Carnival of the Aliens

University of London, Goldsmiths

MEGAN BROADMEADOW

MFA FINE ART.

PART TIME PT 2.

28/05/ 2013

CARNVAL OF THE ALIENS

Total Word Count: 3,225.

Image 1.1

1 Image 1 Screenshot of http://www.cosplayisland.co.uk/user/register, accessed 27/05/2013. This shows the information needed to become part of the Cosplay Island community. You could also answer very similar questions (without using the same answers) to become a member of Anime Nation, Acen, Kigurumi and multiple other sites dedicated to the art of Cosplay. There is nothing stopping you taking on virtual personas, and integrating yourself into several communities simultaneously. You could spend years interacting happily with them, chatting, swapping notes, and virtually laughing at their jokes, without anyone ever knowing your real middle name, actual age, or the fact that you made up the name of your first kiss. If you were feeling sociable, you could attend a Cosplay conference, in your home country or further afield, in say Sydney or Tokyo. You could perhaps also start a small Cosplay merchandise enterprise so that you could make those trips worthwhile? But would it really be you attending? That’s the beauty of Cosplay, your attendance is not necessary, In fact its almost obligatory to send someone else in your place, and they should ideally be funnier, better looking, smarter, more athletic and if possible the greatest, most aspirational person you can imagine. At Cosplay, you attend from inside the mask of your hero, at Copslay you get to be them for the day.

Cosplaynewbie says:

Hi, I’m wondering if anyone can tell me the definition of Cosplay and

how it started? I’d love to see some old costumes J

FutureFreak says:

I’m no expert, but like to get things right – so I’ll quote Wikipedia …

LOL

J

“Cosplay (コスプレ), short for "costume play", is a type of performance

art in which participants wear costumes and accessories to represent a

specific character or idea from a work of fiction. Cosplayers often

interact to create a subculture centered on role play.”

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay.)1

Cosplay’s roots are attributed to early conventions in the US;

“The First World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) was held in

the Caravan Hall in New York from July 2 to July 4, 1939.”2

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_World_Science_Fiction_Convention)

Hope this helps J

FutureFreak says:

Oh, Just found out the first costume had the name ‘Futuristicostume.’

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay)3

J

@Cosplaynewbie -‐ you do realise that dressing up for Rocky Horror is

something different to Cosplay…? I just noticed the topic header.

DaveKyle says:

Hi, I attended the First World Science Fiction Convention!

For the record, we also thought we might be able to change the world:

“The Futurians, as they were called, were politically oriented fans who

felt that science fiction had a mission, was more than just fun and

games, should have gone on record on this historic occasion as being

opposed to war or in favor of interplanetary exploration or something of

a substantial nature." (http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m29/kyle.htm).4

Combover82 says:

The 1930’s. They were in many ways ‘out of this world.’ It was when

Buck Rogers started, and the radio broadcast of Orson Wells’ play The

Invasion From Mars caused panic across America, as people believed

that the world was under attack.5 The idea of the ‘unknown other’ was

formed in a world that was about to face another World War. The

enemies, in reality, were more than familiar to one another, and one of

the many horrors of fascism was perhaps that it was able to influence

those who looked just like us. People were about to surrender their own

individual identities too, aligning themselves to one collective effort

against the enemy.

Is it worth thinking of how the use of becoming something other – an

alien or fantastical figure, even if for a short time, could be a useful way

to remove yourself from your own incomprehensible circumstances?

Cosplaynewbie says:

Deep!

I thought Cosplay was about fun, and well… play?

I think its great to be able to play freely, its so liberating J

Manganificent says:

@Combover82, what’s great about Cosplay is that we promote

harmony, for example, America and Japan have not always been allies,

but with Cosplay your nationality doesn’t matter, because you are in

character, and you have a shared love of the stories.

A global community has formed, beyond nationality, which could be

thought of as political.

FutureFreak says:

What about the Posthumanist movement?

This article talks about Manga artists, post humanist thinking, and the

Superflat movement.

http://novimagazine.com/post/20004678566/freed-‐from-‐the-‐earth-‐2

Posthumanism posits that humans are not the center of the universe, 6

and the idea of ‘humanity’ itself should be abandoned.

Steven Fuller states that ‘Not even humans want to associate with

other humans any more -‐ they prefer other animals and the ‘second

selves’, or avatars, they can create on their computers.” (Fuller, 2011, 75).

I wonder, are Cosplayers into people or the avatars? Who do they

prefer?

Combover82 says:

@ Manganificient -‐Yes I’d say that is strength of the movement, and

what makes Cosplay special.

Combover82 says:

@FutureFreak – if the Cosplayers are interested in Posthumanism, they

are relatively quiet about it. Their mission seems to be to have fun and

look amazing.

Oh, and get a good photograph ;-‐)

FutureFreak says:

@Combover82 -‐ A bit cynical…LOL

Check this out,

http://ifanboy.com/articles/what-‐is-‐cosplay-‐and-‐why-‐do-‐people-‐do-‐it/

Combover82 says:

Thanks J

New thread?

FutureFreak says:

Sure, why not?

Oh, @Cosplaynewbie -‐ I found this picture of an original Cosplay

costume, being worn by none other than Forrest J Ackerman J

Sorry… forgot to post it earlier!

2.

Photo Source:

http://fanac.org/photohtm.php?worldcon/NYcon/w39-‐030

Combover82

says:

I’ve been wondering what the broader implications are for the popularity

of Cosplay?

As far as I can work out there are a few areas to discuss here:

The kind of people Cosplay attracts.

The activity of Cosplay itself.

The society within which Cosplay exists (in the real and virtual world).

Lets start with the Cosplayers:

@FutureFreak sent the link -‐ “Why do People Cosplay?”


It had this comment in it:

Molly McIsaac (@MollyMcIsaac) says: December 6, 2012 at 3:43 pm I received over 30 testimonials, and the one running theme I found in the majority of them is that Cosplayers’ have low self esteem or were bullied for their interests when they were younger. Cosplay is self expression of the things that they love.

7

Any thoughts?

FutureFreak

says:

In the amateur YouTube documentary OTAKU about the Arkansas Anime Festival, you follow players making costumes for conventions. They talk about how their handmade costumes leading to admiration at the conventions and online which boosts their self-‐esteem.8 You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=felu6P4jryE

FutureFreak

says:

@Combover82 – You do realise that Trekkies are not Cosplayers?

(I’ve just noticed the topic header).

Tanner says:

I’d like to take this opportunity to point out that there’s a difference

between Cosplay and costuming. I used to dress up as a stormtrooper

with a bunch of other guys dressed like stormtroopers, but we didn’t

pretend to be characters we just wore the costumes.

With Cosplay, there’s imagination involved.

http://ifanboy.com/users/Tanner/9

Combover82

says:

@Tanner – If Cosplay is beyond dressing up for a fancy dress party I’m

guessing Its about affinity, resonance, and transformations. The driving

urge that gets most Cosplayers playing is that they want to become the

character, not simply look like them.

Also they class it as a kind of performance art. What’s unique about it as

performance is the actors and audience are interchangeable, everyone is

simultaneously performing and watching at a convention.

Cosplaynewbie

says:

My guess would be that if they are people who have experienced bullying

or an inability to express themselves, the constructing of a character could

be seen as them making a space to feel secure.

To dress as a superhero might be a kind of demonstration that they have

power against their inadequacy. They can act out their fantasy of feeling

on top of the world, or in control, at least for a couple of days a year.

It’s also quite easy to join, without having to socialise in real life. You don’t

have to expose yourself fully and can present a version of yourself. This

must also account for its popularity.

Cosplaynewbie

says:

I’ve just thought, it’s kind of like a game. J

People start to move up levels by getting more confidence and becoming

more popular, they also ‘skill up’ as they learn how to make better

costumes by following tips from other users.

I guess the idea of a game isn’t surprising since most of the people who

joined in the first place were already gamers, hence why they joined!

FutureFreak

says:

@Cosplaynewbie – you might have just gone up an intelligence level!

J ****

Adorno says:

“Society is made of those whom it compromises’….‘This may be one of the

reasons why they like to project their dependence upon something else,

be it a conspiracy of wall street bankers or the constellation of the stars.”

(Adorno, 1994, 114).

FutureFreak

says:

@Adorno – welcome to the group!

I guess this is a ‘bigger picture’ kind of thinking, which goes beyond the

idea of a person who has been bullied at school. Cosplay could in these

terms be thought of as an outlet for a society that is made up of dis-‐

empowered members.10

FutureFreak

says:

Time travel alert! Adorno was writing over 50 years ago. We are in the

digital age now, what effect does that have on our society or subjectivity?

Converging Technologies (CT) are relevant to think about, one strand of

which is classified by Fuller as ‘Humanity Translated’. (Fuller, 2011, 104)11

This is the advancement of technology that is finding ways to allow for

prolonged life or resurrection, including “virtual reality domains, whereby

the individual’s human existence becomes coextensive with participation

in this post human translation process.” (Fuller, 2011, 104).

ConorShea says:

I wrote the article about Manga that @FutureFreak saw, and quoted Sue

Napier: “animation’s emphasis on metamorphosis can be seen as the ideal

artistic vehicle for expressing the postmodern obsession with fluctuating

identity”.12

JulioMoreno

says:

”Faced with set backs and conflict, present day children and adults

increasingly resort to splitting instead of repression and acting rather than

representing” (Moreno, 2009, 114)

FutureFreak

says:

@JulioMoreno – Hi J

This is from your essay on Virtual Reality right? Where you make a

compelling case for thinking about ideas of Virtual reality with those of

multiplicity. 13 In the case of Cosplay we definitely should be looking at the

phenomena of the online ego in relation to the perception of ourselves,

and the effect of multiple realities on those who spend a lot of time in

virtual space.

Cosplaynewbie

says:

This online avatar may be a new phenomena, but dressing up and the use

of masks is an ancient activity… are they the same thing?

FutureFreak

says:

To pick up from what @ConorShea was saying, I think what we are dealing

within this topic is the postmodern (and now posthuman) obsession with

fluctuating or versions of identity. It seems slightly different to the ancient

use of masks, which was for cultural or ritual ceremony, as the emphasis is

on the character.14

But it’s a good point as perhaps Cosplayers are somehow being

shamanistic and becoming a vessel for their characters to inhabit. The

computer screen could also be thought of as a mask, and online identity

another. I might suggest the players themselves are the blank mask, which

the avatar personalises.

glennsim says:

“I have run across people who had no idea why someone would want to

spend time dealing with something that wasn’t “real”. Super-‐heroes aren’t

real. Animated characters aren’t real. When you’re playing a video game,

you’re not really doing anything (as compared to playing or watching a

sport involving real humans)’… ‘So the fact that someone would want to

deal with things that are “unrealistic” can be baffling to other people. I

think they see it as spending time accomplishing nothing, because the

energy is being placed into something that has no reality.”


Cosplaynewbie

says:

There are many pointless activities in the ‘real world’ too.

Seems like working out your identity through the use of virtual personas,

and then acting them out at a convention could be a positive thing for

that person’s development. They are creating positive alternative images

of themselves, which they are mainly using for good. You might say that

A lot more ‘negative energy’ is spent by politicians constructing their

public images!

Combover82 says:

@Cosplaynewibie

In the last thread you reminded me that the binding factor of Cosplay is

what goes on behind the scenes, and the fact is that all these costumes

are homemade.

It’s like a cyber stich and bitch15 group, with every detail dissected and

debated through the forum groups. 16

The convention is where the transformative moment occurs, as the

maker becomes the wearer, or to be more precise: the inhabitor.

This also reminds me very much of the community based activities that

went into creating carnival outfits.

MarkLeckey says:

“The Internet is carnival, because it has no hierarchical structure.”17

Combover82 says:

Hi @MarkLeckey -‐ That’s a big claim!

JulioMoreno says:

In the case of reality and virtual reality: ‘Through this half open

window between reality and the real, chaos may intrude to some

extent in our ordered predictable and illusory conception of the world.”

(Moreno, 2009,111).

Combover82 says:

@JuliaMoreno, as @MarkLeckey suggests, could the half open window

be conceived of as the same as the veil between over-‐world and

underworld, which is fundamental to carnival or Halloween traditions?

What seems to happen at Cosplay conventions is a variation of this so

that virtual beings as opposed to spirits, find a space to manifest

themselves as real.

The practical and logistical restrictions of real life mean that their act of

liberation and becoming of their character must happen at a pre-‐

ordained time, and during the ceremonial moment of the conference.

This happens despite the fact that technology allows for virtual

communities to thrive online. Making it seem that the ritual is

important, and that Cosplaying continually is not a possibility, people

appear to need the pre-‐ordained time, to work towards and

psychologically prepare for.

It seems that those people who spend so much time in the virtual world

have to at some point emerge from it, and seek reality, albeit disguised

as an avatar or thorough the fantasy of ‘Humanizing’18 the characters at

a convention.

Paradoxically – their use of carnivalesque ritual could be seen as an

escape from the internet carnival!

Cosplaynewbie

says :

What about the photographs? They’re a big part of Cosplay.

Are they a ritual too?

Combover82 says:

New thread? :P

Cosplaynewbie

says:

The new thread about Photoshoots J

xx

FutureFreak says:

@ Cosplaynewbie – Noticed again! Despite the Star trek references in

the header (again). This isn’t about Trekkies. L

Lol

Southprince Says:

“I wore my first completed Cosplay to a convention in 2011!’… ‘and

Cosplayed as Sabrina for the entirety of Youmacon that year!

3.

I sort of cringe a little when I look at photos of that Cosplay; I had no

idea how much false eyelashes can do for photos, and the construction

of the entire getup was rather shoddy, as I had next to no sewing skills

and no sewing machine to use.

As for my favorite costume so far, I have to say my 3AM dress, just

because of how much work and effort I’ve poured in thus far!! I truly

love the look of it, and I take a load of pride in showing it to people.

^u^”

http://technicolorpoetry.tumblr.com/post/32714235101/how-‐long-‐have-‐you-‐been-‐

cosplaying-‐what-‐is-‐your 19

FutureFreak says:

4.

http://arwenphoto.com/cosplay/star-‐ocean-‐4-‐last-‐hope-‐cosplay

Check out these sites for Cosplay galleries:

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/badass-‐cosplay-‐costumes/

http://cosplaycouture.com

http://www.cosplay.com

Combover82 says:

As mentioned earlier there is information about the comic/ animator’s

alignment to the super-‐flat movement – but is it possible to define what

is occurring in the production of the images by the Cosplayers

themselves?

Modification of the body and the construction of characters present

themselves for analysis in discourse around the idea of cyborg, but this

feels to me like a whole other territory, with the starting point being a

character, with a fictional personality and virtual construction, being

translated into ‘real’ at a convention, and then that image being

circulated again in the virtual.

FutureFreak says:

I was wondering if any of you have ever seen the documentary Paris is

Burning? (Livingston, 1990).

Seems to me that Cosplayers share some relation to the groups who

took part in the drag shows of the 1980’s shown in that film. A sub-‐

group of knowing outsiders (in this case those of the Gay/ Black

community) used costume in a not so dissimilar manner to experience a

sense of the ‘real world,’ which paradoxically was also alien to them as

they felt they were always on the outside of the real. In their shows

they even had categories for ‘realness.’ One of the judges talks about

how important it is for the contestants to ‘be’ the character, not simply

look like them.

It seems like having a real world experience, in a safe environment such

as pageant or convention, in the company of those who they identify

with is important to both communities.

Cosplay has this extra element of putting it back into the virtual with the

photographs. This act of encoding the real moment, might be thought

of as prolonging, or giving afterlife to the human, quite like those in

CT.20

FutureFreak says:

There’s another layer of real and virtual added here, as Cosplayers are

documented in their own homes, taking part in a ‘behind the scenes’

photo competition in Singapore.

5.

http://culture360.org/photo-‐contest/photo-‐contest-‐singapore-‐tan-‐

ching-‐yee/attachment/05_tanchingyee/

HelenKaplinsky

Says:

This is an extract from my press release for Auto Couture 21

“Kustom Kulture operated through a dual process of remodelling both the organs and the surface of the machine. Today, with the mechanics hidden from the consumer’s view, ‘surface’ is all we are left to play with.” (Kaplinsky, 2013,01)

Combover82 says:

@HelenKaplinsky –Welcome J

This makes me think of the virtual environments that these characters

come from. In a game, players can only conduct superficial modification

of the characters appearance. Their own construction of the costumes

is also only dealing with the surface, (trying to create an exact 3D copy

not adjusting the internal structure) of something that was flat to start

with, and then there is the flattening that occurs through the

production of the photographs.

The character itself is the space that has scope for interpretation and

the ability to become a vehicle for manipulation of fantasy.

It is this space, that of the character that can only truly be experienced,

and controlled when they inhabit the costume.

I’m not sure it can be re-‐created again, as I’d say it exists only in the

experience of the individual Cosplayer.

FutureFreak says:

Depends whether you think the virtual world is flat or not – there’s

another debate!

Cosplaynewbie

says:

There is a whole world of desire that hasn’t been covered too…

Sexuality is a part of Cosplay!

That’s why I joined ;-‐) ♥

Combover82 says:

Whoop J

FutureFreak says:

That might be for another thread… 22

Anyone joining me?

John_Gray says:

“We labour under an error. We act in the belief that we are all of one

piece, but we are able to cope with things only because we are a

succession of fragments. We cannot shake off the sense that we are

enduring selves, and yet we know we are not.”(Gray, 2002, 73).

MeganBroadmeadow

says:

@ John_Gray – perhaps within Cosplay and their multiple personas, we

are witnessing those who have better come to terms with this

fragmented self, than those who do not Cosplay?

MeganBroadmeadow

says:

With a membership as vast as Cosplay, the ideas have only really been

touched upon in the preceding imaginary forums.

Through the process of animating the animations, which is what I feel

the Cosplayers are doing, it somehow seems like they are engaged in a

task which is an antithesis to the frustrations found when trying to

navigate within a virtual realm. The act of becoming physical, and

performing, to me, seems like a great antidote to spending hours on a

computer, where movement is minimal and activities mainly cerebral.

There is a great strive to perfection involved too, and attention to

detail, but I suspect they may always fall somehow short especially

given the competitive nature of the convention performances. This

frustration may be part of the key to what keeps people engaged-‐

feeding a similar need to that which drives the dedicated gamer – the

drive to succeed, to get the perfect score, play the perfect game…23

Perhaps, ultimately that’s what drives us in the non-‐ virtual world too.

It certainly seems a lot more fun to do it in Cosplay land though J

Endnotes

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay, accessed 27/05/2013. 2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_World_Science_Fiction_Convention, accessed, 27/05/2013 3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay, accessed 27/05/2013. 4 http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m29/kyle.htm, accessed 27/05/2013. Article on website is by: Kyle, Dave. Caravan to the Stars. 2002, Published in Mimosa Fanthology (Part 2), a.k.a. Mimosa 29, ©2002 by Nicki and Richard Lynch. 5 Information about this event is summarised in: http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/10/invasion-‐from-‐mars-‐anatomy-‐of-‐panic.php, accessed 27/05/2013. 6 Along with philosophies such as Speculative Realism and Object Orientated Ontology. 7 http://ifanboy.com/articles/what-‐is-‐cosplay-‐and-‐why-‐do-‐people-‐do-‐it/, accessed 27/05/2013. 8 It also seems like they class themselves as shy people, they say it’s also a good way to make friends and join social groups. 9 http://ifanboy.com/users/Tanner/, accessed 27/05/2013. 10 It’s hard to say if they have dependency on Cosplay as they would in a superstition such as astrology, which is the premise of Adorno’s text. But the global aspect of the Cosplay does lead to some questions as to whether it is about personal stories of say, bullying or a more general condition of a compromised society. I’m drawing these parallels by thinking of Cosplay as a place where advice is being shared collectively, and individual empowerment is available through communal advice, and the setting for such advice happens to be in the place in which a common interest is Sci Fi and superhuman activities. 11 Fuller outlines Converging Technologies as “ The integration of cutting edge research in nano-‐, bio-‐,info-‐ and cogno-‐sciences for purposes of extending the power and control of human beings over their own bodies and environments” (Fuller, 2011,103). 12 http://novimagazine.com/post/20004678566/freed-‐from-‐the-‐earth-‐2, article written by Connor Shea, accessed 27/05/2013. 13 This was a paper in a book responding to Freud’s, The splitting of the Ego in the Process of Defense (Bokanowski, Lewkowicz 2009. See Bibliography). In Freud’s own essay he outlines the theory of the Egodystonic alternatively known as the Ego Alien, which interestingly to me for this essay was written right in the alien era, in 1938.

(Egosyntonic and Egodyntonic form a pair of terms. “ Egosyntonic is a psychological term referring to behaviors, values, feelings that are in harmony with or acceptable to the needs and goals of the ego, or consistent with one's ideal self-‐image. Egodystonic (or ego alien[1]) is the opposite of egosyntonic and refers to thoughts and behaviors (e.g., dreams, impulses, compulsions, desires, etc.) that are in conflict, or dissonant, with the needs and goals of the ego, or, further, in conflict with a person's ideal self-‐image.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egosyntonic_and_egodystonic.)

Adorno apparently thought it too simplistic to think of the urge to look to the stars, or our

capacity to form displaced dependencies as simply part of our ego alien desires. But I’m thinking that we perhaps do need to re-‐address the question of the ego in line with the developments of our virtual realm. 14I wrote my last C.S report on ideas surrounding the Mask and the Distributed Self. I haven’t included anything on the Distributed Self which in an essay by Sherry Turkle as I wanted to look into the idea of alien ego more here, but there are crossovers particularly with Fuller’s essay. 15 Stich and Bitch being a nickname for women’s sewing sessions traditionally held in their homes on a weekly or fortnightly basis, and common in most parts of the UK. 16 Hours of labour go into each costume, with many Cosplayers creating several outfits for various showcasing events at the conventions. 17 This is a comment tutor, Mark Leckey made during my C.S Seminar presentation at Goldsmiths in 2013. The presentation was on The Mask in the Age of the Distributed Self. 18 Humanizing is a term used by Cosplayers for becoming a character at a convention. 19 http://technicolorpoetry.tumblr.com/post/32714235101/how-‐long-‐have-‐you-‐been-‐cosplaying-‐what-‐is-‐your, accessed 27/-‐05/2013. 20 Converging Technologies. 21 Auto Couture is the name of an exhibition due to be held at an as yet undesclosed ex car showroom, Finchley Rd, London, 2013. 22 I intend to write more about sexuality and costuming in the future, as I have plans for future artworks in my own practice that I think will be more in this territory. 23 This also includes theory surrounding sexual desires, attractions and costume too, which due to space I wasn’t able to go into in this essay.

Image List

1. http://www.cosplayisland.co.uk/user/register, accessed 27/05/2013.

2. http://fanac.org/photohtm.php?worldcon/NYcon/w39-‐030, accessed

27/05/2013.

3. http://technicolorpoetry.tumblr.com/post/32714235101/how-‐long-‐have-‐

you-‐been-‐cosplaying-‐what-‐is-‐your, accessed 27/05/2013. (Image was posted

on this wall by the blogger).

4. http://arwenphoto.com/cosplay/star-‐ocean-‐4-‐last-‐hope-‐cosplay

Photographer, Alina Kacherova, accessed 27/05/2013.

5. http://culture360.org/photo-‐contest/photo-‐contest-‐singapore-‐tan-‐ching-‐

yee/attachment/05_tanchingyee/, accessed 27/05/2013.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=felu6P4jryE, Uploaded by Annjirikah on May 11,

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Carnival of the Aliens

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Transcript of Carnival of the Aliens