecologies of the Moving Image," examines rhythms of vegetal and inorganic matter in contemporary experimental Latin American cinema. I hold a PhD in Artistic Studies - Art and Mediations and an MA in Philosophy-Aesthetics, from NOVA University Lisbon. I was also a visiting research fellow and lecturer on Rhythm and Art at the National University of Arts in Buenos Aires.
More about my background
Born in Oporto, Portugal, in 1983, I first studied Psychology and worked as a trainer and human resources consultant for 5 years. In 2009, I moved to Lisbon to coordinate a 4-year project on gender equality in schools, as well as the cultural programme of the Center for Cultural and Feminist Intervention. Concurrently, I studied Feminist Studies in Coimbra until 2011, when I commenced a Master's in Philosophy, focusing on the relationship between cinema and politics. In September 2012, I undertook a research stay at the Sorbonne University in Paris, as part of the MA in Philosophy. During this time, I also attended Cinema Studies classes at Paris VII and began making videos, inspired by Rancière's 'emancipated spectator' approach and its questioning of the artist-spectator duality. In 2013, I was awarded an FCT scholarship to pursue a PhD in Artistic Studies at FCSH - NOVA University of Lisbon, researching the role of rhythm and its analysis in the arts, in relation to social organisation. I presented my PhD thesis, titled "Vital Rhythm and the Gesture of Crossing: The Survivals of Ekstasis in Cinema", in January 2021. As part of this research, I conducted fieldwork in the Andes and participated in projects at the National Arts University of Buenos Aires.