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CYBORGS. Citizen as a System. Introduction. Contemporary Bodies Liminal Habitats One: a rather post-modern place delimited by the ins and outs of Performativity Two: a post-human place, between natural and constructed physicality. Illustration Liminal Habitat One:
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CYBORGS Citizen as a System
Introduction Contemporary Bodies • Liminal Habitats • One: • a rather post-modern place delimited by the ins and outs of Performativity • Two: • a post-human place, between natural and constructed physicality
Illustration • Liminal Habitat One: • 'Metropolis', Fritz Lang's 1920's silent movie • 'Metropolis', Kaos Theatre’s 1999 stage adaptation • Liminal Habitat Two: • Exoskeletons for Human Performance Augmentation (DARPA) • Australian Performance Artist: Stelarc • Brazilian Interactive Artist: Eduardo Kac.
Intent: to shed light on • core conundrum of the sociology of the body • our tenacious physicality • core performative cross-boundary site • the cyborg phenomenon Confront what we take for granted : • that our bodies and our selves are indivisible.
Lang's Metropolis • A metaphor for the postmodern liminal habitat between agency and structure. • A story of a futuristic city built upon the shoulders of slave labour.
The rich elite above, and the poor workers below: this is a theme which resurfaces time and again • Choice, freedom, and individualism of the lofty elite • Ignorance, drudgery, and prescribed existence of the amorphous masses below.
Maria Klein • Jon Fredersen's son • Resolution in the liminal space between them. • An agent of social construction • A paragon of the socially constructed.
The workers They move in a dance-like rhythm in tune with the machines
Foucauldian technologies of the body • prisoners doing Public Works • Huxley's Deltas • Pre-existing roles • Citation • Failure of the Body
Early scene in the workers' part of the city • Fredersen's son
The vision of MOLOCH!' - God of Fire! • This scene is the motivational core of the whole story: • The failure of the body.
The failure of the human body • Cyberpunk • Control mechanisms • law-abiding citizenship, • sanity • health • sexuality
Fredersen's son and Maria Klein change the rules of their society force mechanisation into a human mould. Fredersen and his mystic inventor, Rotwang intent on creating a new workforce more suited to further mechanisation.
Rotwang • Frankenstein • Pentacle • Essence of life • Golem
Magical / Occult • Modern / Scientific • Management & worker theme • A machine in the image of man • Rotwang’s prosthetic hand
Brain & Hands & Heart of the city • city understood through image of the body • Failure of body : failure of city • evil plot to do away with bodies • heroic hope of divine intervention • Rotwang to make a robot Maria
The making of the robot • False-Maria the whore
Destabilisation • we both have and are bodies • Grammar • Having / being / doing
The Kaos Metropolis • The Morticians • Direct action • Choreography of images
The body • The physicality of death • The story has become a war over the body, about the body, and fought with bodies.
City / body • "The greatest acrobats of change are the dead." • Rotwang the geneticist
Age demographics • The genatoid Maria • Genetic weaponry • This story is a fight over bodies, about bodies, with newly created bodies
Birth of the genatoid • Physical presence • Mediated view • representation of representation
What is the real body? • distorting lens • Death of Rotwang • killed by the human he has cloned • disruption of liminal habitat • ontological discomfort
Posthumanism • A new liminal space • Reproductive technology • Twins • ‘Life not worthy to be lived’ • Posthuman liminal habitat
Soldier as a System • Land Warrior System • Starship Trooper • Armor
Wave/particle duality • Era of code • Dolly the Clone • People : code
Zoque babies • Stelarc’s extra ear
Obsolete body • Post-evolutionary experiments • Technological determinism / pragmatic cynicism
Eduardo Kac • Interactive Art • Time Capsule • Implants/Neuro-prosthetics
Conclusion • Dehumanisation • Zoque babies • Kosovo • Eggs • Posthuman liminal habitat • Postevolutionary experiments • Ecosystem