Œuvres de Marc Atallah
Souvenirs du futur: les miroirs de la Maison d'Ailleurs: [publié à l'occasion du vernissage de l'exposition… (2013) 2 exemplaires
L'art de la science-fiction 1 exemplaire
Les Dystopies du numérique 1 exemplaire
Étiqueté
Partage des connaissances
- Nationalité
- Switzerland
Membres
Critiques
My previous and first read of Marc Atallah's musings was Les Dystopies du numérique - his latest offering -, which I reviewed here and can really recommend.
Prior to this essay, the man has written a few more (see the website of Éditions ActuSF), one of which is 'L'art de la science-fiction' (transl.: The Art of Science Fiction), published in 2016 in the context of the exposition Danse avec les étoiles (transl.: Dance with the stars). In this little book, barely 100 pages short and chock-full of images/magazine covers to complement the text, Mr Atallah explains or presents the aesthetic aspect of science fiction. To him, science fiction is a kind of language, expressed through the written word and/or via images, as the covers of the various magazines and books are often as important as the story itself, though not equally appreciated.
Science fiction is an art, the art of narrative conjecture. Or, the art of distancing our daily life and to think about it via a poetic detour. You'll learn, through examples, what is meant by conjecture (e.g. clones humans, aliens, ... SF shows what the world could (!) look like and for that, you need words, language, ... to describe and express (through words and imagery) this 'conjecture".
As is put forward, it's also like looking in a distorting mirror, which returns a different image of what you think you look like. He calls for this different approach (the aesthetic one) instead of the classic angles: futuristic, sociological, scientific.
The language aspect is tackled via the works of French author Alain Damasio in the first place: La Horde du Contrevent (how the wind speaks and how this is translated onto paper), and a few short-stories in Aucun souvenir assez solide: e.g. 'So Phare Away' and 'Les Haut-Parleurs' (my review). The works of George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, Yevgeny Zamyatin, and others are also discussed, when it comes to the element of language.
The thought behind this essay is actually this: Do not take the stories/films/paintings/... at face-value. Let yourself be immersed by the aesthetic aspect (language, anthropology, ...), let your imagination grow to develop your skills, to help others grow and create a better world.
Little essays like this one, in bite-size format, are perfect to read about a theme and have images to complement and clarify the theme.
----------
On a side-note, I do admit that the text isn't exactly the most accessible one, also because of the various subclauses, which interrupted my reading now and then. Also, Marc Atallah is a fan of the expression 'à l'aune de' (transl.: in the light of), as he used it numerous times. Using a synonym wouldn't have hurt, I'd say. That's also the advantage of language: various words to say the same thing or something similar (depending on the context), in order to make a text more comprehensible.… (plus d'informations)
Prior to this essay, the man has written a few more (see the website of Éditions ActuSF), one of which is 'L'art de la science-fiction' (transl.: The Art of Science Fiction), published in 2016 in the context of the exposition Danse avec les étoiles (transl.: Dance with the stars). In this little book, barely 100 pages short and chock-full of images/magazine covers to complement the text, Mr Atallah explains or presents the aesthetic aspect of science fiction. To him, science fiction is a kind of language, expressed through the written word and/or via images, as the covers of the various magazines and books are often as important as the story itself, though not equally appreciated.
Science fiction is an art, the art of narrative conjecture. Or, the art of distancing our daily life and to think about it via a poetic detour. You'll learn, through examples, what is meant by conjecture (e.g. clones humans, aliens, ... SF shows what the world could (!) look like and for that, you need words, language, ... to describe and express (through words and imagery) this 'conjecture".
As is put forward, it's also like looking in a distorting mirror, which returns a different image of what you think you look like. He calls for this different approach (the aesthetic one) instead of the classic angles: futuristic, sociological, scientific.
The language aspect is tackled via the works of French author Alain Damasio in the first place: La Horde du Contrevent (how the wind speaks and how this is translated onto paper), and a few short-stories in Aucun souvenir assez solide: e.g. 'So Phare Away' and 'Les Haut-Parleurs' (my review). The works of George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, Yevgeny Zamyatin, and others are also discussed, when it comes to the element of language.
The thought behind this essay is actually this: Do not take the stories/films/paintings/... at face-value. Let yourself be immersed by the aesthetic aspect (language, anthropology, ...), let your imagination grow to develop your skills, to help others grow and create a better world.
Little essays like this one, in bite-size format, are perfect to read about a theme and have images to complement and clarify the theme.
----------
On a side-note, I do admit that the text isn't exactly the most accessible one, also because of the various subclauses, which interrupted my reading now and then. Also, Marc Atallah is a fan of the expression 'à l'aune de' (transl.: in the light of), as he used it numerous times. Using a synonym wouldn't have hurt, I'd say. That's also the advantage of language: various words to say the same thing or something similar (depending on the context), in order to make a text more comprehensible.… (plus d'informations)
Les Dystopies du numérique (transl.: Digital Dystopia) is a little book that contains two essays by respectively Marc Atallah and Frédéric Jaccaud, both active at Maison d'Ailleurs (also on Facebook) in Switzerland. Maison d'Ailleurs is a "Museum of Science Fiction, Utopia and Extraordinary Journeys" (as written on their Facebook-page). 'Les Dystopies du numérique' was published in the context of the exposition Mondes (im)parfaits, which is still accessible until 25/10/2020, as you can see by clicking on the link.
Marc Atallah is not only the director of Maison d'Ailleurs, he's also - and I quote from the book - Maître d'enseignement et de recherche de la Section de français de l'Université de Lausanne. His colleague Frédéric Jaccaud is curator and author. Both will treat the subject of utopia vs dystopia in general and how both terms fit in our world today, especially in works of fiction (books, comics, films, video-games, ...).
----------
Both essays are preceded by an intro ('A Smile of Photons') in which Marc Atallah describes how our modern civilisation has increasingly become more digital: smartphones, television, internet, drones, how traffic/transport depends heavily on computers and how all of this affects our daily lives. Next to that, news media have also adapted their ways of reporting. This raises the question: Is going all digital creating a dystopia? Does it alienate us from each other? Is AI the new kind of life, the new kind of "being"? With regards to stories in films, books, ... how closely related are utopia and dystopia? Are cybernetics a (new) utopia? What is the impact of these stories on our lives, our thinking?
And so we come to the first essay: The Tale of Digital "Utopia". First of all, utopia and dystopia are not each other's opposites, despite what's being told again and again. They are to be considered each other's mirror. Another misconception is that each sad/dark/depressing/tragic story is a dystopia. Utopian stories offer a voyage to a new place, a new world that exists on its own. A perfect place. It's a form of criticism of the sociopolitical lives, in particularly those of the Renaissance and Classical age. Such stories contain binary opposition: the individual versus the community, in terms of progress/blooming. The individual is chastised by the group, the community. A similar pattern can be found in dystopia, which is a utopia from a different angle/point-of-view.
What are some of the characteristics of dystopia and utopia?
* insularity
* immutable, unlimited (in time) laws
* dissent is not accepted, nor is counter-power
Each utopia also embeds a dystopia. A utopia is an external view on society, while a dystopia will focus on the internal, on the people inside that society.
'Uto' can be described as: people will be much happier.
'Dys' can be described as: what is the impact of all this?
As a consequence, when looking at how such stories are set up, the character is alienated from the group, is less autonomous.
In other words, 'utopia' is a tool, a means to look at current society and see where it goes "wrong", what can be "improved". Creating a utopia is an illusion, unreachable, as it's not a fysical world. However, when attempting to create this better place/world, a dystopia is never far away either.
Likewise with a dystopia, some illusions:
* more surveillance = more security
* more robotics = more tranquillity
* more medical advances/progress = much better health, if not perfect
Cybernetics are also discussed, a world in which everything is connected. Something we're as good as experiencing today, like with the Internet of Things. Man is considered a machine, according to Norbert Wiener, whose theory is the basis for this part of the essay. Man is to adapt his behaviour according to the signals he receives. Or, bluntly put, act like a robot. Or have robots act like human beings. Google, in the person of Ray Kurzweil, is also a fan of such developments, of transhumanism.
The second essay, Dystopian Simulacrum, is by the hand of Frédéric Jaccaud and focuses on fiction. He takes films, books, games, and alike to describe the concept of utopia vs dystopia. He divided his essay into four sections:
1) Theoretical place:
The 20th century was uniform, with cultural structures. The 21st century is one where technology will make everything better. It will be a battle/a wrestle between machines/mechanics (tangible) and computers/IT (intangible).
Fiction uses the city as a laboratory, a place of experiment. Some examples of books and films were used to explain this statement. Works by Plato, Ira Levin, Foucault, and more. For films, one of the prime examples is 'The Matrix' (1999).
2) Virtual Theatre:
Unknown to me, but it seems to be something used in games, as you can read on Wikipedia, for example. Mr Jaccaud briefly explains the concept, aside from the game-world. The idea of virtual world has been used many times in books, films, games, ... So much even, that realising such an idea was bound to happen. In this virtual world, you're presented with a better or worse version of the real world.
3) The material aspect of virtual life:
As virtual reality is becoming/has become very realistic, it's easy to want some of those elements available in the real world.
4) Cyberpunk:
I'll just refer to one of thé books: [b:Neuromancer|6088007|Neuromancer (Sprawl, #1)|William Gibson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554437249l/6088007._SY75_.jpg|909457] (to link one version) by William Gibson. Of course, Mr Jaccaud expands on the subject: implanted chips, internet everywhere, almost no rules = more freedom, but living such a life is devoid of anything philosophical. In other words, what makes us human? What is life about?
There's only one remedy if you do not wish to live in such a world: Pull the plug (at the same time, a classic song by Death, 1988). Will you be the rebel of the future?
----------
Various covers and screenshots complement each of these essays, so you get an idea which books and films to check out, should you so desire.
At the end of both essays you can find a list of books that treat the themes in detail, be it transhumanism, the impact of science-fiction, and more.
Despite the book's "thickness", both essays are excellent food for thought in contemporary times, not in the least because virtual reality and digital life is increasingly dominating our lives and habits.
----------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.… (plus d'informations)
Marc Atallah is not only the director of Maison d'Ailleurs, he's also - and I quote from the book - Maître d'enseignement et de recherche de la Section de français de l'Université de Lausanne. His colleague Frédéric Jaccaud is curator and author. Both will treat the subject of utopia vs dystopia in general and how both terms fit in our world today, especially in works of fiction (books, comics, films, video-games, ...).
----------
Both essays are preceded by an intro ('A Smile of Photons') in which Marc Atallah describes how our modern civilisation has increasingly become more digital: smartphones, television, internet, drones, how traffic/transport depends heavily on computers and how all of this affects our daily lives. Next to that, news media have also adapted their ways of reporting. This raises the question: Is going all digital creating a dystopia? Does it alienate us from each other? Is AI the new kind of life, the new kind of "being"? With regards to stories in films, books, ... how closely related are utopia and dystopia? Are cybernetics a (new) utopia? What is the impact of these stories on our lives, our thinking?
And so we come to the first essay: The Tale of Digital "Utopia". First of all, utopia and dystopia are not each other's opposites, despite what's being told again and again. They are to be considered each other's mirror. Another misconception is that each sad/dark/depressing/tragic story is a dystopia. Utopian stories offer a voyage to a new place, a new world that exists on its own. A perfect place. It's a form of criticism of the sociopolitical lives, in particularly those of the Renaissance and Classical age. Such stories contain binary opposition: the individual versus the community, in terms of progress/blooming. The individual is chastised by the group, the community. A similar pattern can be found in dystopia, which is a utopia from a different angle/point-of-view.
What are some of the characteristics of dystopia and utopia?
* insularity
* immutable, unlimited (in time) laws
* dissent is not accepted, nor is counter-power
Each utopia also embeds a dystopia. A utopia is an external view on society, while a dystopia will focus on the internal, on the people inside that society.
'Uto' can be described as: people will be much happier.
'Dys' can be described as: what is the impact of all this?
As a consequence, when looking at how such stories are set up, the character is alienated from the group, is less autonomous.
In other words, 'utopia' is a tool, a means to look at current society and see where it goes "wrong", what can be "improved". Creating a utopia is an illusion, unreachable, as it's not a fysical world. However, when attempting to create this better place/world, a dystopia is never far away either.
Likewise with a dystopia, some illusions:
* more surveillance = more security
* more robotics = more tranquillity
* more medical advances/progress = much better health, if not perfect
Cybernetics are also discussed, a world in which everything is connected. Something we're as good as experiencing today, like with the Internet of Things. Man is considered a machine, according to Norbert Wiener, whose theory is the basis for this part of the essay. Man is to adapt his behaviour according to the signals he receives. Or, bluntly put, act like a robot. Or have robots act like human beings. Google, in the person of Ray Kurzweil, is also a fan of such developments, of transhumanism.
The second essay, Dystopian Simulacrum, is by the hand of Frédéric Jaccaud and focuses on fiction. He takes films, books, games, and alike to describe the concept of utopia vs dystopia. He divided his essay into four sections:
1) Theoretical place:
The 20th century was uniform, with cultural structures. The 21st century is one where technology will make everything better. It will be a battle/a wrestle between machines/mechanics (tangible) and computers/IT (intangible).
Fiction uses the city as a laboratory, a place of experiment. Some examples of books and films were used to explain this statement. Works by Plato, Ira Levin, Foucault, and more. For films, one of the prime examples is 'The Matrix' (1999).
2) Virtual Theatre:
Unknown to me, but it seems to be something used in games, as you can read on Wikipedia, for example. Mr Jaccaud briefly explains the concept, aside from the game-world. The idea of virtual world has been used many times in books, films, games, ... So much even, that realising such an idea was bound to happen. In this virtual world, you're presented with a better or worse version of the real world.
3) The material aspect of virtual life:
As virtual reality is becoming/has become very realistic, it's easy to want some of those elements available in the real world.
4) Cyberpunk:
I'll just refer to one of thé books: [b:Neuromancer|6088007|Neuromancer (Sprawl, #1)|William Gibson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554437249l/6088007._SY75_.jpg|909457] (to link one version) by William Gibson. Of course, Mr Jaccaud expands on the subject: implanted chips, internet everywhere, almost no rules = more freedom, but living such a life is devoid of anything philosophical. In other words, what makes us human? What is life about?
There's only one remedy if you do not wish to live in such a world: Pull the plug (at the same time, a classic song by Death, 1988). Will you be the rebel of the future?
----------
Various covers and screenshots complement each of these essays, so you get an idea which books and films to check out, should you so desire.
At the end of both essays you can find a list of books that treat the themes in detail, be it transhumanism, the impact of science-fiction, and more.
Despite the book's "thickness", both essays are excellent food for thought in contemporary times, not in the least because virtual reality and digital life is increasingly dominating our lives and habits.
----------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.… (plus d'informations)
Prix et récompenses
Statistiques
- Œuvres
- 6
- Membres
- 7
- Popularité
- #1,123,407
- Évaluation
- 4.3
- Critiques
- 3
- ISBN
- 8
The previous ones I've read were L'Art de la science-fiction (2016) and Les Dystopies du numérique (2020).
'Les Robots' (The Robots) was published in 2015, in light of the exposition Portrait-Robot. It contains three essays: one by Marc Atallah, one by Francis Valéry (associated researcher), and Frédéric Jaccaud (curator of the collections at Maison d'Ailleurs, and writer).
Notre portrait le plus précis... (Our most precise portrait...)
Marc Atallah introduces the topic by coupling 'science fiction' and 'robot', as both are very much related. 'Robot' is one of the stereotypes and one of the first things we think about when we hear or talk about 'science fiction'. Most of us have one or another idea of what a robot is or can look like, be it from books, magazines or films. The robot has fascinated man since the 20th century and continues to do so in various forms. However, the concept is older than that.
There are Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, which were invented by John W. Campbell. There is T-800 from the film 'Terminator' (directed by James Cameron), and others. There's also, according to Atallah, the anthropological aspect of robots: Are we machines with (Descartes) or without (La Mettrie) a immaterial soul? Are we serially produced creatures (Taylor) or cybernetics (Wiener)?
Portrait-Robot ou Comment réinventer l'humanité? (Robot Portrait or How to reinvent humanity?)
Marc Atallah text consists of two parts:
01) Le robot: une métaphore originale (The Robot: an original metaphore)
While there is mention of the similar beings in 'The Iliad', the 'robot' is first and foremost an invention of the 20th century, specifically a linguistic one by the Czech artist Josef Čapek. It was used for the first time in 1920 by his brother, Karel Čapek, in his play 'R.U.R.' (Rossum's Universal Robots). From there, Mr Atallah provides a short, linguistic explanation of the word 'robot'. It comes from 'robota', which can mean "worker", "(forced) labour", or "slave". Karel Čapek, however, added another explanation to it: a biological android destined to serve humans and produced in an isolated factory. He continues then to show how a robot is a kind of metaphore for man. A robot is not just a product made of metal, no, it's a being symbolising man adapted to the industrial society of the time.
02) Portrait-Robot: l'exposition d'une métaphore (Robot Portrait: The exposition of a metaphore)
These few pages were used to describe the exposition.
Des automates aux robots: vers une "alter-humanité"
While I wrote, based on Mr Atallah's words, that the robot is first and foremost a 20th century invention, this does obviously not correspond with history, as robots or similar beings have been talked and written about for centuries. In his essay, Francis Valéry takes us back, to begin with, to 1738, whn a certain Jacques Vaucanson built an automaton. That same century, several would follow his example, like Henri-Louis Jacquet-Droz, who would build, together with his father and a friend/colleague (?) such automatons in 1774, three of which are still exposed at Musée d'Art et d'Histoire at Neuchâtel: "L'Écrivain", "Le Petit Dessinateur", and "La Dame Musicienne".
The rest of the text is divided into seven parts, as a quick overview of the main publications (books, magazines, ...) is presented and analysed, for the decades preceding and following Karel Čapek's play, 'R.U.R.', up until the early 1980s.
01) L'automate: un homme sans "ame"? (The automaton: a man without a "soul"?)
02) Vers le serviteur mécanique (Towards the mechanical servant)
03) Karel Čapek et l'arrivée des robots (Karel Čapek and the arrival of the robots)
04) Les robots dans la science-fiction des pulps (The robots in the science fiction of pulp magazines)
05) Les premiers robots de bande dessinée (The first robots in comics)
06) Une autre image du robot (An other image of the robot)
07) La descendance de Robby le Robot (The offspring of Robby the Robot)
The authors and documents presented here don't ring a bell at all, save if you were born so long ago or got to know these magazines through your (grand)parents, for example. However, it is interesting to see how this theme was treated back in the day.
Le robot au cinéma: être plus qu'humain (The robot in cinemas: to be more than human)
Frédéric Jaccaud takes on a trip down memory lane in terms of films and TV-series featuring robots: Eve Future (1886), Pinocchio, Dr. Who (and the Daleks), Star Wars (R2D2, 3-CPO), Terminator, ... and how they are presented as "humanly" as possible or given human characteristics. Of course, there's another reference to Karel Capek's 'R.U.R.' as a basis for what would be known as a "robot". We are presented with various examples, especially from before and after the war, up until 'Terminator' and the early 2000s.
----------
Three little essays diving into the history of robots/automatons/articifial intelligence, trying to offer a basic overview of how the word entered our language(s), how they have been imagined (since written history or what is left of it?) and evolving throughout the decades. Mankind has been fascinated by robots (and alike) for a very long time and continues to do so, as shown in the various reports, articles, stories, novels, expositions, films, games, and more.
'Les Robots' is therefore an interesting introduction (or addition) to the subject, allowing to read such stories, watch such films, ... with a different eye or renewed insight.
----------
Some examples of novels, collections, and anthologies with one or more robot stories from my collection:
Douglas Adams - The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1-5)
Isaac Asimov - The Complete Robot
Pierre Bordage - Contes des sages d'autres mondes et d'autres temps
Annalee Newitz - Autonomous
Various - Utopiales 2016
Various - Fées et Automates - Anthologie des Imaginales 2016
Various - Créatures - Anthologie des Imaginales 2018
Various - Par-delà l'horizon
Various - Robots (Hypermondes, #01) (still on my TBR-pile; an anthology with robot stories, following the first Hypermondes festival in 2021 in France)… (plus d'informations)