Simulacra & Flows: The World 世界. Jia Zhangke 賈樟柯

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1 Simulacra & Flows: The World 世界 Jia Zhangke 賈樟柯

2 Main Themes So far A. Postmodern City, Postmodernity, Postmodernism & Globalization B. Urban Flows & Social Relations Urbanism as a Way of Life vs. History Time-Space Compression & Family in Flows Flâneurism & History & Risk C. Global Flows & Simulation Risk Society, Global Strangers & Connectivity

3 So far Glossary Postmodern City Urbanism Postmodern Urbanism Global City (city as nodes) Anomie; Schizoid Schizophrenia Flow Time-Space Compression 3 G s and 1 P A way of life caused by the density, size and heterogeneity of the population of a place. How these three terms are intensified by flows and turned into multiple layers of network, multiple time-spaces, and multiple webs of relations Of connections and disconnection Cities as sites of proximity and co-presence; with stretched connections and incessant flows; as nodes of incessant flows on local, regional, national and global levels a breakdown of standards and values or from a lack of purpose or ideals. Person who lacks emotion or attachment to society (confused w/ schizophrenia) Psychological: mental split into dual personality Sociological: dissociation of the sign from its referent, present from the past, appearance from reality, authenticity from inauthenticity A name for movements between relatively fixed nodes in networks, flows can be of commodities, money, people, energy or even ideas. Space of Flows vs. Space of Place Collapsing of spatial boundaries, loss of the local and multiple sense of time

4 So far compare, but don t make sweeping generalizations 1. History & Urban renewal/transformation as represented in Super Citizen Ko, The Clock 2. Family relations in Exotica, What Time is it there, Flight of the Red Balloon 3. *Flaneurs in The Cabbie & Amelie? In terms of gender, nature of their jobs? 4. Schizophrenia as dual personality in Enemy & Fight Club? 5. Paris as represented in What Time is it there, Flight of the Red Balloon & Amelie. 6. Direct address as a form of cinematic self-reflexivity in Amelie and Fight Club? 7. Migrant workers in Love Go Go, The World & God Man Dog Hyperreal: A world of simulacra where nothing is unmediated 8. Mediated communication in Love Go Go, Amelie and The World?

5 Outline 1. General Introduction: A. Simulacra B. Jia Zhang-ke 2. Questions for Group Discussion 3. Plot and Characters 4. Places and Spaces of Flows

6 Jean Baudrillard: The Order of Simulacra The Four Phases of Images: Medieval Period (Religious Art) The image is the reflection of a basic reality; Renaissance and Enlightenment (Baroque Art) The image masks and perverts a basic reality Industrialism (Mechanical Reproduction) The image masks the absence of a basic reality Post-Industrial Society (electronic, genetic reproduction) The image bears no relation to any reality whatsoever: it is its own pure simulacrum (256)

7 Jean Baudrillard: The Order of Simulacra Post-Industrial World of Simulacra Simulacra = the hyperreal, whatever that can be reproduced; "... the generation by models of a real without original or reality: a hyperreal" (253). We are living in a world dominated by images & signs in mass media, social media, banking system, digital reproduction, and many other orders of simulacra. It is a realm of hyperreality and simulations where truths no longer exist.

8 ORDERS OF SIMULACRA Group 4, 2010 Simulacra and Simulation (English 1994; French: Simulacres et Simulation 1981) 1. Symbolic Order: Society as a fixed system of signs distributed according to rank and obligation 2. First Order of Simulacra: The Early Modern period, from the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution. Simulacra aim to restore an ideal image of nature, true originals underlie the fakes. 3. Second Order of Simulacra: From the Industrial Revolution to the middle of the 20th century. Mass production of copies or replicas of a single prototype appear, just as real as the prototype 4. Third Order of Simulacra: The present age - dominated by simulations, things that have no original or prototype. Death of the real: no more counterfeits or prototypes, just simulations of reality - hyperreality.

9 THE HYPERREAL The real is produced from miniature units (matrices, memory banks, command models) and can thus be reproduced endlessly. The real no longer has to be rational; it is operational and since it is not enveloped by an imaginary, it is no longer real at all. Hyperreal: the product of an irradiating synthesis of combinatory models in a hyperspace without atmosphere. Group 4, 2010

10 DISNEYLAND AS HYPERREALITY Based on reality Reproduced endlessly Reality hyperreal Disneyland =hyperreality

11 EXAMPLE: BAMBI a spotted deer Bambi

12 OTHER EXAMPLES OF SIMULACRA Literature: (creation myth) - Ovid s Metamorphosis Galatée (ivory statue) - Mary Shelley s Frankenstein the monster Magazines photo of models touched up by computer Film (3-D animation) - Jurassic Park dinosaurs - Superman super-powered hero entire film shot in front of a blue screen TV: - Reality shows world of fantasy that viewers tend to be engaged in Group 4, 2010

13 Reference: Simulacra: Examples A. the biological and scientific 1. simulation of symptoms; 10. DNA model reproduction; 11. Nuclear deterrence B. the religious the simulacrum of divinity C. museumification of culture the return of the Tasaday; 4. the salvage of Rameses' mummy, 5. return of part of a Cloister to its origin, D. popular culture Disney; 9. the filming of the Louds E. the political Watergate; 12. Vietnam war, Algerian war F. social crimes all holdups, hijacks

14 Theme Parks Disney World presented as imaginary in order for the rest to be real 北京世界公園 -- Visit the World Without Leaving Beijing

15 FB, Instagram, news report & viralization, cyber sex, robot, live video, etc. ubiquitous computing The medium itself is no longer identifiable as such, and the merging of the medium and the message is the first great formula of the new age. There is no longer any medium in the literal sense: it is now intangible, diffuse, and diffracted in the real, and it can no longer even be said that the latter is distorted by it. the event filtered by the medium the dissolution of TV into life, the dissolution of life into TV an indiscernible chemical solution: we are all Louds [read: Kardashians], doomed not to invasion but...to their infiltration.

16 Jia Zhangke 賈樟柯 vs. The 5 th Generation NEW WAVE (6 TH GENERATION) 賈樟柯 Jia Zhangke 北漂 (Floating Generation), chronicling post-socialist China s changes 1) Hometown Trilogy Shan-xi 山西汾陽 2) The World 世界 3) A Touch Of Sin 天注定 THE FIFTH GENERATION 張藝謀 Yimou Zhang Red Sorghum 紅高粱 (1988 年 ) House of Flying Daggers 十面埋伏 (2004 年 ) The Past Raise the Red Lantern 大紅燈籠高高掛 (1991 年 ) The Flowers Of War 金陵十三釵 (2011 年 ) 陳凱歌 Kaige Chen Farewell My Concubine 霸王別姬 (1993 年 ) Yellow Earth 黃土地 (1984 年 )

17 Jia Zhangke 賈樟柯 vs. The 5 th Generation 1) claims that he wanted to produce films after seeing Yellow Earth ( 黃土地 ) 2) While in Beijing Film Academy, after four years of watching Chinese films, I still hadn't seen a single one that had anything to do with the Chinese reality that I knew (qtd in Tweedie 284 ).

18 The World: Discussion Questions 0. Character and Plot [skip] In what ways are Xiao-tao and Taisheng part of the floating population, but different from the rest of them A. Tao and Taisheng B. the others 1. Simulacra, Places and Spaces 1) How is The World Park, together with its scale models of the most recognizable global landmarks, presented? Is it completely dissociated from reality? What are the focuses of presentation (spectacularization)? 2) *How about the spaces outside the World Park? 3) *What role does cell phone play in this film? And the animation? 4) *How heterotopia is reflected in the World Park? 2. Major Roles in the Park: 1) Guards; 2) Dancers -- The performers are usually dressed in exotic costumes. Why does Xiaotao wear wedding gown at one of the performances? Is it possible that it is just Xiaotao s imagination which shows her wish of marring Taisheng?

19 The World: Discussion Questions (2) 3. Form Any symbolic scenes (Mise en scène)? e.g. the junkman at the beginning of the film, scenes from the World Park. 4. symbols: cell phone & white raincoat: Xiaotao said she wore a raincoat when she stayed in a basement when she first came to Beijing, and later there is one scene that Xiaotao runs in the rain lifting a raincoat overhead. What is the meaning of the raincoat? 5. Title cards: What do the title cards such as Ulan Bator, Tokyo Story & Ever Changing World( 一天一个世界 ), mean? What do you think is changing? 6. ending: Is their death an accident or do they commit suicide? Are Xiaotao and Taisheng dead in the ending? Is this film a completely pessimistic one?

20 Xiao-tao and the white raincoat (1)

21 Xiao-tao and the white raincoat (2)

22 Xiao-tao and the white raincoat (3)

23 Title Cards

24 The World: Characters LIangze 梁子 Dancer, Tao 趙小桃誰有創可貼? Band-Aid? Guards, Taisheng 成太生 Yoyo 友友 Wei 小魏 Niu 小劉 Anna 三賴 Song 宋哥廖姐烏蘭巴托的夜 (Ulan Bator) 二姑娘 Erhsiao 二曉

25 Places and Spaces Hotels, train station, airport, Tienanman Square, Song s place, Liao s tailor shop, hometown; bus, car, cell phone World Park Paris, Italy, England Japan, India America, etc Eiffel Tower, Pisa tower, London Bridge World Trade Center, Stonehenge --decontextualized Magic Blanket Spectacular dances

26 Materialist Reality in the world of simulacra: Love vs. Gender/Power Relations, Social Climbing vs. Migrant Workers

27 World Park

28 Magic Blanket

29 Simulacra, Places and Spaces Clip: chapters Arrivals (13:32) A Tour in the Park (31: 00 45:00)

30 Dancers on Stage and Underneath it

31 World Park: Tourists and Laborers TOURISTS ERH-XIAO 二小

32 Outside World Park: Station, Bus and Bus Stop

33 Outside World Park: KTV Parlor, Tienanman

34 Outside World Park: Dressmaker s & Auditorium

35 Hotel

36 Outside World Park LAI S DORM CONSTRUCTION

37 Animation (1) connections to the outside world AFTER A FIGHT WITH TAISHENG MESSAGE FROM CO-WORKER

38 Animation (2): Outings TAO

39 Animation (3): Emotional Astray TAISHENG

40 Animation (3): Reality note the background of train and water (fish) MESSAGE FROM TAISHENG MESSAGE FROM LIAO

41 The World Park: Power Relations Taisheng in a position of power and surveillance

42 Migrant Workers: Kind but controlled ERH-GU-NIANG 二姑娘 ANNA PASSPORT KEPT BY BUSINESS MANAGER PASSPORT, VISA SIGN OF MOBILITY

43 Tao: Kind and cheerful 00:58 w/ Anna I'm leaving. I have another job. I hate to do it. Don't look so worried. Christmas is coming. Fireworks in the park.

44 01:26 TAO AND TAISHENG Love Relations LAI AND LIU Lai: If you can't trust me, we might as well break up. Liu: Fine. But first, tell me where you were. Motorola has a new one with global tracking. Tao: Taisheng, You must never cheat on me. Taisheng: Impossible. Tao: If you cheat on me, I'll kill you. Taisheng: And chop me up for stuffing in dumplings? Tao: You're my whole life. If you're unfaithful... I'll be left with nothing. Taisheng: Don't have so much faith in me. You can't count on anyone that much these days.

45 Symbols Ulan Bator 烏蘭巴托 (where both 梁子 and Anna will go) 烏蘭巴托的夜啊 / 那麼靜那麼靜 / 連風都不知道我不知道 / 烏蘭巴托的夜啊 / 那麼靜那麼靜 / 連雲都不知道我不知道 / -- quiet and unknown to me and to the wind and cloud 東京物語 the conflict between Yoyo and Tao, the marriage of Lai

46 2:03 It's showtime, girls! In honor of? History's great beauties... Yang Guifei, Pan Jinlian, Marilyn Monroe, Madonna! For which cause? World peace, women's rights and faces without freckles! What shall we do? Drink up!

47 The Ending TAO SELF-PROTECTIVE NEWLY WED S ROOM

48 The Ending: Two Kinds of Liberation via confirmation of materialist reality and in death

49 Films set in Beijing Comedies 独自等待 ( 伍仕賢 WAITING ALONG 2005) 北京愛情故事 (BEIJING LOVE STORY 2014)

50 <img src= 圖檔名 >. Reference Tweedie, James. The Age of New Waves: Art Cinema and the Staging of Globalization. <img src=" 圖檔名 ">.

Simulacra & Flows: The World 世界. Jia Zhangke 賈樟柯

Simulacra & Flows: The World 世界 Jia Zhangke 賈樟柯在其流動與擬象空間中世界將世界公園的世界景點縮影與炫麗舞蹈與監視剝削勞工與北飄人民浮動空虛並列之 Main Idea: The World juxtaposes in different spaces of flows and simulacra World Park s glamourous