Transcendental Meditation and the creation of soundscapes for storytelling in the work of David Lynch

Abstract

The films of David Lynch are unique: unusual, strange and otherworldly. It is no secret that Transcendental Meditation is a huge part of Lynch's life; he has stated that Transcendental Meditation has been key to his work and promoting the establishment of the David Lynch Foundation. Despite this factor, scholars largely ignore it. In this thesis, I identify and analyse the visual and sound elements in Lynch’s films and television work that includes Eraserhead and Mulholland Drive. Fundamental to this investigation, I have used the concept of Transcendental Meditation, Hinduism and noise as a framework to examine these films. I will identify specific techniques and methods previously unnoticed before in Lynch’s work and argue that the symbolism and mythology of Transcendental Meditation creates specific atmospheric environments through sounds. This thesis aims to provide an insightful investigation on how Lynch’s use of TM helps create a specific way of using sound to tell his stories. This dissertation fills a gap in the scholarship on the films of David Lynch by providing a new perspective on his soundscapes. Each chapter that addresses a specific film includes a close analysis of the film’s narrative and stylistic elements. The focus of the study is an examination of how Lynch uses Hindu philosophy as an instrument.

Date of Award	2022
Original language	English