The Balinese Cockfight Reimagined; Tajen: Interactive and the Prospects for a Multimodal Anthropology

press release: Cockfighting is an ancient and controversial blood sport practiced around the world. Tajen Interactive, a web documentary made by visual anthropologists, uses different modes of representation to evoke and explain the cultural, historical, and psychological aspects of cockfighting in Negara, Bali. Sensory ethnography allows an uninterrupted flow of sights and sounds. Expository documentary uses traditional interview and b-roll to delve into personal opinion. Creative shorts using mixed media, kinetic animation, and whiteboard drawings bring relevant concepts to life. This diverse approach entertains and educates as viewers navigate the material and create their own interactive journey through the world of cockfighting.

Robert Lemelson is a psychological and visual anthropologist at UCLA. Lemelson’s area of specialty is transcultural psychiatry; Southeast Asian Studies, particularly Indonesia; and psychological and medical anthropology. Lemelson founded Elemental Productions in 2008, a documentary film company. He is also the founder and president of the Foundation for Psychocultural Research, which supports research and training in the social and neurosciences.