Tezos

Flat Drama: Third-Order Simulacra

Creator

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Description

The concept of “flat drama” could be seen as a reflection of the concept of “apathy” in Stoic philosophy. Apathy refers to the idea of emotional detachment or indifference, and the goal of achieving a state of inner calm and tranquility in the face of life’s challenges. By removing drama and emotion from West’s painting, we explore the idea of apathy in a digital context. In this sense, the concept of “flat drama” could be seen as a commentary on how digital media can both reflect and shape our emotional responses to the world around us. By creating a flat, emotionless representation of a dramatic scene, I attempt to highlight the tension between the emotional intensity of human experience and the detached, analytical nature of digital representation. Furthermore we can draw a parallel with Baudrillard's concept of simulacra which is closely related to his idea of the "third order simulacrum", which refers to how simulations can become more real than reality itself. In the context of digital art, this could mean that the flat 2D representation of West's painting becomes more "real" than the original painting itself, simply because it is more accessible and widely disseminated. By using a limited colour palette and simplified shapes, I create a sense of emotional detachment, as if emotions are being perceived through some kind of emotional filter. This could be seen as a commentary on how media can create a sense of emotional numbness, where complex emotions are reduced to simple, easily consumable representations. The use of colours to represent emotions is also an interesting aspect of this concept. Colours can be seen as a way of encoding emotions, with different colours evoking different emotional responses. By using a specific color palette we can create a kind of emotional shorthand, where the colors used convey a particular emotional tone or atmosphere. With this timely concept, I am referring to how people can become desensitized to violence, tragedy, and other forms of horror when they are constantly bombarded with information and images through the media. This desensitization can lead to a kind of emotional numbness, where people become apathetic and disconnected from the world around them. The flat 2D representation of art could be seen as a reflection of this apathy, as it reduces complex emotions and experiences to a simple, easily consumable format. The simulacrum of reality, which is created through the use of media can also contribute to this feeling of apathy, as it creates a kind of virtual reality detached from the real world. In this sense, the concept of “flat drama” could be seen as a commentary on how technology and media can shape our emotional experiences and our relationship with the world around us. By reducing complex emotions and experiences to a flat, 2D representation, we may be contributing to a culture of apathy and disconnection, where people are no longer able to fully engage with the world around them. This concept is also related to the idea of the “third-order simulacrum,” which I mentioned earlier. In this context, the simulacrum of reality created by digital media and other technologies can be seen as a kind of third-order simulacrum, which is detached from the real world and devoid of any underlying authenticity. 3036 x 2134 px / 4K mp4 / 45 s / 59,1 Mo / 12 frames 1/1 collection 03/50 #simulacra a subrealist reread based on the masterpiece by : Benjamin West (1738 - 1820) American English Alexander III of Scotland Rescued from the Fury of a Stag by the Intrepidity of Colin Fitzgerald ('The Death of the Stag') Original works On view at : National Galleries of Scotland