I had a surreal experience reading this profound comics strip. A surreal, strange, but beautiful walk in the park where you catch a glimpse of that elusive, important thought, chase after it, and then stumble upon a secret place instead. Beware of big old answers be it in business, education, … [Read more...]
Some musings on visual culture
The following 6 posts are my reflections about visual culture and new media. These articles comprise the end-project for my subject Culture and Media in the Institue for Interactive Media (IAM) in Amsterdam. This is not an art review, rather an articulation of several concepts in new media as … [Read more...]
The spectacular commodification of Che
Films containing computer-generated images and computer animation have given birth not only to its own unique aesthetics, but also a critique of its visual seductiveness and dominance. In addressing this so-called ‘spectacular realism’ (Lister 2003: 145), we are faced with two main connotations of … [Read more...]
Gollum: poster-boy for the next generation
I love everything LOTR; not just Legolas, but even Gollum and Sauron. But after seeing Jackson’s LOTR, I’ve become unexpectedly a real fan of Gollum. Its/his performance in the film was truly touching. Yep, ‘its/his performance’, because Gollum wasn’t just purely a CGI; as everyone knows, he’s also … [Read more...]
The Realism Chronicles: The hero, the tiger and the matrix
Although many celebrate the technologies of verisimilitude, many also criticize the role of digital animation and special effects as factors that contribute to the depthlessness of modern cinema and the digital visual culture. These digital-driven images are seen as dazzling and thrilling, but … [Read more...]
Gulf Wars
The effect and usefulness of movies certainly last longer than their viewing time. I think movies (TV, videos) have become so ingrained in our society (I’m a film-junkie myself) that its visual recall is so powerful. Our visual literacy makes this sort of posters powerful media. Many people may find … [Read more...]