Tag: Lecture 8 Sci-fi Technoscapes

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[Reading Response] : The Imaginary Real World of CyberCities

Posted on bagrus18

The reading discusses various examples of sci-fi migratory cities in fictitious films. However, as all films do, the phenomena could be explained by societal desires and anxieties.    Using one example, the Walker City in Flood (2009) was a mobile “self-contained mini-city” supported by advanced heavy machinery that allowed it to move on and roam the catastrophically-devastated post-global climate change Earth, constantly scavenging for food and resources for its residents. The tale brings forward the realistic fear of reallife city-dwellers, as symptoms of climate change bit-by-bit propels cities in our very real-lives to transform. The air temperature gets higher and

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Cat Links 2022 Blog, Lecture 8: Sci-fi Technologies

Reading Response: Carl Abbott

Posted on mathur2@connect.hku.hk

The first text by author Carl Abott introduces the concept of ‘migratory cities’ supplemented by examples and comprehensive analysis of media from the science-fiction genre. He introduces examples such as Armada, which is a city consisting of a flotilla of ships together, Snowpiercer, life on a perpetually moving train in a world wrought by natural disaster, and the constantly moving, grinding Earth in the novel Inverted World etc. He shifts the perspective of cities being natural confluence of people congregating at an area for their livelihood from the perspective of a technocrat, to a living, breathing, moving machine.  Through the

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Cat Links Lecture 8: Sci-fi Technologies

[Reading Response: Carl Abbott]

Posted on u3593788@connect.hku.hk

In science fiction movies and novels, ‘migratory’ cities are often built on the basis of real immigrant cities like NewYork. These stories are often set in a post-disaster context, and due to issues such as resource scarcity, people often build cities in a mobile way to seek resources or avoid disasters. Therefore, stories in such a wasteland worldview tend to revolve around survival, and because of the frequent wars between people for resources, such films often bring out discussions of human nature and future. In the films “Mortal engine” and “Snow piercer”, both stories are based on moving cities, but

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Cat Links 2021 Blog, Lecture 8 Sci-Fi Technoscapes

[Reading Response] M. Christine Boyer

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Boyer has mentioned the point of CyberCities, how different aspects of cities are being replaced and controlled by computer technology, and I think this is becoming the new reality day by day. Like the argument mentioned in the reading, “electronic telecommunications have so reformulated our perception of space and time that we experience a loss of spatial boundaries, of spacial distinctions.”, since the beginning of the pandemic, our normal lives have been moved online and became virtual. People were used to going to school or to work or to gatherings in person, but because of the virus, people were forced

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Cat Links 2020 Spring, Lecture 8 Sci-fi Technoscapes

[READING RESPONSE]: WILLIAM TSUTSUI

Posted on Fernandes Erika Anna

The extract taken from William Tsuitsui’s Noir Urbanism reflects upon the popularity of “annihilation fantasies” in Japanese culture.  Stemming from the nations susceptibility to catastrophe, Japan has refocused their feelings of vulnerability, animosity and fear into their visual culture.  A part of the text which I thought really reflects Tsuitsui’s analysis was his mentioning of Godzilla or Gojira.  Having never watched the movie due to my own lack of interest in monster films, his detailed analysis of the social and political relevance of the film made me want to watch it.  Tsuitsui draws connections between the monster’ attacks on Tokyo

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