Images. The International Journal of European Film, Performing Arts and Audiovisual Communication
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Myśleć fantastyką. Przez science fiction do posthumanizmu
Get PDFThe author presents the thesis that fantastic literature and film, especially in the science fiction variant, is a privileged form of expression in posthumanist discourse. The themes, motifs and protagonists of science fiction are invoked in various contexts by Donna J. Haraway, Rosi Braidotti, Luciana Parisi, and Pramod K. Nayar. The author analyzes various areas of the involvement and usage of science fiction in posthumanist discourse: on the ontological, axiological and epistemological levels.The author presents the thesis that fantastic literature and film, especially in the science fiction variant, is a privileged form of expression in posthumanist discourse. The themes, motifs and protagonists of science fiction are invoked in various contexts by Donna J. Haraway, Rosi Braidotti, Luciana Parisi, and Pramod K. Nayar. The author analyzes various areas of the involvement and usage of science fiction in posthumanist discourse: on the ontological, axiological and epistemological levels
Narracja czasem. Analiza struktury narracyjnej filmu Arrival (2016) Denisa Villeneuve’a
Get PDFThe article deals with the narrative structure of Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival. Using the concept of a skeptical viewer as a starting point, the author follows the processes of unveiling meanings, both when it comes to the understanding of the plot of the story, as well as the senses and morals stemming out of it. The viewer’s activity appears to be engaged with the activity of a character who is determined to discover the generic science fiction mystery, i.e. to learn the secret of the aliens’ language. The language, in turn, leads to revealing the time reliances in the film, as well as to formulating the thesis on a specific kind of storytelling: not as a “narrative about time,” but rather a “narrative by time.”The article deals with the narrative structure of Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival. Using the concept of a skeptical viewer as a starting point, the author follows the processes of unveiling meanings, both when it comes to the understanding of the plot of the story, as well as the senses and morals stemming out of it. The viewer’s activity appears to be engaged with the activity of a character who is determined to discover the generic science fiction mystery, i.e. to learn the secret of the aliens’ language. The language, in turn, leads to revealing the time reliances in the film, as well as to formulating the thesis on a specific kind of storytelling: not as a “narrative about time,” but rather a “narrative by time.
The material world of digital fictions
Get PDFThis paper explores the interdependency between digital matter and the representational or mimetic layer of the digital game object. The main aim is to foreground the mechanisms by which the representationalelements of the game world emerge from the materiality of the process of play. These mechanisms are examined from the perspective of the ontology of the game object. The issue of digital materiality will be linked with the aesthetical explorations of Tadeusz Kantor, who emphasised the relation between the materiality of the theatre and its fictional elements. As the main example of this analysis, I will focus on Undertale (Toby Fox, 2015) as an example of a game that plays with the boundaries between the fictional world being presented and the elements of digital materiality that are usually hidden from the player’s sight.This paper explores the interdependency between digital matter and the representational or mimetic layer of the digital game object. The main aim is to foreground the mechanisms by which the representationalelements of the game world emerge from the materiality of the process of play. These mechanisms are examined from the perspective of the ontology of the game object. The issue of digital materiality will be linked with the aesthetical explorations of Tadeusz Kantor, who emphasised the relation between the materiality of the theatre and its fictional elements. As the main example of this analysis, I will focus on Undertale (Toby Fox, 2015) as an example of a game that plays with the boundaries between the fictional world being presented and the elements of digital materiality that are usually hidden from the player’s sight
Re-writing histories of colonization in video games: the case of Elizabeth LaPensée
Get PDFThe article is aimed at presentation of the case study in video games creation by Indigenous auteur and designer, Elizabeth LaPensée, which at the same time demonstrates how video games can both mediatize the process of re-writing history and decolonize popular imagination. The analysis of LaPensée’s three games: Invaders, Thunderbird Strikes, and When the Rivers Were Trails to some extent follows her own strategies of self-identification as Anishinabee (Ojibwe). Drawing upon reconfiguration of the auteur theory and the framework of ludostylistics by Astrid Ensslin, we also strive to demonstrate how the notion of a singular author is in fact grounded in collective and collaborative qualities of indigenous digital culture, including digital game design.The article is aimed at presentation of the case study in video games creation by Indigenous auteur and designer, Elizabeth LaPensée, which at the same time demonstrates how video games can both mediatize the process of re-writing history and decolonize popular imagination. The analysis of LaPensée’s three games: Invaders, Thunderbird Strikes, and When the Rivers Were Trails to some extent follows her own strategies of self-identification as Anishinabee (Ojibwe). Drawing upon reconfiguration of the auteur theory and the framework of ludostylistics by Astrid Ensslin, we also strive to demonstrate how the notion of a singular author is in fact grounded in collective and collaborative qualities of indigenous digital culture, including digital game design
Independent horror games between 2010 and 2020: Selected characteristic features and discernible trends
Get PDFThe focus of this article are independent digital horror games and their characteristics; the goal was to briefly describe the independent horror scene and highlight some of the artistic and technical trends which manifest themselves in the titles belonging to that scene. Due to the sheer number of available games, the scope of the paper is narrowed down to only selected characteristics and trends distinguishable in game texts published between the years 2010 and 2020. The aim of the article is to present a selection of observations and conclusions concerning the independent games scene and to hopefully point to what these games can tell scholars about the way both the players and the developers perceive the horror genre.The focus of this article are independent digital horror games and their characteristics; the goal was to briefly describe the independent horror scene and highlight some of the artistic and technical trends which manifest themselves in the titles belonging to that scene. Due to the sheer number of available games, the scope of the paper is narrowed down to only selected characteristics and trends distinguishable in game texts published between the years 2010 and 2020. The aim of the article is to present a selection of observations and conclusions concerning the independent games scene and to hopefully point to what these games can tell scholars about the way both the players and the developers perceive the horror genre
Filmowe reprezentacje ostatniej wieczerzy jako locus theologicus (trzy wizje biblijnej sceny)
Get PDFThe cinematic scenes of the Last Supper were treated as a challenge to visual theology. As the Last Supper, which in the films about Jesus of Nazareth (and, of course, the gospels) is the culmination (and also a turning point as an event ending Jesus` earthly activity), it is possible to see the essence of the theological message of films referring to the gospel in its presentation. The scenes of the Last Supper from three films were subjected to a comparative analysis, each of which is an individual director`s vision. These are The King of Kings (1961) by Nicholas Ray, The Passion of the Christ (2004) by Mel Gibson and The Thorn of God (2015) by Óscar Parra de Carrizosa. The selection criterion was the importance given in the films to the scenes of the Last Supper and their mutually diverse representations. It has been shown how the established new transmission of visual theology modifies the meanings determined by classical theology, basically not deviating from the framework set by it.The cinematic scenes of the Last Supper were treated as a challenge to visual theology. As the Last Supper, which in the films about Jesus of Nazareth (and, of course, the gospels) is the culmination (and also a turning point as an event ending Jesus` earthly activity), it is possible to see the essence of the theological message of films referring to the gospel in its presentation. The scenes of the Last Supper from three films were subjected to a comparative analysis, each of which is an individual director`s vision. These are The King of Kings (1961) by Nicholas Ray, The Passion of the Christ (2004) by Mel Gibson and The Thorn of God (2015) by Óscar Parra de Carrizosa. The selection criterion was the importance given in the films to the scenes of the Last Supper and their mutually diverse representations. It has been shown how the established new transmission of visual theology modifies the meanings determined by classical theology, basically not deviating from the framework set by it
Poświęcić niepewność – prolegomena do badań nad kinem postsekularnym
No full textThis article undertakes the issue of defining film phenomena which put forward questions of a primary religious nature (about the meaning of life, source of evil, life after death, the existence of Absolute, etc.) in a way that is independent from major religious traditions. The author posits that describing this phenomenon in the case of European film culture is done best by employing the philosophical thought of postsecularism. Utilizing Mieke Bal’s method of cultural analysis, the author takes as an example the term “sacrifice” to point to the existence of different models by which religious topics are undertaken by the cinema. This leads to a preliminary typology of the phenomenon which differentiates between ‘apologetic’ and ‘critical’ films and, furthermore, between films that refer to particular religious traditions and those expressing a postsecular perspective.This article undertakes the issue of defining film phenomena which put forward questions of a primary religious nature (about the meaning of life, source of evil, life after death, the existence of Absolute, etc.) in a way that is independent from major religious traditions. The author posits that describing this phenomenon in the case of European film culture is done best by employing the philosophical thought of postsecularism. Utilizing Mieke Bal’s method of cultural analysis, the author takes as an example the term “sacrifice” to point to the existence of different models by which religious topics are undertaken by the cinema. This leads to a preliminary typology of the phenomenon which differentiates between ‘apologetic’ and ‘critical’ films and, furthermore, between films that refer to particular religious traditions and those expressing a postsecular perspective
Główne nurty w badaniach nad filmem i religią
Get PDFThe article is a meta-study and provides an original typology of research on film and religion, based on Polish and English academic sources. The author proposes to divide this field of research into four main domains, which he names successively: substantial-theological, anthropological-mythological, socio-cultural and post-secular. The following descriptive criteria were used to introduce this division: the relationship between religion and culture adopted (usually implicitly) in a given direction of research, the concept of both human and religion emerging from them, and the established subject and scope of research, as well as the basic set of tools used within them. The proposed systematic is intended to help capture the significant differences between the main types of research on film and religion, both in terms of research assumptions, methods of analysis, and set goals.The article is a meta-study and provides an original typology of research on film and religion, based on Polish and English academic sources. The author proposes to divide this field of research into four main domains, which he names successively: substantial-theological, anthropological-mythological, socio-cultural and post-secular. The following descriptive criteria were used to introduce this division: the relationship between religion and culture adopted (usually implicitly) in a given direction of research, the concept of both human and religion emerging from them, and the established subject and scope of research, as well as the basic set of tools used within them. The proposed systematic is intended to help capture the significant differences between the main types of research on film and religion, both in terms of research assumptions, methods of analysis, and set goals
„Człowiek jest czemś, co przezwyciężone być powinno”. Dyskurs historiozoficzny 2001: Odysei kosmicznej
Get PDFDrawing upon classic works on Kubrick’s 2001, the author ponders various strategies of interpretation which have been adopted to decipher the film’s discourse. The title category of historiosophy indicates one of the possible interpretational paths: the one associated with the Nietzschean notion of humankind stuck in a liminal stage between an animal and the overman. The author claims that such an understanding was typical of the late 1960s, and he pursues his argument with a close analysis of several sequences from the film, focusing on the formal devices which present the human protagonists as weak and lackluster, while the animal, the technological and the extraterrestrial characters are depicted as vital and irrepressible.Drawing upon classic works on Kubrick’s 2001, the author ponders various strategies of interpretation which have been adopted to decipher the film’s discourse. The title category of historiosophy indicates one of the possible interpretational paths: the one associated with the Nietzschean notion of humankind stuck in a liminal stage between an animal and the overman. The author claims that such an understanding was typical of the late 1960s, and he pursues his argument with a close analysis of several sequences from the film, focusing on the formal devices which present the human protagonists as weak and lackluster, while the animal, the technological and the extraterrestrial characters are depicted as vital and irrepressible
Czechosłowackie podróże w czasie – od filmowej lekcji przyrody do normalizacyjnej zwariowanej komedii
Get PDFCzechoslovakian film fantasy has its own canon comprised of various works, the successes of which were recorded by press industries around the world. They picked up various threads, but the most interesting one seems to be the theme of time travel, as represented by three films: A Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955), I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen (1969) and Tomorrow I’ll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea (1977). They were produced in different production conditions and placed in different genre assumptions, and they referred to the tradition of science fiction developed by popular literature in different ways. The text tries to define their status as part of the achievements of national cinematography, indicate structural components, and briefly discuss their reception, both critical and audience.Czechoslovakian film fantasy has its own canon comprised of various works, the successes of which were recorded by press industries around the world. They picked up various threads, but the most interesting one seems to be the theme of time travel, as represented by three films: A Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955), I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen (1969) and Tomorrow I’ll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea (1977). They were produced in different production conditions and placed in different genre assumptions, and they referred to the tradition of science fiction developed by popular literature in different ways. The text tries to define their status as part of the achievements of national cinematography, indicate structural components, and briefly discuss their reception, both critical and audience