OUGD501: COP: SB1: New Media Essay Research & Feedback

Uncanny & Surrealism

The uncanny In his essay “The Uncanny” (1919), Freud suggests that the feeling something is uncanny (in German, unheimlich — “unhomely”) arises when an emotional impulse we have repressed returns to consciousness, triggered by some inexplicable sight or experience, and frightens us. It makes no difference to the effect whether the original source of this emotion, which could be highly familiar, was intrinsically disturbing or not. In many Surrealist images, something ordinary and familiar, suddenly perceived as a symbol, becomes disruptive and strange. Doubles are uncanny. Coincidence and repetition are uncanny. The “evil EYE” is uncanny. The doll, an inanimate object that nevertheless suggests the presence of life, is uncanny.

Movie Animation

 

Movie animation falls within the valley of Uncanny. I have looked into the way that advanced technology used in movies in the 21st century, can provide a very real looking animation which can appear to be eerie and uncanny. Movies such as Beowolf and The Polar Express are two very recent examples within this category. This reaction from the audience was reflected in their reviews and box office takings. They where both succesful but people noted that they found that their animation graphics where eerie and bizare.

Tintin, another animated movie, seems to be uncanny at first glace yet is less so because of the exaggerated features (nose, hands etc) of the characters. This re-introduces the cartoon/caracature, fiction element back into their appearence.

Ratatouille uses a similar technique as Tintin. As not to create something uncanny when it comes to details such as hands and eyes, the animation makers exaggerated the size and shapes of these. This meant that they didn't spend precious time trying to get their features human looking, yet failing this, providing something which appears uncanny.

Skeumorphism

Skeuomorphism is when design is made to immitate another material. For example, above, Apple designed their digital calender with ring binders so that it looked to be like a real 3D flip calendar. You can see where the pages would have been previously yet where ripped off. Using the transition of the page 'flipping over' is another imitation. They have also used Skeuomorphism when designing their 'steel' buttons or 3D apps amongst other parts of their products.

Fashion Models

Looking at the way that fashion models are airbrushed to look 'doll-like' and the embodiment of perfection works to provide an uncanny feel to them. This is working in the opposite way to robots and the way that they are being developed to look more human yet still feels uncanny and eerie shown in the image above.

Charles Darwin on the Voyage of The Beagle

I thought that this seemed to be an interesting subject to look at within the Uncanny Valley. The snake in this book is described to be 'a snake with the face of a man'. This also then links to Anthropomorphism and the personification of the animal to man. The combination of animal and human gives an uncanny feel to the creature as we fear this unknown.

Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism, or personification, is attribution of human form or other characteristics to anything other than a human being. Examples include depicting deities with human form and ascribing human emotions or motives to forces of nature, such ashurricanes or earthquakes.

Anthropomorphism has ancient roots as a literary device in storytelling, and also in art. Most cultures have traditional fables with anthropomorphised animals, who can stand or talk as if human, as characters.

Surrealism

"Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for its visual artworks and writings."

I wanted to look into surrealism as I feel that the images combine images, animals, products together that you never would see in real life. Some of the images are uncanny, as the ones below;