Art, Shock, and Disorientation

In response to this week's readings, explain why you agree or disagree with Vattimo's idea (based on the philosophies of Walter Benjamin and Martin Heidegger) that disorientation is "the supreme mode of modern aesthetic experience," and that art should shock a viewer/reader/listener into discomfort in order to confront him/her with the strangeness and uncertainty of a "real" world he/she usually takes for granted. Does Vattimo's concept rightly challenge the inoculating effects of art that only serve to coddle and dull the senses? Or is shock, like any other quality, constantly being made the norm, and thus in danger of forcing artists to search for even greater shocks at the risk of safety or simple aesthetic pleasure/value? Or, to go even further, is the basis of Vattimo's thought fundamentally flawed? Is disorientation "the supreme mode of modern aesthetic experience"? If so, why, and if not, why not?

Also, post or embed a link to a work of art you believe is primarily meant to shock the viewer,  and explain why it succeeds or fails in bringing to consciousness the disorientation of modern life. Here's an example: performance artist Chris Burden's "Shoot":

eXistenZ

In eXistenZ, there is one broad point that I believe Cronenberg is trying to get across: humans have become so reliant on technology that we can't tell the difference between our virtual, avatar selves and our real selves. When people nowadays go on Facebook or Twitter, or any one of those social networks, they believe that that is their reality. They get sucked into an online world and are mentally removed from the real world. This happens in eXistenZ, but in a more literal sense. Through the example of virtual reality video games, Cronenberg shows how new technology can be an escape from reality. In eXistenZ, the pods are "living" video game consoles that plug into humans and use their energy to power the game. The humans then play the video game and are put into a virtual world that is so realistic that it becomes difficult to distinguish between it and reality. This is analogous to our use of technology, since we become removed from reality and treat our virtual self as if it were our real self. It becomes an addiction, as it did in eXistenZ.
The fact that the "living" pods use humans for energy blurs the lines between humans and machines because the pods use the humans like a parasite. The fact that the pods are using real animal organs, but aren't alive like humans are alive (in the sense of emotion, communication skills, etc.) further blurs the line. However, it seems that they strive to be an actual living thing. And, in eXistenZ, the humans treat their bodies like a game console (which only furthers my belief that Jude Law is actually a robot). They use their body like a machine, which dissolves the human-machine distinction even more.

eXistenZ

This film was one that truly pushed the boundaries between the real and technological worlds through the use of one of the most common household items now a days: video games. The film's director took virtual reality to a new level by having the characters live in a world where the machine (video game console) and they became one of the same.
Much like a mother would nurture her child, player and game were attached via an umbilical cord allowing the game to feed off its host, indicating it had a life of its own. In the film the main female character was also made a remark that even though she she designed the game, you never knew where it could take you. This is pretty much her saying that while she designed this piece of machinery and data, what the game console decides to do with what she made is not in her control. This thought is possibly the biggest evidence towards the idea that the video console has a mind of its own and is a living thing, only in a different reality.
The film's lead male character appears to be much more conservative. He fears the idea of having an object live off of him, as well as the idea of his body being left defenseless as he explores another world. He can be seen as the advocate for the human world and what we consider to be our reality.
The ending of the film is quite possibly the most puzzling of all. While the "pods" they hold are not as grotesque looking as the previous ones in the game, its clear that they are on their way to becoming that. Also the fact that it is never explained if the game ended or not goes to show that even in our modern age, technology can pose a threat to our way of living. Some people may become susceptible to the idea that there is another reality out there and this can cause, as seen in the film, major paranoia. The film serves as a warning that while our improvements in the technological world are amazing, we should all proceed with caution.

eXistenZ

The film eXistenZ is very effective in blurring the line between man and machine, as well as reality and virtual reality. The "pods" which house the video games played by humans are hinted at being alive themselves, spoken about with phrases like "it took major hits" and "crying out for help" or "diseased." They do not have a life of their own, but connect to humans and live off of their energy. This brings up a strange symbiotic relationship in which the machine is like a parasite to the human, but it is important that the characters choose to enter these virtual realities. They almost seem to become addicted, to crave more experience in this world that is more exciting than their own. In the case of the game eXistenZ, though, the game is much like reality itself. In fact is it so similar that once entered, the players become unsure whether they are still in the game or not. Even the name sounds like "existence", implying a parallel between the game and reality. At one point in the film Ted pauses the game and then feels very uncomfortable because it makes reality seem less real. This makes a statement on the relationship between people and technology, and the way we rely on electronics so much that we feel we cannot live without them. Suddenly what we thought was real no longer feels natural, and it is hard to tell when one should stop indulging in "games." The complication is that when a game is so similar to real life, it brings up the question of whether we are players in the game of reality regardless.

eXistenZ

I believe the film shows that anything is possible in a virtual reality world. With that being said, there are also some limitations of the virtual reality world that are revealed in eXistenZ. One of the main limitations is that the characters, while having the freedom to do things they normally would not do in real life, were still somewhat restrained by their minds that are retained from the real world.  This is shown when Jude Law’s character says that he wants to take a break from the game and go back to the real world as well as when he is the only one to realize that if they are indeed in real life and not the virtual reality world, then they have killed people who did not deserve to die. However, it is also important to note that while reality is what governs the mind, the characters of the game do not seem to have a choice in whether they want to take certain actions or not because ultimately the people that start the game want to and will do anything to finish it.

eXistenZ

One example of a limitation of virtual reality is when Ted, first gets plugged into eXistenZ and tries to interact with the other characters  he gives a reply that doesn't go with the game and the character starts repeating the scene like it never happened before and waits for an appropriate response. I feel that the virtual world can help a person realize that in the virtual world they can do things that they normally wouldn't do in the real world, in the virtual world you can create an alter ego, and you can do many things that you normally wouldn't do. Like on the xbox, you can create an xbox live account and create an avatar that you feel represents you. In video games, you take lives of killers, spies, and even sports stars and do things you couldn't even dream about doing in the real world. Some people also feel better when they compete against another person in the virtual world, like now Sony and Microsoft have game consoles where you can compete with anyone in the world who has that game and console, a lot of people play online whether it is competitive shooting games or competitive sports games.

eXistenZ

    In today's American society, video games seem to play an important role in kids' lives, to the point where countless studies have been conducted to analyze the effect to which these games affect behavior and mental stability. Since their introduction, video game consoles have constantly evolved technologically in ways that bond player and game more extremely and bring a greater sense of reality into the virtual world. In "eXistenZ" the gamer is physically attached to the game pod through an umbilical cord. Through this cord, the pod "lives" off of the host's energy. This bond blurs the boundary between human and machine since the machine becomes part of the body and lives through it. I think the film is speaking for the need of technology in society and how we, in a sense, allow it to control much of what we do. In the movie, both machine and body need each other for different purposes. Applied to a larger scale, this same idea is visible in daily life. We have become so reliant on different technologies, such as the Internet, that without them, we would not be able to function as efficiently.
   In the film, the virtual world and reality are very similar, which brings up the question of the limitations of virtual worlds. While in the video game, nothing "out of the ordinary" takes place, other than the characters' game urges taking over their personalities, but even then, the virtual world is limited. Although the actions of the virtual body are beyond control, the mind from the real world is still present and guiding the virtual world. While in the game, the characters were still conscious of their real bodies and worried about what was happening to them. They were able to keep a separation of the real world and the virtual world in their minds. Since the mind is present in the game, the limits from the real world still seem to apply in the virtual world, keeping the virtual world as logical and "real" as the real world for the most part instead of completely escaping reality.