2003 classic. Mapping the Matrix
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MAPPING THE MATRIX
Transcript of 2003 classic. Mapping the Matrix
MAPPING THE MATRIX
The Desert & Digital Destiny in The Matrix Barry Vacker, Temple University May 17, 2003
two themes
• the desert! • digital destiny!
two themes
• the desert!– “desert of the real”!
– Simulacra & Simulation!
– Jean Baudrillard!– postmodern media landscapes!
• digital destiny!
two themes
• the desert!– “desert of the real”!
– Simulacra & Simulation!
– Jean Baudrillard!– postmodern media landscapes!
• digital destiny!– desert is recurrent icon in sci-fi films w/ dystopian digital vision!
– absence, void, disappearance!
– timelessness !– control of time!
two themes
• the desert!– “desert of the real”!
– Simulacra & Simulation!
– Jean Baudrillard!– postmodern media landscapes!
• digital destiny!– desert is recurrent icon in sci-fi films w/ dystopian digital vision!
– absence, void, disappearance!
– timelessness !– control of time!– “bullet-time”!
“the desert of the real”
• “You've been living in a dream world, Neo. Welcome to the desert of the real.” — Morpheus
with cool shades!
“the desert of the real”!
• “You've been living in a dream world, Neo. Welcome to the desert of the real.” — Morpheus!
Neo’s green book!
• Simulacra and Simulation ’81!– Jean Baudrillard!
• “real” is disappearing beyond horizons of hyperreal.!– Disneyland & Las Vegas!
utopia in desert — Atomic Age —
• Las Vegas — gambling, the Rat Pack, and “televised” architecture!– rise of Las Vegas as tourist destination paralleled the rise of TV as media destination in the 1950s!
utopia in desert — Atomic Age —!
• televised architecture!
• glowing 24/7 …!• pixelated …!• a TV cosmos in the desert!
• clip: Synthetic Pleasures ‘96!
dystopia in desert — Atomic Age —!
• nuclear wasteland!
• A-bomb tests were tourist attractions in Las Vegas!
• many “Ground Zeros”!
• first A-bomb test at…!
Area 51 test site!
“Trinity”
with cool shades…!
“Trinity”!
• high-fashion hacker?!
• truth seeker?!• religious symbol?!
with cool shades!
“Trinity”!
• high-fashion hacker?!
• truth seeker?!• religious symbol?!
• icon of the postmodern apocalypse born at … !
with cool shades!
“Trinity”!
born at “Ground Zero”?!with cool shades!
“Trinity”!
• or this “Ground Zero”?!• New York-New York
! — Las Vegas ‘97!with cool shades
Las Vegas Strip!
Forbidden Planet!
• Wilcox ‘55!• desert!
– suburban utopia!– civilization had returned to desert!
• Krell computer!• “exit now!”!• sets by Disney
Forbidden Planet!
• Wilcox ‘55!• desert!
– suburban utopia!– civilization had returned to desert!
• Krell computer!• “exit now!”!• sets by Disney!
Alphaville!
• Godard ‘65 !• suburban utopia!
– outside Paris!– surrounded by the “Outlands”!
• Alpha 60 computer!
• exit now! !
Alphaville!
• Alpha 60!– “1.4 billion nerve centers” !
– “150 light years more powerful”!
– “people are slaves of probabilities”!
• Outlands!– “civilization of anti-matter”!
2001: A Space Odyssey!
• Kubrick ‘68!• human evolution born in desert!– Space Age emerged from desert !
• HAL 9000 computer!
• no exit! !
Westworld!
• Crichton ‘73!• utopian theme park in desert!
Westworld!
• Crichton ‘73!• utopian theme park in desert!
• a vision of the future!– on cool shades!
Westworld!
• Crichton ‘73!• utopian theme park in desert!
• populated with simulacra!
Westworld!
• Crichton ‘73!• utopian theme park in desert!
• it’s real: !– “Yep, I reckon”!
Westworld!
• Crichton ‘73!• utopian theme park in desert!
• reality disappears beyond digital horizons!
• No exit!!
The Matrix!
• Wachowskis ‘99!• utopia now dystopia!
• AI over humans!– Alphaville!– 2001!– Westworld!
• exit now!!
The Matrix!
• theme is not original!– no exit from tech/dystopian theme !
• The Matrix is simulacrum further from cinematic authenticity!
The Matrix!
• reflects existential conditions at millennium!
• reality disappears beyond horizons of data!
• into the Zero
utopia in desert — Information Age —
• Las Vegas — mega hotels, families, and simulation architecture!– Las Vegas as “sim-city” paralleled rise of cyberspace and Internet as virtual destinations in 1990s.!
utopia in desert — Information Age —!
• the hyperreal appears over the horizons of the desert!
• the real disappears behind horizons of data !
• clip: Synthetic Pleasures ‘96!
“desert of the real”!
• map is territory!
• simulacra as reality!
• name implies warping of space-time coordinates for utopia/dystopia! “Paris, Las Vegas”
“desert of the real”!
• map is territory!
• simulacra as reality!
• name “NY-NY” implies the double,the copy, the clone
New York-New York
“desert of the real”!
• what is missing?!
New York-New York
“desert of the real”!
• what is missing?!• the Twin Towers!• simulacra for:!
– the double !– the copy !– the clone !– binary digits of the info age!
“desert of the real”!
• NY-NY hotel!– complete in ‘97!
• the hyperreal “Ground Zero”!
• the postmodern Manhattan Project…!
New York-New York
“desert of the real”!
• Las Vegas is the capitol of The Matrix !
“desert of the real”!
• Las Vegas is the capitol of The Matrix !
• masks the fact that rest of society is also ordered thru models and simulation!
“desert of the real”!
Death Valley and Las Vegas !are inseparable; you have!to accept everything at!once. — Jean Baudrillard
“bullet-time” • Neo: What is this
place?!• Morpheus: More
important than what is when.!
• Neo: When?!• Morpheus: You believe
the year is 1999, when it much closer to 2199. I can’t tell you exactly which year it is, because we honestly do not know.
“bullet-time” in Baudrillard!
• Illusion of the End ‘94!• “matter” and “information” moving toward opposite destinies…!
• matter slowing down, toward density and mass…!
• info accelerating, seeking escape velocity, toward the void…!
“bullet-time” in Baudrillard!
• Illusion of the End ‘94!• “matter” and “information” moving toward opposite destinies…!
• matter slowing down, toward density and mass…!
• info accelerating, seeking escape velocity, toward the void…!
• the conditions in The Matrix!
matter…
• …slowing down, toward density and mass…!
information…!
• …accelerating, seeking escape velocity, toward the void…!
Millennium Clock in Paris
• countdown to the Millennium …!• … cascaded towards all 000000000s !• binary void for the new century!• the “future” is beyond the horizon of Zeros … as in The Matrix!
Clock of the Long Now • 10,000 year clock!• desert mountains above Las Vegas!
• designed by Danny Hillis !— digital guru and former Disney Imagineer!
• named by rock legend Brian Eno!
goal of clock: slow down time
• ticks once/year!• century hand advances once/100 years!
• cuckoo sounds for each of next 10 millennia!
• will stand in cities around the world
“bullet-time” in The Matrix!
• goal of bullet-time? !
• total vision!– info utopia!
• slow down time!!– in the onslaught of information produced by proliferating media!
– info dystopia
“bullet-time” in The Matrix!
• from mapmaking technique using daguerrotypes in Paris!
• mid-1800s!• cameras lofted with balloons photograph all of Paris!
• anticipates total surveillance!
“bullet-time” in The Matrix!
• 122 cameras around the scene!
• triggered in sequence as if a movie camera was tracking scene !
• this FX is a metaphor for trajectory toward total simulation & surveillance !
“bullet-time” in The Matrix!
• Neo: What are you telling me? That I can dodge bullets?
• Morpheus: No Neo. What I am trying to tell you is that when you are ready, you won’t have to.!
desert and digital destiny!
• desert!• Las Vegas!• Millennium Clock!
• Clock of the Long Now!
• The Matrix!
desert and digital destiny!
• desert!• Las Vegas!• Millennium Clock!
• Clock of the Long Now!
• The Matrix
desert and digital destiny!
• desert!• Las Vegas!• Millennium Clock!
• Clock of the Long Now!
• The Matrix!
• timeless!• time warp!• time empty!
• slow time!
• stop time!
desert and digital destiny!
• pure matter ! ! • pure media!• infinite space ! ! • infinite time • timeless ! ! ! • time warp!• void as a total place! • absence of place??!
desert and digital destiny!
• pure matter ! ! • pure media!• infinite space ! ! • infinite time • timeless ! ! ! • time warp!• void as a total place! • absence of place??!
