Sonorous memory in Jonathan Perel’s El predio (2010) and Los murales (2011)

Throughout his filmic production, Argentine director Jonathan Perel has demonstrated strict adherence to a unique aesthetic programme in which human agents appear to have only a minimal role. Each film contains only diegetic sounds and consists of fixed shots of architectural spaces and objects closely associated with the most recent Argentine military dictatorship (1976–1983) and recent attempts to memorialise the atrocities they committed. Through the close analysis of Perel’s first two films – El predio (2010) and Los murales (2011) – this article focusses on Perel’s highly distinctive use of environmental sound and argues that they are, in fact, uniquely musical works. Drawing on the work of John Cage, Michel Chion, Deleuze and Guattari, and Doreen Massey, the article proposes that Perel manipulates sound in order to situate debates over the memorialisation of recent atrocities in a perpetual present and thus critique contemporary abuses of power in Argentina

Panchromatic Averaged Stellar Populations: PaasP

We study how the spectral fitting of galaxies, in terms of light fractions derived in one spectral region translates into another region, by using results from evolutionary synthesis models. In particular, we examine propagation dependencies on Evolutionary Population Synthesis (EPS, {____sc grasil}, {____sc galev}, Maraston and {____sc galaxev}) models, age, metallicity, and stellar evolution tracks over the near-UV---near infrared (NUV---NIR, 3500____AA____ to 2.5____mc) spectral region. Our main results are: as expected, young (t ____lesssim 400 Myr) stellar population fractions derived in the optical cannot be directly compared to those derived in the NIR, and vice versa. In contrast, intermediate to old age (t ____gtrsim 500 Myr) fractions are similar over the whole spectral region studied. The metallicity has a negligible effect on the propagation of the stellar population fractions derived from NUV --- NIR. The same applies to the different EPS models, but restricted to the range between 3800 ____AA____ and 9000 ____AA. However, a discrepancy between {____sc galev}/Maraston and {____sc grasil}/{____sc galaxev} models occurs in the NIR. Also, the initial mass function (IMF) is not important for the synthesis propagation. Compared to {____sc starlight} synthesis results, our propagation predictions agree at ____sim95% confidence level in the optical, and ____sim85% in the NIR. {____bf In summary, spectral fitting} performed in a restricted spectral range should not be directly propagated from the NIR to the UV/Optical, or vice versa. We provide equations and an on-line form ({____bf Pa}nchromatic {____bf A}veraged {____bf S}tellar {____bf P}opulation - ____paasp) to be used for this purpose

STEPS TOWARD DETERMINATION OF THE SIZE AND STRUCTURE OF THE BROAD-LINE REGION IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI .5. VARIABILITY OF THE ULTRAVIOLET CONTINUUM AND EMISSION-LINES OF NGC-3783

We report on the result of intensive ultraviolet spectral monitoring of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3783. The nucleus of NGC 3783 was observed with the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite on a regular basis for a total of 7 months, once every 4 days for the first 172 days and once every other day for the final 50 days. Significant variability was observed in both continuum and emission-line fluxes. The light curves for the continuum fluxes exhibited two well-defined local minima or ''dips,'' the first lasting less than or similar to 20 days and the second less than or similar to 4 days, with additional episodes of relatively rapid flickering of approximately the same amplitude. As in the case of NGC 5548 (the only other Seyfert galaxy that has been the subject of such an intensive, sustained monitoring effort), the largest continuum variations were seen at the shortest wavelengths, so that the continuum became ''harder'' when brighter. The variations in the continuum occurred simultaneously at all wavelengths (Delta t <2 days). Generally, the amplitude of variability of the emission lines was lower than (or comparable to) that of the continuum. Apart from Mg II (which varied little) and N V (which is relatively weak and badly blended with Ly alpha), the light curves of the emission lines are very similar to the continuum light curves, in each case with a small systematic delay or ''lag'' As for NGC 5548, the highest ionization lines seem to respond with shorter lags than the lower ionization lines. The lags found for NGC 3783 are considerably shorter than those obtained for NGC 5548, with values of(formally) similar to 0 days for He II + O III], and similar to 4 days for Ly alpha and C IV. The data further suggest lags of similar to 4 days for Si IV + O IV] and 8-30 days for Si III] + C III]. Mg II lagged the 1460 Angstrom continuum by similar to 9 days, although this result depends on the method of measuring the line flux and may in fact be due to variability of the underlying Fe II lines. Correlation analysis further shows that the power density spectrum contains substantial unresolved power over timescales of less than or similar to 2 days, and that the character of the continuum variability may change with time

A data base for galaxy evolution modeling

This paper represents a collective effort to provide an extensive electronic data base useful for the interpretation of the spectra and evolution of galaxies. A broad variety of empirical and theoretical data is discussed here, and the data are made fully available in the AAS CD-ROM Series, Vol. 7. Several empirical stellar libraries are part of this data base. They cover the ultraviolet spectral range observed with IUE, optical data from different ground-based telescopes, and ground-based infrared data. Spectral type coverage depends on the wavelength, but is mostly complete for types O to M and luminosity classes V to I. A large metallicity range is covered as well. Theoretical libraries of selected spectral indices of cool stars and of stellar continuum fluxes in the temperature range 2000-50,000 K as well as Wolf-Rayet energy distributions are presented. Several libraries of star clusters and early-type galaxies have been selected for this data base. We discuss an extensive set of empirical spectral templates covering the wavelength region from 1200 to 9800 Angstrom, as well as narrow-band line indices in a large number of passbands. Bench-mark spectra of nearby galaxies for model tests are included as well. We compiled numerous evolutionary models and isochrones for stars of all mass ranges of interest, wide metallicity range, and for all evolutionary phases, including the pre-main-sequence phase. The majority of the models have been computed by the Geneva and Padova groups. Evolutionary synthesis models computed by several independent groups are made available. They can be applied to old and young systems, and are optimized with respect to different aspects of input physics. The model predictions include stellar (colors, magnitudes, absorption features) and nebular (emission-line fluxes) properties. Finally, we present models of ionized gas to be used for the interpretation of active galactic nuclei and young star-forming galaxies. The community is encouraged to make use of this electronic data base and to perform a critical comparison between the individual datasets