scholarly journals The Ecopoetics of Reparation: Energy, Air and Cosmos in Marie Darrieussecq’s Tom est mort

2020 ◽  
pp. 29-39
Author(s):  
Enda McCaffrey
Keyword(s):  
Human Form ◽  
Working Through ◽  
Motion Energy ◽  
The Face ◽  
Human Ontology

This article establishes that reparation from grief is a process of “working through” trauma in which death is a catalyst for a re-imagination of the human form. “Working through” trauma comes about in different ways in Tom est mort. It manifests itself firstly as a process “outside” Judeo-Christian and socio-cultural signifiers and outside traditional limits of cognition and subjectivity. Darrieussecq views reparation as a process of nonanthropocentric and anthropogenic relationality (with other species and other non-human phenomena) in which new coalitions and affinities offer an alternative post-human ontology founded in the reduction and dissolution of human form into atoms and particles. Secondly, reparation finds an ecopoetic continuity and sustainability in the narrator’s proximity to and approximation with the physics and spherical production of motion (energy, air, cosmos) and the reparative possibilities posed by this physics to traditional, psychic forms of communication. Darrieussecq’s vision is the hidden energy that operates in space around us. It is a knowledge of the hidden that comes from an acknowledgement of human redundancy in the face of the planet’s eco-vitality.

Fractured and Effaced Façades

2021 ◽  
pp. 162-185
Author(s):  
Ron J. Popenhagen
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Deprivation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Human Form ◽  
Antonin Artaud ◽  
Body Form ◽  
Dynamic Expression ◽  
Marc Chagall ◽  
Dynamic Form ◽  
The Face ◽  
Involuntary Displacement

The rise of Fascism in Europe and its aftermath rest ever in the background of Chapter Six and its collection of ‘Disfigured Bodies’. The face and gaze of Antonin Artaud best characterises the tone of this series of violent destructions, lost ones and the isolated (like Picasso in occupied Paris). Amid ‘Veiled and Displaced Faces’ and ‘Empty Gazes’, involuntary displacement and sensory deprivation haunt representations of the human form. The head and human figures presented here are almost unrecognisable when re-conceived by a metteur en scène like Étienne Decroux or a sculptor like Alberto Giacometti. Marc Chagall, in exile, invents fantasy forms that masquerade the figures of opera and ballet performers with colourful, cushioned exteriors in magical scenographic spaces. Experimentation with actor as object manipulator or manipulacteur, like the scenographic, dynamic form in some of Jacques Lecoq’s work, displace dynamic expression to ‘things’ outside of the body form itself. In Chapter Six, some non-verbal performers search for statements beyond language: texts in the materiality of space itself. The abstracted silhouette speaks as depersonalised, masquerading image.

scholarly journals The creation of beauty by its destruction: the idoloclastic aesthetic in modern and contemporary Jewish art

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Raphael
Keyword(s):  
Mass Culture ◽  
Abstract Art ◽  
Jewish Tradition ◽  
Human Form ◽  
Jewish Art ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
Human Figure ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Second Commandment

Contemporary commentators are well aware that the Jewish tradition is not an aniconic one. Far from suppressing art, the Second Commandment produces it. And not just abstract art; it also uses halakhically mandated idoloclastic techniques to produce figurative images that at once cancel and restore the glory (kavod) of the human. This article suggests that Jewish art’s observance of the Second Commandment’s proscription of idolatrous images (a commandment that belongs indivisibly with the First) is ever more relevant to a contemporary image-saturated mass culture whose consumption induces feelings of both hubris and self-disgust or shame. The article revisits Steven Schwarzschild’s interpretation of the halakhic requirement that artists should deliberately misdraw or distort the human form and Anthony Julius’s account of Jewish art as one that that mobilizes idol breaking. As an aesthetic consequence of the rabbinic permission to mock idols – and thereby render the ideological cults for which they are visual propaganda merely laughable or absurd – distortive, auto-destructive and other related forms of Jewish art are not intended to alienate the sanctity of the human. On the contrary, by honouring the transcendence of the human, especially the face, idoloclastic art knows the human figure as sublime, always exceeding any representation of its form. Idoloclastic anti-images thereby belong to a messianic aesthetic of incompletion that knows the world as it ought to be but is not yet; that remains open to its own futurity: the restoration of dignity, in love.

Impressions of the Covered Body

2021 ◽  
pp. 14-33
Author(s):  
Ron J. Popenhagen
Keyword(s):  
Visual Culture ◽  
Fin De Siecle ◽  
Human Form ◽  
Fin De Siècle ◽  
The Face ◽  
History Of ◽  
Stylistic Changes

This chapter draws parallels between the development of photography as visual culture and images of concealing the face and body. The first section, ‘Veiled Exposures’, notes examples of the costumed and draped human form in late Romanticism through Realism, verismo and Symbolism. A history of Pierrot performances and photo portraits in Paris, Brussels and Marseille maps the stylistic changes that move the white-faced role from the classical to the sentimental and finally to the phantom grotesque. Citing the work of composers, illustrators, photographers and writers, associations with death and masking are introduced. ‘Skulls and Draped Bodies’, the final sub-section, comments upon the anxieties present in fin-de-siėcle images, including the shroud-fabric paintings of Ferdinand Hodler and the skulls in Odilon Redon’s prints and drawings. The chapter also chronicles the importance of professional portrait photography in Paris.

Intact Perception of Biological Motion in the Face of Profound Spatial Deficits: Williams Syndrome

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Jordan ◽  
Jason E. Reiss ◽  
James E. Hoffman ◽  
Barbara Landau
Keyword(s):  
Williams Syndrome ◽  
Biological Motion ◽  
Genetic Disorder ◽  
Spatial Integration ◽  
Local Motion ◽  
Human Form ◽  
The Face ◽  
Spatial System ◽  
Point Light ◽  
Perception Of Biological Motion

Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic disorder that results in profound spatial cognitive deficits. We examined whether individuals with WS have intact perception of biological motion, which requires global spatial integration of local motion signals into a unitary percept of a human form. Children with WS, normal mental-age-matched children, and normal adults viewed point-light-walker (PLW) displays portraying a human figure walking to the left or right. Children with WS were as good as or better than control children in their ability to judge the walker's direction, even when it was masked with dynamic noise that mimicked the local motion of the PLW lights. These results show that mechanisms underlying the perception of at least some kinds of biological motion are unimpaired in children with WS. They provide the first evidence of selective sparing of a specialized spatial system in individuals with a known genetic impairment.

Deconstruction on the Move: From Libidinal Economy to Liminal Materialism

1994 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1041-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Doel
Keyword(s):  
Human Geography ◽  
Ethical Responsibility ◽  
Working Through ◽  
The Face ◽  
Standard Deviations

In the wake of the Möbius spiralling of relativism and reflexivity, much of the theoretically inclined literature within human geography has turned to the motifs of difference and otherness as a possible basis for fostering a coming together and rapprochement of previously incommensurate theoretical-practices. Much of this effort has been undertaken in an explicit attempt to maintain political, moral, and ethical responsibility in the face of a dangerous slide into passive nihilism and indifference. In the first half of the paper I argue that the attempt to forge a universal currency which would enable difference to circulate freely within contemporary human geography is flawed for three interrelated reasons. First, by working through a libidinal economy of negation it forces difference to conform to the Same. Specifically, difference is captured as so-many standard deviations from the Norm. Second, this apparatus of capture is predestined to yield a state of confusion, imprecision, and indistinction which can only be contained within a quotation market. Third, by dwelling upon negation and appropriation, and through capturing difference within a normalized economy of the Same, the forging of a universal currency within a quotation market deprives itself of the ability to effectively affirm difference, otherness, alterity, and singularity in and of themselves. Such an affirmation would require an act of ex-appropriation, rather than one of appropriation. Consequently, by drawing upon the liminal materialism of a deconstructive experience, in the second half of the paper I explore four movements of ex-appropriation: radical passivity, destabilization on the move, telephony, and picnolepsy. The paper concludes with a discussion of the ethics of the event.

scholarly journals Tumblr's GIF culture and the infinite image: Lone fandom, ruptures, and working through on a microblogging platform

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Williams
Keyword(s):  
Television Series ◽  
Working Through ◽  
Potential Source ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Fan Engagement ◽  
Favorite Television

Tumblr's modes of looping and repetition (especially via the circulation of GIFs) offer a potential source of comfort during moments of fannish rupture. By analyzing my own responses to the ending of a favorite television series, I argue that the repetition of Tumblr—the sense of infinity that is engendered by the fact that users may see the same thing reblogged and turning up on their dashboard over and over again—can be understood as offering the potential for working through moments of affective disruption. By assessing Tumblr's sense of endlessness and the reblogging of images and GIF and GIF sets across fan blogs after the finale of the television series Hannibal (2013–15), I consider how the use of a single specific platform can relate to the absence rather than the presence of fan-created objects. In an analysis of fan engagement and attachment, I draw on Freud's work on repeating and working through to study the relationship among repetition, trauma, and the wider media. The repetition engendered by the repeated viewing of GIFs and GIF sets on Tumblr offers comfort and catharsis for fans in periods of mourning. These areas of study inform an analysis of Tumblr as a specific platform for fan engagement and this platform's use as a mechanism for reassurance in the face of moments of rupture.

scholarly journals Mensch - Maske - Tier. Zu den Entstehungsbedingungen der Karikatur

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 9-31
Author(s):  
Simone Voegtle
Keyword(s):  
Visual Arts ◽  
Direct Connection ◽  
Human Form ◽  
The Face ◽  
Human Figure

Das Tier kann nicht nur auf eine lange und vielfältige Präsenz als Motiv der bildenden Kunst zurückblicken, sondern übte darüber hinaus einen grossen Einfluss auf die Darstellung der menschlichen Gestalt im antiken Griechenland aus. Dieser mehr oder weniger direkte Bezug zwischen der tierischen und der menschlichen Form zeigte sich vor allem in zwei Bereichen – der Maske und der Karikatur. Während im einen das Raubtiergesicht die Gestaltung früher griechischer Masken beeinflusste, griff der andere auf tierische Charakteristika zur Verzerrung der menschlichen Gestalt zurück.   The animal has not only a longue and diverse presence as a motive in the visual arts, but  above that has influenced in a important way the representation of the human figure in Greek antiquity. This more or less direct connection between the animal and the human form becomes particularly apparent in two domains – the mask and the caricature. While the face of the feline predator influenced the configuration of the early Greek mask, the caricature used animal characteristics to distort the human figure.

scholarly journals ŠVENČIAUSIOSIOS TREJYBĖS ATVAIZDAI: IŠTAKOS, IKONOGRAFIJOS BRUOŽAI, DEFORMACIJOS

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 63-79
Author(s):  
Sigita Maslauskaitė
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Human Form ◽  
History Of Christianity ◽  
Holy Trinity ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The Face ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Invisible

Švč. Trejybės atvaizdo istorija rodo, kad šio krikščionybės slėpinio aiškinimas buvo ir yra iššūkis, į kurį krikščionybė bandė atsakyti visuotinių susirinkimų metu, skatindama teologinių traktatų leidybą, šviesdama menininkus ir kūrinių užsakovus. Trivienio Dievo didybės vaizdavimas, ikonografijos interpretacijos ir deformacijos atskleidžia, kad per visą krikščionybės istoriją dėta daug pastangų „aiškiai“ išreikšti Švč. Trejybės esmę, tačiau slėpinys liko ir slėpiniu, ir iššūkiu. Į jį atsiliepti stengėsi įvairių epochų tikintieji, tačiau vieno tikro atsakymo nerado. Švč. Trejybės ikonografijos istorija ir kontroversijos leidžia dar kartą apsvarstyti meninio atvaizdo ontologinį statusą.Pagrindiniai žodžiai: Švč. Trejybė, slėpinys, atvaizdas, ikonografija, Nikėjos II susirinkimas, Tridento susirinkimas. IMAGES OF THE HOLY TRINITY: ORIGINS, ICONOGRAPHIC FEATURES, DEFORMATIONSSigita Maslauskaitė SummaryThe history of the image of the Holy Trinity reveals that the interpretation of this Christian mystery posed and still poses a challenge Christianity has attempted to face during general meetings encouraging the publishing of theological tracts and enlightening artists as well as those who commission works of art. Meanwhile, artists have tried to depict the glory of one God in three persons, distorting the image to a greater or lesser degree. Christian images often attributed human qualities to theTrinity of God and bestowed Him with an anthropomorphic silhouette. Some of them went so far as to portray the three-faced Trinity revealing a three-theistic thinking, which was a complete diversion from searching for the image of God in three persons. However, in the Christian iconographic tradition it would have been an absurd thing to do. On the contrary, the majority of the images of the Holy Trinity are worthy of respect even though they do pose a problem that needs to be faced.The doctrine of incarnation enables the portrayal of the face of God the Son. In the Old Testament, God does not disclose His face, whereas in the New Testament He reveals the face of the eternal Incarnate Word, i.e. Jesus Christ. The Church permitted the depiction of both the human form of Christ and His biographic events. Around 730, John of Damascus quoted Basilius the Great and emphasized that image worshipping was not a pagan cult as it was not the matter that was being celebrated but rather that which was being depicted, thus “we honour not the sacred image, but the prototype of which the artistic object is only a reflection.” Subsequently, the latter phrase comprised the base of all defenders of Christian images and was often being repeated in order to prove that the cult of images was based on the worshipping of the depicted persons but not the depictions themselves. Christians followed the conviction that the Son was the consubstantial image of the prototype and that only the Son “is the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15) and “the expressed image of his person” (Heb. 1:3). Thus, the Holy Spirit, in its turn, is also the image of the Son: “and no one can say “Jesus is Lord,” except the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). It is only through the Holy Spirit that we know the Son of God, God the Christ, and see the Father in the Son. By nature, the Word is the proclaimer of the thought, whereas the Spirit is the revealer of the Word. Therefore, only the Son is the living, true and everlasting image of the invisible God containing the Father in Himself, absolutely identical to the Father and only differing in that He has a cause. However, the christomorphic position has not always been gratifying, and it is sometimes thought that Latin Christianity went too far by depicting God humanly. According to French sociologists, such “human, all too human” (Nietzsche) images of God might have contributed to “discrediting” the very idea of God or even the “exculturation” of Christianity. Contemporary art has also been unable to find the means of depicting the Holy Trinity in such a way that both believers and non-believers would not consider it to be provocative. The problem will never be solved if all traditions, doctrines and disciplines, principles and facts, successes and failures in the field are not accepted.The article considers only some of the interpretation aspects of the mystery of the Holy Trinity. The portrayal of the glory of God in three persons, iconographic interpretations and deformations have revealed that throughout the history of Christianity much effort has been made to express “clearly” the essence of the Holy Trinity, and yet the mystery has remained both a mystery and a challenge. As the result, the iconographic history of the Holy Trinity and all the related controversies allow us to reconsider the ontological status of its artistic image.Keywords: the Holy Trinity, mystery, image, iconography, the Second Council of Nicaea, Council of Trent.

Why do people believe in a zero-sum economy?

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel G. B. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Evolutionary Model ◽  
Everyday Experience ◽  
Coalitional Psychology ◽  
The Face ◽  
Zero Sum

AbstractZero-sum thinking and aversion to trade pervade our society, yet fly in the face of everyday experience and the consensus of economists. Boyer & Petersen's (B&P's) evolutionary model invokes coalitional psychology to explain these puzzling intuitions. I raise several empirical challenges to this explanation, proposing two alternative mechanisms – intuitive mercantilism (assigning value to money rather than goods) and errors in perspective-taking.

Mars: was There an Ancient Eden?

1997 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 203-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias C. Owen
Keyword(s):  
Positive Answer ◽  
Biogenic Elements ◽  
Habitable Zones ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Early Mars ◽  
Favorable Conditions ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Rocky Planets ◽  
Impact Erosion

AbstractThe clear evidence of water erosion on the surface of Mars suggests an early climate much more clement than the present one. Using a model for the origin of inner planet atmospheres by icy planetesimal impact, it is possible to reconstruct the original volatile inventory on Mars, starting from the thin atmosphere we observe today. Evidence for cometary impact can be found in the present abundances and isotope ratios of gases in the atmosphere and in SNC meteorites. If we invoke impact erosion to account for the present excess of129Xe, we predict an early inventory equivalent to at least 7.5 bars of CO2. This reservoir of volatiles is adequate to produce a substantial greenhouse effect, provided there is some small addition of SO2(volcanoes) or reduced gases (cometary impact). Thus it seems likely that conditions on early Mars were suitable for the origin of life – biogenic elements and liquid water were present at favorable conditions of pressure and temperature. Whether life began on Mars remains an open question, receiving hints of a positive answer from recent work on one of the Martian meteorites. The implications for habitable zones around other stars include the need to have rocky planets with sufficient mass to preserve atmospheres in the face of intensive early bombardment.

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