Holistic Animacy
On meeting with a phD student I recently met on a training course, we discussed the research project and it was discussed that it seemed necessary to support the project notion of 'life' in theory, underpinning the concept with philosophy. The concept of system theory and network feedback supported the idea that 'life' can be understood to be a complex system rather than a study of the single unit, or theology. It was suggested that actually the notion may have roots in holism.
In a turn to theory, this article was uncovered, published in July 2012' that also seemed to be suggesting a holistic notion of 'life',
Toward Holistic Animacy: Digital Animated Phenomena echoing East Asian Thoughts
Kenny KN Chow
Abstract
In a previous article published in 2009, the author showed how animation, when combined with computer technology, makes movements of different degrees of liveliness that are meaningful to humans. Following this thesis, this article draws on insights from perceptual and cognitive psychology to propose a new typology of liveliness for classifying digital animated phenomena. This classification emphasizes balance and spread of liveliness in today’s digitally mediated environments, echoing traditional East Asian holistic thoughts, including the core ideas of Dao and Shinto. Using analyses of exemplary animated artifacts from contemporary East Asia, including a montage sequence from the Japanese animated film Ghost in the Shell (Mamoru Oshii, 1995), an animated version of the Chinese painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival exhibited in Shanghai Expo 2010, and Electroplankton, a video game released on a Japanese portable game console, the author argues that today’s digital animated phenomena incorporate co-creation between animators, computers and even spectators/users, thus provoking thought on the human–machine relationship in pursuing the illusion of life.
animated painting anime computer interfaces Dao digital animation digitally mediated environments East Asia perceptual animacy Shinto video games
This paper aligns with the current investigation however, it draws from eastern philosophical traditions and practice examples.
This text may be help establish an argument for a new topology of Animation when situated in relation to the mechanistic or animistic/vitalist notions of 'life' often deployed to describe notions of 'life' and 'liveliness' in animation theory.
In a turn to theory, this article was uncovered, published in July 2012' that also seemed to be suggesting a holistic notion of 'life',
Toward Holistic Animacy: Digital Animated Phenomena echoing East Asian Thoughts
Kenny KN Chow
Abstract
In a previous article published in 2009, the author showed how animation, when combined with computer technology, makes movements of different degrees of liveliness that are meaningful to humans. Following this thesis, this article draws on insights from perceptual and cognitive psychology to propose a new typology of liveliness for classifying digital animated phenomena. This classification emphasizes balance and spread of liveliness in today’s digitally mediated environments, echoing traditional East Asian holistic thoughts, including the core ideas of Dao and Shinto. Using analyses of exemplary animated artifacts from contemporary East Asia, including a montage sequence from the Japanese animated film Ghost in the Shell (Mamoru Oshii, 1995), an animated version of the Chinese painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival exhibited in Shanghai Expo 2010, and Electroplankton, a video game released on a Japanese portable game console, the author argues that today’s digital animated phenomena incorporate co-creation between animators, computers and even spectators/users, thus provoking thought on the human–machine relationship in pursuing the illusion of life.
animated painting anime computer interfaces Dao digital animation digitally mediated environments East Asia perceptual animacy Shinto video games
This paper aligns with the current investigation however, it draws from eastern philosophical traditions and practice examples.
This text may be help establish an argument for a new topology of Animation when situated in relation to the mechanistic or animistic/vitalist notions of 'life' often deployed to describe notions of 'life' and 'liveliness' in animation theory.
