Reply to comment

One of the many things that this course has taught me is how to identify binaries in everything and to challenge them. (Thank you, Donna Haraway) The main binary I saw in Teknolust was the binary between the real and the virtual worlds. From a filmic perspective, this binary was accentuated by the use of colour (Real-life had "real" colours and virtual-life had bright colours that made my eyes hurt) and through the gate that served as a connection between the real and the virtual worlds. Sure you could argue that there was somewhat of a breakdown of this binary through the SRAs' adventures into the real world but even so, they were still distinct from it. Two examples come to mind: Ruby always wears her red outfit and drives her funky green car (at least in the beginning) and also, when she attempts to pay for her cake with red condoms. However, it was natural for this binary to exist. Films (and novels too) usually have binary opposition to drive the plot forward and in Teknolust, it did. The struggle between the "real" and "virtual" worlds was one of the main driving forces in the plot and, although I wasn't a big fan of the movie, it helped create more interest. Additionally, the use of colours helped keep the film understandable.

My question here though is what would happen if we removed this binary? What if we got rid of the gate and got rid of the (in Michael Chorost's terms) "clunky interface"? What if we got rid of those fancy colours? (My eyes would be happy.) What if we got rid of the gate? From a filmic point of view, this would create difficulties as it would be hard for the spectator to determine where the characters were and what is going on. I feel that this confusion would also carry on into real life if we did integrate mind and machine. Our 'gate' is our interface - the computer/phone screen, keyboard and mouse. What if we got rid of them. Where would we end and where would machine start? Does this even matter?