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Colour in variegated contexts: The Wachowskis’ Sense8
Abstract and Figures
In Sense8 (a play on 'sensate'), a television series by the Wachowski siblings, colour functions at several levels, including those of the expressionistic-emotive, perceptual (or sensory-literal), gender, race and nationality. This paper explores these different senses of the percept (and concept) of colour in the series, as well as the interrelationships among them. In the process Deleuze and Guattari's notions of 'percept' and 'affect', as being inseparable from art, as well as the notions of 'cinelogic' and 'cineaesthesis/synaesthesis' are employed to render an interpretation of the series which highlights the thoroughgoing thematisation of colour at the various levels referred to. In brief, this amounts to visually based insights pertaining to the perceptual constitution of humanity as a veritable 'rainbow species', variegated along lines of gender, race, nationality, power, affect and empathy. It also yields a grasp of the 'cinelogic' of 'cineaesthetically/synaesthetically' configured scene-sequences, for example that the pairing of two lesbian lovers-one transgender white and the other gay black-enacts an enriching interpenetration of human 'colours', and that this is exemplified in the signifying structure of certain scene-sequences. Rancière's notion of the 'distribution of the sensible', and Deleuze and Guattari's concept of 'assemblage' further enable one to elucidate the role of colour in the series in question. Furthermore, the diverse composition of the cluster of 'sensates' - individuals who have a spatiotemporal limit-surpassing connection with one another, enabling them to be physically 'present' with one another across thousands of kilometres - embodies a microcosm of the human race in all its diversity.
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... First there is the broadly 'textual' character of Sense8 as a cinematic seriesthat is, a sequence of interpretable audiovisual image-configurations unfolding along what is known as the 'horizontal' syntagmatic semiotic axis, 'vertically' intersected by clusters of 'paradigmatically' signifying associative images such as a sequence of audiovisually presented actions featuring salient 'percepts', for example a spectrum of colour-concentration representing gender, cultural and racial diversity (Deleuze and Guattari 1994: 164;Olivier 2010;2018). In simpler language, this means that, like all motion pictures, Sense8 comprises audiovisual images following one another in time (syntagmatic signification), whose meaning is partly dependent on the way that later images modify preceding ones, and which can be further understood by focusing on non-sequential similarities and differences among images or image-clusters (paradigmatic signification). ...
... This is not directly related to the present theme, however.) The heterogeneity of the focal assemblage-cluster of sensates -whose members are briefly described above -is conspicuous in its gender, cultural and racial (or colour) diversity (Olivier 2018), and in the course of the narrative cinematic events new, productive connections are "ceaselessly establishe[d]" between its members and their allies in rhizomatic Deleuzo-Guattarian terms of "semiotic chains, organizations of power, and circumstances relative to […] social struggles". Put differently, as the individuals comprising the newly birthed cluster get to know and connect with one another, their enhanced, telepathic communicational abilities establish consequential 'semiotic chains', and their psychokinetic teleportational 'organisation of power' imparts to them the capacity to survive their 'social struggle' against the might of BPO -itself a massive assemblage of control and persecution -however unlikely that may seem. ...
... One might say that a spectrum of feelings is the life-blood of the cluster-assemblage in question. In this respect, too, Sense8 embodies a profound prognostication to the effect that the constitution of a 'new' humanity beyond the deeply xenophobic, racist, economically unequal, largely patriarchal and hierarchical ('arboreal') 'society of control' of the present era (Deleuze 1992;Byung-Chul Han 2017;Zuboff 2019;Conio 2015;Colebrook 2015;Olivier 2018) -as witnessed in the social and political divisions manifested across the globe today -would have to do justice to the requirements of feelings as an indispensable humanising factor. I therefore do not think it is far-fetched to perceive in these percepts/affects (particularly in the metonymically dense one of Amanita delivering her eulogy to feelings) an intimation of a kind of posthuman (Braidotti 2013) 'people to come' -a people beyond the narrow-minded, reprehensible prejudice of Homo sapiens towards all things different. ...
The present paper is an elaboration on the Wachowski sisters' (Lana and Lilly's) prescient Netflix web television series, Sense8, with a view to demonstrating its visionary character as far as a 'people to come' is concerned. At the same time it is argued that Sense8 represents what might be called 'critical (minor) cinema', insofar as it functions in a sustained manner to critique extant society in its hierarchical, ideologically compromised, racist, gender-biased, ecologically destructive guise, pointing the way to what society might be if a 'different form of reason' (Boyne) were to obtain at interpersonal, inter-gender and ultimately inter-species levels. The poststructuralist critical theory of Deleuze and Guattari is employed to achieve this end, particularly their notion of 'minor literature/cinema' and 'assemblage', in conjunction with a number of other concepts with which it is interconnected, such as the 'rhizome', 'arboreal', 'deterritorialisation' and 'line of flight'. Briefly, what this strategy brings to light, is that mainstream society, with its defining 'arboreal' (tree-like, hierarchical) structures, responds negatively to difference of all kinds, particularly if such differences seem to pose a threat to its cratological supremacy. This turns out to be the case with 'sensates' in Sense8, who introduce radical difference into the fabric of society along trajectories of 'lines of flight', in the process 'deterritorialising' (freeing up) conventional territories by means of rhizomatic interconnections that constitute a revolutionary 'assemblage' – that is, an open population of living entities that are interrelated in complex ways: any change in any of the constituents of an assemblage affects all the others, continually. (In the final analysis, all living entities, together, arguably comprise an overarching assemblage insofar as everything is interconnected in the planetary ecosphere.) Not all assemblages (in the more limited sense) are revolutionary, however. Assemblages are encountered every day, in the guise of a group of schoolchildren in a classroom, for example, or a swarm of bees. Even a human subject is an assemblage of sorts, insofar as she or he is always subject to processes of desiring-becoming, implying that different subject-positions are occupied in succession, and even simultaneously. The cluster of eight sensates that is the main focus of this (minor-) cinematic series exemplifies the most dynamic assemblage conceivable, and as such instantiates a processual unity-and-equality-in-difference, which radically deterritorialises extant society, in the adumbration of a 'people to come', beyond hierarchy.
The present paper addresses the theme of transition, not in stylistic terms, but by focusing on the significance of the genre of science fiction as adumbrating, as well as informing, a different kind of transition. Specifically, by analysing two science-fictional cinematic works-one a television series and the other a film-it poses the question of the probability that one is currently witnessing a global transition to a world where biotechnologically transfigured beings will be nothing out of the ordinary. Furthermore, if fictional projections of the current state of bio-engineering in a consumer economy is anything to go by, such biotechnological production is likely to be accompanied by cynical manipulation of people's, specifically wealthy consumers', (lack of) moral sensibility for the sake of corporate profits. The paper first focuses on the work of Estonian artist Katja Novitskova, where one encounters alarming images embodying the effects of biometric data-collection and their application through bio-engineering to human and other animal bodies. The film based on William Gibson's short story, Johnny Mnemonic, is examined in Rancièrian terms with a view to demonstrating what possibilities await one in the not-too-distant future in the form of bio-and neuro-engineered capabilities inserted into human bodies, effectively turning them into cyborgs (cybernetic organisms). This projected scenario is further worked out in horrifying detail in the television series, Westworld, where the notion of a theme park of the future is placed in the context of betting on, and profiting from, the likelihood that people would shed their moral scruples if offered the chance of letting their latent aggressiveness (Freud's death drive) run rampant to the point of raping and killing 'perfect', bio-engineered, human simulacra in the guise of 'hosts/hostesses'.
Die oorgang na 'n bio-tegnologiese wêreld: Johnny Mnemonic en Westworld
Hierdie artikel fokus op die tema van oorgang; nie in stilistiese terme nie, maar deur te konsentreer op die wyse waarop die genre van wetenskapfiksie 'n ander soort oorgang voorafskadu asook beïnvloed. Meer in die besonder, deur twee wetenskapfiksie-rolprente (waarvan een 'n televisiereeks is) te ontleed, stel dit die vraag van die waarskynlikheid dat 'n mens vandag getuie is van 'n globale oorgang na 'n wêreld waar bio-tegnologies getransformeerde wesens niks buitengewoon sal wees nie. Bowendien, indien fiksionele projeksies van die huidige stand van bio-ingenieurswese in 'n verbruikersekonomie ernstig opgeneem word, sal sodanige bio-tegnologiese produksie waarskynlik ter wille van korporatiewe wins gepaardgaan met die siniese manipulering van mense (veral welgestelde verbruikers) se (gebrek aan) 'n morele bewussyn. Die artikel fokus eers op die werk van Estoniese kunstenaar Katja Novitskova, waar 'n mens ontstellende beelde van die uitwerking van biometriese data-versameling en hul bio-tegnologiese aanwending op menslike en ander dierlike liggame aantref. Die rolprent wat op William Gibson se kortverhaal, Johnny Mnemonic, gebaseer is, word vervolgens in Rancièriaanse terme ondersoek met die doel om te demonstreer watter bio-en neuro-tegnologiese kapasiteite vir menslike liggame 'n mens in die (moontlik nabye) toekoms te wagte kan wees, wat hulle effektief in 'cyborgs' (kubernetiese organismes) sou verander. Hierdie geprojekteerde toekomsvisie word verder uitgewerk in skrikwekkende besonderhede in die televisiereeks, Westworld, waar die idee van 'n 'pretpark' van die toekoms verbind word met die geleentheid om wins te maak uit die waarskynlikheid dat mense hul morele bedenkinge oorboord sou gooi indien hulle die kans gegun word om ten volle uiting te gee aan hul latente aggressiwiteit (die Freudiaanse doodsdrif)-in so 'n mate dat hulle nie sou skroom om 'volmaakte', bio-tegnologies ontwerpte menslike 'simulacra' (nabootsings) in die gewaad van 'gashere' en 'gasvroue' te verkrag en selfs te vermoor nie.
The futility of conceptualizing cultural 'identity' by means of a monolithic notion of identity is addressed here with the aid of the theory of the subject formulated by the poststructuralist psychoanalytical thinker, Jacques Lacan. It is argued that, as long as a one-dimensional concept of identity is maintained – whether of cultural, linguistic (group-) identity, or of individual identity – no justice can be done to the historical development or revision of identity, in so far as it unavoidably leads to the incarceration of cultures and individuals within prescriptive limits. Lacan's conception of the subject – as indeed that of other poststructuralist thinkers, including Derrida, Foucault, Lyotard and Kristeva – arguably provides the requisite means to come to terms with complex structures such as human identity. Accordingly, Lacan's three so-called 'imagoes' or family complexes, the constitutive role of the mirror stage, the significance of narcissism and of aggressivity, as well as the distinction between the je and the moi are scrutinized with a view to demonstrating that these conceptual constructs enable one to account for the characteristic incompleteness of individuals as 'subjects of becoming', and, finally, also for democracy as political process.
The present paper is intended to explore the various ways in which cinema 'communicates' meaning, making use of the five materials of film, namely three of an auditory nature and two of a visual nature: dialogue, soundtrack (music) and noise, on the one hand, and images and graphic elements, on the other. This is not all there is to it, because all these materials are unavoidably appropriated by filmmakers in the guise of various signifiers, each with its own signified, along the trajectories of two signifying axes of meaning, to wit, the syntagmatic and the paradigmatic, respectively, on both of which certain codes are audiovisually inscribed. But even a thorough overview of these elements of meaning-generation is not sufficient to understand the way that film communicates-one has to follow Deleuze in his radical philosophy of the cinema, and scrutinize the difference between the cinema of the movement-image, and the cinema of the time-image. And I would like to claim that this complex intertwinement of signifying elements is the way that film communicates. Relevant films will be discussed to demonstrate how this happens.
This paper explores the different " identities " projected by the palace and gardens of Versailles, the house and garden of Claude Monet in Giverny (France), and Mount Namsan in (South) Korea. It is argued that the palace and gardens at Versailles are the embodiment of what Deleuze and Guattari call " striated space " — a specific modulation of space according to lines of power that organise, hierarchize or exclude. Monet's estate, while not devoid of a subtle kind of striation, may be seen as an exemplary instance of fusing it with " smooth space " , where the freedom of nomadic exploration breathes a welcoming aroma in the midst of gentle spatial striation. Ranciére gives one another, complementary perspective on Versailles with his evocative phrase, " the distribution of the sensible " , which is the manner in which the extant world is organised, arranged, and ordered according to what is visible, audible, admissible and sayable. In the 17th and 18th centuries this meant a hierarchy of classes from royalty through nobility and the bourgeoisie down to the fourth estate, or proletariat, whose absence from this elevated space is conspicuous in that they are not represented in the artworks surrounding one. Compared to Versailles, the home of Monet is gentleness incarnate; here the " distribution of the sensible " operates according to inclusion, not exclusion. What Ranciére labels the art of the " aesthetic regime " is conspicuous here, in contrast to the hierarchical art of the " representative regime " at Versailles. The paper focuses on the distinctive cratological " identities " of Versailles and Monet's estate, respectively, through the lenses of Deleuze/Guattari and Ranciére, and then shifts to a different cultural context as a comparative case: the fusion of striated and smooth space on Mount Namsan near Gyeongju, Korea. Identiteit in argitektuur en kuns: Versailles, Giverny en Gyeongju Hierdie artikel ondersoek die verskillende " identiteite " wat deur die paleis en tuine van Versailles, die huis en tuin van Claude Monet in Giverny (Frankryk), en die berg, Mt Namsan, in (Suid-) Korea geprojekteer word. Die paleis en tuine by Versailles is die toonbeeld van wat Deleuze en Guattari " gelaagde ruimte " noem – 'n besondere modulering van ruimte wat dit volgens magsbeginsels van eksklusiwiteit en hiërargie organiseer. Ofskoon Monet se huis en tuin ook 'n subtiele soort " gelaagde ruimte " vertoon, smelt dit hier saam met " gladde ruimte " , waar die vryheid van nomadiese eksplorasie hand aan hand gaan met die struktureringsfunksie van gelaagde ruimte. Ranciére bied 'n alternatiewe perspektief op Versailles met sy suggestiewe uitdrukking, " die verspreiding van die sintuiglike " , wat 'n beskrywing is van die wyse waarop die wêreld volgens kriteria van sigbaarheid, hoorbaarheid, toelaatbaarheid en beskryfbaarheid georganiseer is. In die 17de en 18de eeue het dit die vorm aangeneem van 'n klasse-hiërargie vanaf koninklikes en die edelstand tot die middelklas en die proletariaat, waarvan die afwesigheid in die hoë ruimtes van Versailles opvallend is deurdat hulle nie in die kunswerke wat 'n mens omring verteenwoordig is nie. In vergelyking met Versailles, word die tuiste van Monet deur vreedsaamheid gekenmerk; hier funksioneer die " verspreiding van die sintuiglike " in terme van insluiting in plaas van uitsluiting. Wat Ranciére as die kuns van die " estetiese regime " bestempel, is opvallend hier, in teenstelling met die " kuns van die representatiewe regime " by Versailles. Die artikel konsentreer op die onderskeibare kratologiese " identiteite " van Versailles en van Monet se huis en tuin aan die hand van Deleuze/ Guattari en Ranciére se teoretiese invalshoeke, onderskeidelik, voordat daar op vergelykende wyse na 'n ander kulturele konteks oorgegaan word, naamlik na die sintese van " gladde " en " gelaagde " ruimte op die berg, Mt Namsan naby Gyeongju, Korea. Sleutelwoorde: argitektuur, kuns, gladde ruimte, gelaagde ruimte, identiteit A 'method' is the striated space of the cogitatio universalis and draws a path that must be followed from one point to another. But the form of exteriority situates thought in a smooth space that it must occupy without counting, and for which there is no possible method, no conceivable reproduction, but only relays, intermezzos, resurgences. Deleuze and Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus, p. 377.
The Posthuman offers both an introduction and major contribution to contemporary debates on the posthuman. Digital 'second life', genetically modified food, advanced prosthetics, robotics and reproductive technologies are familiar facets of our globally linked and technologically mediated societies. This has blurred the traditional distinction between the human and its others, exposing the non-naturalistic structure of the human. The Posthuman starts by exploring the extent to which a post-humanist move displaces the traditional humanistic unity of the subject. Rather than perceiving this situation as a loss of cognitive and moral self-mastery, Braidotti argues that the posthuman helps us make sense of our flexible and multiple identities. Braidotti then analyzes the escalating effects of post-anthropocentric thought, which encompass not only other species, but also the sustainability of our planet as a whole. Because contemporary market economies profit from the control and commodification of all that lives, they result in hybridization, erasing categorical distinctions between the human and other species, seeds, plants, animals and bacteria. These dislocations induced by globalized cultures and economies enable a critique of anthropocentrism, but how reliable are they as indicators of a sustainable future? The Posthuman concludes by considering the implications of these shifts for the institutional practice of the humanities. Braidotti outlines new forms of cosmopolitan neo-humanism that emerge from the spectrum of post-colonial and race studies, as well as gender analysis and environmentalism. The challenge of the posthuman condition consists in seizing the opportunities for new social bonding and community building, while pursuing sustainability and empowerment
- G Deleuze
- F Guattari
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Where in the world: Pinning down the 108 scenes in Sense8 intro
- L Rackl
Rackl, L. 2015. Where in the world:
Pinning down the 108 scenes in
Sense8
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http://tvtrippin.com/travel/where-inthe-world-pinning-down-sense8-openers-108-scenes/ (Accessed 30
January 2017).