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Monday, December 8, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
A Post-Decartes Future
I thought one of the most interesting moments in Blade Runner was when the replicant Pris ironically states Decartes’ famous formulation, “I think therefore I am.” The irony lies in the “I am,” because “I am human” is the implied complete phrase. With the invention of artificial intelligence, however, rational thought no longer is the determining factor of an entity’s humanity. It is this philosophical problem that necessitated new postmodern metaphysical formulations, such as those of Baudrillard.
Baudrillard’s theory of the hyperreal accounts for the existence of copies, which paradoxically are not reproductions of original (real) things, but can exist in their own right—not as a copy of the real but as a part of the hyperreal. These are called simulacra. Baudrillard once claimed that New York will soon cease to be a city (real), but will in fact be a New York-themed amusement park (hyperreal).
The replicants are a good example of simulacra—they seem to be copies of humans but have surpassed being mere reproductions and have become “more human than human.”
As for the unicorn, it appears in Deckard’s dream and then at the end when Edward James Olmos’ character gives him the origami figure. The small figures that Olmos’ character gives him throughout the film seem to indicate that he knows more about Deckard than Deckard knows about himself…the unicorn at the end indicates that he knew Deckard had a dream about a unicorn. Perhaps, then, it is an implanted memory, and Deckard is a replicant. However, a more interesting clue, I think, is the stick figure man (with a penis? Is that just my imagination?) Olmos’ character gives him. The figure of the man is a copy, a replica, perhaps indicating that Deckard is in fact a simulacrum.
And for anyone else who is as much of a Sci Fi nerd as I am, I highly recommend...
Baudrillard’s theory of the hyperreal accounts for the existence of copies, which paradoxically are not reproductions of original (real) things, but can exist in their own right—not as a copy of the real but as a part of the hyperreal. These are called simulacra. Baudrillard once claimed that New York will soon cease to be a city (real), but will in fact be a New York-themed amusement park (hyperreal).
The replicants are a good example of simulacra—they seem to be copies of humans but have surpassed being mere reproductions and have become “more human than human.”
As for the unicorn, it appears in Deckard’s dream and then at the end when Edward James Olmos’ character gives him the origami figure. The small figures that Olmos’ character gives him throughout the film seem to indicate that he knows more about Deckard than Deckard knows about himself…the unicorn at the end indicates that he knew Deckard had a dream about a unicorn. Perhaps, then, it is an implanted memory, and Deckard is a replicant. However, a more interesting clue, I think, is the stick figure man (with a penis? Is that just my imagination?) Olmos’ character gives him. The figure of the man is a copy, a replica, perhaps indicating that Deckard is in fact a simulacrum.
And for anyone else who is as much of a Sci Fi nerd as I am, I highly recommend...
search images by color
there are some applications that will allow you to perform image searches by colors:
Multicolor Search Lab Flickr Set
Color Fields Colr Pickr
Multicolor Search Lab Flickr Set
Color Fields Colr Pickr
blade runner
Holden: Describe in single words, only the good things that come in to your mind about your mother
Leon: My mother?
Holden: Yeah.
Leon: Let me tell you about my mother...
Leon: My mother?
Holden: Yeah.
Leon: Let me tell you about my mother...
[Leon shoots Holden]
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Deckard and Baudrillard
I really liked Blade Runner. I thought it brought up some very interesting issues about post-humanity and an age of artificiality. Overall, I thought the visual aspects of the film were well done. Since it was made in the early eighties there were some pieces that felt outdated (funny…an outdated version of the future) like the semi-low-tech computer screens and the hovercrafts emitting billows of white smoke. But the mood and the atmospheric qualities of the film matched perfectly – the wetness and smoky haze that accompanied every scene “outside.” It created an oppressive, trapped feeling.
I am curious about what people have to say about the vision of the unicorn. I think it could be a clue that Deckard is a replicant. Is it an implanted memory that never actually existed? A part of someone’s dream? Also after Rachael asks Deckard if he ever took the replicant eye-screening test, he never answers. If he is a replicant, do we assume that he is unaware of that fact?
I looked up Jean Baudrillard’s theory of simulacrum –copies of things that no longer have an original or never had one to begin with. Models of a real without origin or reality. Baudrillard is saying that in a post-modernist world (are we there?) the distinction between reality and simulation breaks down. Just like in the film it was almost impossible to tell the difference between humans and replicants. Eventually it will become impossible to tell the difference between reality and unreality. I think that this version of "reality" has begun to manifest itself - in all the different post-human ways we've talked about - but I'm not sure how far simulation will go.
Image Credit:
http://bladerunner2019.com/blog/2007/11/19/new-blade-runner-font/
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
helvetica + the nyc subway
The (Mostly) True Story of Helvetica and the New York City Subway
An article about the history of New York City's Subway and that ever-ubiquitous typeface Helvetica.
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