Robots and Aliens! The Distribution of Scientific Information in Sci-fi form.

This was the title for my talk at Selam on Feb. 25.
And this is it in its written form.

I had to turn down a lot of titles to get to this one.
The first was, "Destroy all the humans! Why I can’t wait to sell out my species to another form of intelligence."

And after a long list of calming down I eventually narrowed it down to, "Ok humans aren’t all that bad but still."

This is a very important topic for me because I was raised by science fiction or more specifically 80’s science fiction.

I specify 80’s science fiction because in the 80’s all childhood heroes ceased to be handsome white guys with capes and became mutated, alien, metallic, dead, something to do with DNA, psychologically disturbed or a combination off all 6.

So naturally this is an article about how I turned out fine.

In our society education is done in two ways.

The first obviously is the school system, the second, whether you like to admit it or not, is entertainment. To further this, most people, or I would say the majority of people, are educated more by entertainment than they are by education...now I’m not saying that education has nothing to teach or that it doesn't provide the majority of people with necessary information. Simply that people are generally more susceptible to accepting entertainment as a means of education than the education system itself.

This obviously has its positives and negatives. The negatives are obvious.

Deciding it was a societal benefit to replace Fringe with American Idol being one of them.

In fact I can imagine most people could spend a great deal of time just listing all of the negatives, but I won’t do that because I don’t believe entertainment is to blame. What is to blame is neither education nor entertainment...it is their segregation.

Sir Ken Robinson describes true creativity as the amalgamation of subjects that do not belong together. In other words what deters true creativity is the segregation of different subjects and fields.

When I was in University I found this to be a major problem within the academic world and as such, the non-academic world. In my fascination with the biological sciences, I have spoken to many RSM scientists, and it is always a wonderful experience. Not simply because of what they say, but more importantly how they say it. It is extremely difficult for these particular individuals to refrain from using metaphor to get across their love and passion for their profession. And when I asked them, why it is that they do not speak out more often and engage in public discussions, all of them have the same basic answer…they’re not encouraged to. Like all professional communities, scientists are encouraged to speak only to professionals within their own community and when science leaves this community there is a great fear amongst scientists that the information will be distorted and misrepresented. Now I can understand this fear, but I believe there is a great disservice to both the public and the academic communities when information is contained and held back.

This is where I believe Science fiction has its place.

Joseph Campbell once simply described myth as an allegory for mankind's place within the Universe.

Today the concept of the Universe is greater than our imagination could ever comprehend…but thanks to the sciences we are learning at a phenomenal rate. What most people forget is that the compartmentalization of information evolved from a non-secular beginning. There was a time when there was no segregation between science, religion, and myth. All things were considered a means to understanding and reporting the universe. In fact, the scientific method evolved from the means of gathering information through observation and contemplation, while myth was the means of delivery.

If the question is, why myth? The answer then, is romanticism.

Myth takes the science of the time, and retells it in a way that it involves the human condition using metaphor and allegory. And I believe that allegory and metaphor are so powerful because they are the undeniable result of passion.

This is how I personally come to appreciate the sciences. Einstein, Darwin, Hawkings and Sagan are but a few of the many scientists that I believe realized the importance of storytelling and education through the artistic musings of entertainment.

In fact my favorite astronomer Carl Sagan, in particular expressed the importance of science entertainment numerously over the course of his life, even leading him to write his own science-fiction story Contact in 1997.

Today there are no modern pop-culture creation stories in the western world that do not involve the supernatural. And as such few people in our culture know evolutionary theory, the formation of our solar system, or even the laws of thermodynamics, not because it isn't taught in schools but because it is not appreciated in the public sphere.

My problem with the information age isn’t that information isn’t widespread…its that it isn’t valued. The importance of seeking out information or being critical in evaluating information is no longer encouraged especially within my own generation.

But the celebration of information is at the very heart of science-fiction storytelling. This is why this medium is so important.

Science cannot do this. Neither can fantasy. Science-fiction is a young and upcoming medium that has the ability to deliver the sciences all the while including the romantic elements of fiction that appeal so heavily to a mass population.

And science-fiction is NOT fantasy.

And although there are some works that blur the distinction, the fact that science-fiction deals with the world in a natural setting, makes its characters, and message more self-reflective and relatable.

I think this is an important separation that has to be realized.

As a child I was deeply offended by the violent assault on Johnny 5 in Short Circuit 2. So much so that I discussed in detail, plans in my Gr. 3 English journal to help design and construct Sky-Net, Hal 9000, a Cylon army, and the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park in an attempt to avenge Mr. 5’s mistreatment by unleashing them all on the entire human race.

I’d like to mention now that I’ve since gotten over this.

And that after 20 years of varying degrees of misanthropy I have come to realize that I’ve been duped.

Through my idolization of all things non-human, I have been duped into developing a greater understanding of the human condition.

The reason for this is that great science-fiction neither knows or cares that it is science-fiction. Alien and The Terminator were not about aliens or robots…they were about the human reaction towards the other.

I use the word “other” because there is no such thing as monsters in science-fiction.

A monster is an anthrocentric being. It has no purpose or belonging outside of human existence. They are by definition, perversions of nature.

In science-fiction instead of monsters you have others. Others, or non-humans are not perversions of nature, they ARE nature.

As a result the two most famous archetypes often spoken about in science-fiction are of course, robots and aliens. Not simply because they look different, but because they are different-looking thinkers.

Robots are an interesting archetype because they are extremely reflective. It is difficult to describe the human species without acknowledging its ability to manipulate the world around them. The ability to use tools to make up for biological deficiencies is in many ways the very definition of human civilization.

So what happens when the tool becomes its own living thing?

Frankenstein was one of the first science-fiction myths to explore this "artificial-birth." But it was in the 50's that the idea of a thinking artificial being became a possible and at least at the time, terrifying concept. But why was it terrifying?

In my belief, xenophobia is not the fear of the unknown as much as it is the fear of what we know too well. The less something resembles the human form, the more we are forced to rely on our imagination. And once you consider how limited the human imagination truly is, you can understand why human beings are so terrified of the unknown.

We cannot know the unknown...obviously. Therefore when asked to design the other, we are forced to reflect. And as such, every conflict in science-fiction between man and machine, is a conflict between a parent and their child.

You cannot export what is not imported. Or in other words, a child is not without the strengths and weaknesses of their parent.

So when a machine is considered cold, evil, soulless, and oppressive, they are only reflecting characteristics evident in us.

A machine cannot be anything we have not been in our own past.

So if that's the case, then why so much focus on the negative?

Well...first of all naming them robots probably didn't help. The word "robot" comes from the word "robota" which is a Czech word meaning "worker or servant." And because this title automatically puts all of humanity within the realm of master, it is not strange to think of why we would be fearful of its ability to grow and evolve at the rate it has.

Until the 70's and 80's the idea of A.I. or an artificial being has persistently been vilified and antagonized. That was of course until the Terminator in James Cameron’s Terminator 2 found out why we cry regardless of the fact that it was something he could never do.

That also found its way into my Gr. 3 journal.

Loren Eiseley once spoke on the importance of the possibility of a non-human intelligence, saying
"One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other than human."

A great Science-fiction film has to be careful with this.

Steven Spielberg based his film Close Encounters of the Third kind off of the importance and significance of the unknown. The entire film was inspired by a single vision of a child opening a door into the light.

The significance of this shot is universal. A child has more difficulty than an adult in distinguishing potential, from danger.

To a child, the unknown is 50/50. Could be good. Could be bad.

As we grow older, we are encouraged to believe that it is always bad. And even science fiction every now and then still finds it hard to get over this. Examples of this include, "Independence Day", "Starship Troopers" and every other American sci-fi film that insists that a good first encounter with an alien intelligence must involve a stogie, an African American stereotype, and a 1997 Mac computer virus.

Entertainment is so adamant on its negative views on the unknown, I find it refreshing to see films like "Close Encounters," which played off of the negative view of the unknown for 2/3 of the movie only to provide one of the most spectacular and positive final acts in movie history.

This article amongst all things is about the importance of myth and those who deliver them. And how I believe this to be the most important and unfortunately deprived aspect of modern western culture.

As our understanding of science expands so should our ability to find purpose and understanding of the human condition within it.

A journey outwards is a journey inwards.

And for this to happen we need as many tellers, as we have seekers.

When the Voyager I spaceprobe left the solar system in 1990, Carl Sagan, pleaded with NASA to turn it around and take a photograph of the planet Earth from that distance.

The importance of this photograph has been considered the “greatest photograph of all time.”

In this photograph the Earth is a "Pale Blue Dot." Small, faint, and suspended in a sunbeam.

In myth when a hero leaves home for the first time, and looks back on what he or she has left, they are rewarded with an icon of their past and it is this icon that encourages the hero to succeed in the future.

This month marks the 19th anniversary of this image.

And my favorite science-fiction film of 2008 (in case you don't already know) was the film Wall-E which if you haven’t seen it already, I would deeply recommend you do.

At the very end of the film, the audience is rewarded with such an icon.

Pale,

blue,

and tucked away in the corner of the screen.

- Adrian

Monkeys in the Middle

Middle-World. NOT to be confused with Middle-Earth from Lord of the Rings...In fact it would be safe to say at this point that nothing on this blog should be confused with Lord of the Rings....

I LOVE this concept . Not only is it an amazing concept in evolutionary psychology, but it works extremely well in criticizing and evaluating media, and more broadly, all forms of visual art.

"Middle World" was a concept first introduced by Richard Dawkins...Yes the one that has made it his life's goal to destroy religion.

Regardless of what you believe, the man is a genius. And as such it is understandable why he has taken on such an aggressive stance towards religion and supernatural thinking...He as well as a majority of the scientific community is overlooked and under appreciated in the public eye even though they are the ones with the greatest understanding of the physical universe.

Aggression, as unfavorable as it is, is the product of passion, and this is a man who is extremely passionate in his understanding and love of the complex workings of the natural world.

Now back to this concept. Richard Dawkins oddly enough, has a talent for metaphor. I find this to be a talent found in all of my favorite scientists dating back to Da Vinci. I believe this is because metaphor doesn't lie.

It, like aggression, is also a sign of passion...a sign of love and care.

In a number of talks, Dawkins uses this metaphor to discuss our place in the cosmos. Not physically, but subjectively.

All living creatures are designed to understand and cope with their surrounding environment.

This, like all evolutionary explanations, is simple in its concept, and complex in its makeup.

It doesn't make sense for an organism to think beyond its need. To do this would simply be a waste of energy...but that is where mutation comes in.

If reproduction and genetic replication are the inherited traits of order in the Universe, then mutation is the biological equivalent of chaos.

Mutations are often looked down upon in our species, but if it weren't for such incremental and unexpected changes over time, we would have never passed the moneran phase of our existence.

So what is the mutation that I am referring to?

The imagination.

The perchance to dream is not a uniquely human quality. It is a quality shared by many mammals that possess the ability to perform higher brain functions...specifically the ability to problem solve.

When an animal dreams, it is the brain exposing a need to solve problems for the sake of solving problems. In other words, "Psychological masturbation." This is also the case for the imagination. To imagine is to connect and relate things that are usually segregated and categorized.

Obviously there is more to it than that, but connection and relation is at the foundation of all complexity, especially the nervous system.

But back to Middle World. Why is it that society as we know it has such a strong phobia towards science and technology? Why do the religious and spiritual realms constantly bash heads against evolutionary biology and astronomy?

There is a explanation to ignorance. And when understood, it is not difficult to be empathetic.

The human mind has no need to understand concepts beyond its experience. That being said, what is the human experience?

The human experience is one of face value. What we see is what we get.

The sun revolves around the Earth. The Earth is flat. And all of existence only goes back as far as we can remember it. Completely understandable...and for the most part, its all we really need.

Thank god for mutations. Thanks to the imagination, we have learned that the Earth is 1 of 8 spherical worlds caught in a 5 billion year old gravitational dance around yellow dwarf star we call the sun.

We know this, not only because we've imagined it, but also because either the language of mathematics or the practice of science has proven it.

However even the imagination is still plagued with limits.

We know that the number 1 billion exists, but we cannot imagine it.

We know that matter is composed primarily of space, but we cannot imagine it.

And we know that all creatures on this earth are derivative of the same genetic molecule, and we cannot imagine it.

This is because we live in Middle-World. Not big enough to understand the macrocosm, not small enough to understand the microcosm. Smack-dab in the middle.

This evolutionary roadblock has hindered our progression on a number of occasions in the past...and that's where the arts come in.

True creativity involves the deconstruction of compartmentalism. Unify all topics. Connect all subjects. Let nothing be sacred.

Because when information is tethered and sacred,

it rots.

Let Physiology mix with music. Politics with myth. Astronomy with entertainment.

Enough with the "club" mentality of professional arts. Bring criticism to all facets of society, not just simply the academic ones.

Because when criticism is involved in all facets of society, information will not only be valued, it will be celebrated.

Otherwise what good is an information age without appreciation?

What good is a world of information gatherers without information seekers?

This is the struggle that comes with living in Middle-World.

But through imaging, literature, and most importantly myth, we can bring the large and the small into the middle.

This is the test of our time. Not how much information we can gather and distribute, but how much information we can understand and appreciate.

Technology has paved the way...we just have to follow.

- Adrian

Put on your Sunday Clothes There's Lots of World out There...

AMB-4 was my first best friend. As his name suggests, he was built (primarily by me, but my dad was certainly helpful) when I was 4, out of megablocks and for the most part resembled Johnny 5 from Short Circuit. Of course he couldn't be as tall as J-5, seeing how that machine was over 6 feet tall. He was my height, drove around on wheeled megablocks and was a pretty significant part of my life. He watched Ninja Turtles with me, watched me draw, and guarded my bedroom at night.

It's been nearly 20 years since then and when I first saw the trailer for Wall-E, I couldn't help but feel like Iwas rekindling an old friendship.

Wall-E is my favorite film of 2008. And I don't mean "animated film" or "Disney film" or even children's film. Wall-E is composed of the most charming parts of the human condition, personified in a trash compactor with what seems to be a soul.

Now apart from my obsessive interest in robots and machines, I also contain an obsessive interest for the extinction of the human race. Now when I first saw the teaser trailer, there was absolutely no presence of humanity whatsoever...immediately my imagination went into overdrive and jumped to the conclusion that this was a post extinction Earth.

"How gutsy!" I said. But really, I think it will be a long time before the issue of the end of humanity reaches an "All Ages" demographic.

Now Pixar has got to be the most incredible studio I've ever heard of, and for those of you who are skeptical, watch "The Pixar Story" documentary on the special features disk of the Wall-E DVD and have a change of opinion. Of course not all of Pixar's films have been gold, but for a production company almost 15 years old, it certainly has an incredible track record.

Woody and Buzz Lightyear, Flick and Hopper, Dora and Nemo, Mike and Sulley...These are just a few of the iconic characters Pixar has littered the last 15 years of cinema with. But like all great stories, it wasn't just the characters that made these films so memorable. It was the worlds they lived in, and the dilemmas facing them.
Oddly enough, each and every one of Pixar's films are focused specifically on a portion of the human condition yet mostly through the eyes (if applicable) of non-human characters.

Never is this formula more applicable than it is in Wall-E. Using the laws of empathy, Pixar got away with humanizing a rusty box and an i-egg, and some how made it the most romantic and universal love story of the year. Yes there is little dialogue, yes there is a pseudo-political message, and yes its kinda dark, and you know what? It worked.

As a representational artist, I know and appreciate the value of detail. I could honestly go through this film and reverse engineer every part and find a meaning and purpose in it. Framing, color scheme, even lens-type and lighting are considered in every second of this film. Even if you could convince me that it wasn't for the sake of artistry, I would still say it was considered simply because that is the nature of the medium. Undoubtedly this film has been looked over a bazillion times and I'm sure the animators were ripping their hair out over a small thing in the background none of us will ever see or notice...but that is the nature of art and the sign of care and love all artists put into their creations.

Now the geek-out part of my review where I touch on all the little homages and nods all great films provide to show their appreciation of those that have paved the way.

First of all, Ben Burtt.

This man IS Wall-E. I mean that figuratively and literally. For those who don't know, Ben Burtt was the sound designer for all of the Star Wars movies. You know those sounds you make when you face your friends in invisible lightsaber matches? Ben Burtt. Chewbacca? Ben Burtt. Darth Vader's breathing? Ben Burtt. I'd say 50% percent of the made up sounds that come out of the mouths of geeks world wide have been discovered, edited, and modified by this man. And now he can be credited with the lovable Chaplin-esque trash compactor, Wall-E.

I often draw while watching movies I've seen more than once. As a result I tend to remember a lot of films merely by their sounds, scores, and voices. This is a film I guarantee you'll enjoy without visuals (even though they measure up just as equally) especially if you're a multitasker.

Second of all? Sigorney Weaver.

There was a comment made in the behind the scenes featurette about how the love story between Wall-E and Eve is a love story between Charlie Chaplin and Sigorney Weaver. Holy shit is that true! In a different Universe, I could see Eve beating the shit out of the Queen alien and calling her a bitch in the process. Also, she is also the voice of Mothe- ahem, I mean the Axiom's ship computer. A small role yes, but in the mind of a sci-fi geek like myself, that's goddamn perfect.

And third of all? The pale blue dot.

How did no one understand the significance of that shot? I nearly cried after seeing that shot for the first time (If you by any chance DID recognize it, tell me...I need to know others know.). For those who do not know, at the end of Wall-E after the camera zooms out from a toxic earth, the shot fades to a near perfect replica of the famous "Pale Blue Dot" photograph taken by Voyager 1 (Thank you Christina). My favorite astronomer Carl Sagan poetically wrote and spoke about this image as the most important picture ever taken...and it is referenced in a Disney film. God. Damn. Perfect.

Now I could go on for hours about this movie but I think here's a good place to stop.

Pixar? If I had a crowd of me's, we'd slow clap for you.

"History is written by the survivors."

We are all made of starstuff. Thank you Carl Sagan (And yes later Moby) for that beautiful and awe inspiring quote. But this is simply half the story...

I am a storyteller, and as such I am also a storyfinder. Now the real problem with finding stories is not that they are difficult to find. They are everywhere. And everything.

Now currently it is believed that the Universe is infinite. I believe otherwise.

So does that mean that I believe the Universe has an end? Well as much as an end as anything else does. I believe the Universe is one of many "Verses" in a Multiverse. But I believe it is so complex and beyond our current understanding that we lack the imagination, cognition, and vocabulary to describe it.

I suppose I should also be clear in stating that I believe the "stuff" part of the Universe is finite...The dark matter quotient and nothingness of the Universe for all I know is infinite, but seeing how I'm much more attached to stuff than nothing, I'll equate the Universe with the stuff part.

Now that that clarification is aside, Starstuff.

Recently I've been greatly fascinated with Astronomy.
No.
That is a lie.

I have always been interested in Astronomy.
Recently I have been so inspired by astronomical creation and apocalypse stories that it has even trumped my first love of biology for the time being.

How will the Universe end?

The answer to this question has greatly impacted my views and my ideals of what is important.

Now I am a great advocate of intelligence and sapience, but not of humanity. In fact I strongly believe the word "human" must die if there is to be any sort of progression. Either the word dies or the species it represents dies.

Now I understand the need for segregation and compartmentalization is paramount in the need to comprehend the Universe around us, but there needs to be a point of realization that this is simply a means to comprehend. This is a case of sentience falling in love with the process of understanding rather than simply understanding.

Humanity is a word that segregates us from our environment and will always have implications of anthrocentrism. This is also the case with the word "God." When we say humanity or God, we still assume hierarchy. We still assume that there is some moral superiority, and we still assume that when attacked by something that is not human, our existence is somehow favorable. I'm sorry but this assumption has to die.

We are easily expendable.
We are not the most creative.
We are not the most social.
We are not the fastest.
We are not the strongest.
We are not prettiest.
We were not the first.
We are not the most destructive.
We are not the most social.

But we are the most intelligent...

Ok.

But how does intelligence fare against the shark?
The Crocodile?
Cnidarians?
Hell, even bacteria have survived longer than us.

Let's face it, intelligence isn't all that great.
It has almost shown up in other species, but no living creature has depended on it to survive millions of years.

Our strain has only been around for the past 1.3 million years.
Kangaroo rats have been around for longer.

So in case you haven't already guessed, my point is,

There is nothing special about humanity or intelligence.

But...

There is potential.

Now in 4 billion years of biological evolution, can you imagine all the failed life forms that never had the chance to display their true potential?

The troodon, The ammonite, the gastornis?

We are the 1% of all life that has ever lived on this planet. And by we I mean everything. Bacteria, Reptiles, Marsupials, everything.

But we do have something they did not...awareness.
We are aware of our possible demises.
And if we survive the next big change in our environment...
We have to keep predicting it.

I'm sorry everybody, but like it or not...we have to ditch Earth.
I know, I know, how anti-green of me, but hear me out.

Just because the word "Space" and "Technology" is unnatural to us, it is not unnatural to nature. Our planet is going to change regardless of what we do to it. We could try to preserve everything and it will still change.

The Earth has been many different colors other than blue and green. It has been red, and orange and yellow and even black.

To try to keep the Earth in a state where it can accommodate us is like trying to keep a teenage boy pimply and voice-crackly for the rest of his life.

The Earth will change and die...but that doesn't mean that we have to as well.

So wait...am I saying that we shouldn't preserve the Earth but we should preserve humanity?

Not at all.

That's why I hate that word...because it assumes we will be as we are, forever.

We will change.

We will mutate.

And we will adapt...I hope.

Like the dinosaurs before us.

That name did not go on.

But the word, "bird" did.

We are in the stages where we are writing how we want to go on.

Do we want to be remembered as those creatures that contributed plastic shards to the Burgess shale?

Or as the people we used to be...

- Adrian

World at War Indeed.

I love World War 2. Almost as much as I love Science-Fiction. Perhaps it is because this war was the first to be mediated, perhaps it's because it was the first to truly involve the world, or maybe its because it was the the first to visually broadcast the horrors, humanity is truly capable of.

Now I am a passionate enthusiast of both first person shooters and mediated violence, and when it is done wrong, I get deeply offended >cough Gears of War cough<. But when it is done right...I am moved. Call of Duty: World at War did that. Yes I know. World War 2 and FPS are now almost the same topic. Unfortunately, I'm sure there are some kids out there that think WW2 is just as historically relevant as Halo. But even for those who are not enthusiasts of the most bloodiest war in history this game will haunt you. When all is said and done, I will remember looking up into the pale grey sky of an occupied Stalingrad as the German air fleet hovers over top like wraiths over their conquered city. I will remember the white light reflecting off of my gun as myself and Kiefer Sutherland marched up the hills of a rain soaked Okinawa to take out Japanese gun emplacements. And I will most definitely remember the assault on the "Heart of the Reich" at the Reichstag in central Berlin.

Now maybe a part of the reason why I enjoy WW2 games is the respect given for all perspectives of the war (something I suppose happens only after 60+ years have passed). The good guys are not necessarily good or bad, and the same goes for the "bad" guys. I actually felt guilty being the Russians after seeing their revenge on the Nazi capital. The German soldiers burned en masse, their bodies dangling by their necks from telephone poles...and the game does give you choices...and I am glad to say that despite my interest and fascination with violence, I chose not to kill the German or Japanese soldiers when they surrendered (not that it mattered considering my collegues didnt share my sympathy...).

Also this game is intense! Limbs are blown off. Heads are shattered, and people are stabbed, tortured and burned on all sides of the war. And I'm not talking chainsaw battles or curb stomping. This stuff doesn't draw attention to itself. It is treated with realism and humility.

Which leads me to my final point. This game is probably more real than modern day warfare. There are no eye in the sky vantage points or driving tanks to your ipod playlist. This is in your face and it is not pretty. Hauntingly beautiful is what I'd call it. Oh and speaking of ipod playlists, this soundtrack will most definitely be on mine. From the choral/chantings of the music from the level "Downfall," to the Russian hymns of "The Red Army" the music really puts you in the grandeur that is WW2, not by distracting you from it, but by amplifying it.

So if you can't already tell, I loved this game. In fact it reminded me of why I enjoy all of the Science Fiction/Film Noir films that also took great inspiration from this era and flooded the post war media with the greatest art, literature, and mythologies of the 20th century.

So where do we go from here?
There's plenty of places I think. This was a great maturity boost for the industry but I'd love to see them get gutsier. Perhaps the perspective of the axis? The Vietnam war? The Gulf War? Videogames at their current point have an advantage over the other prime narrative artforms and that is that they are underrated. And as such can speak boldly and creatively without too much interference from censors or political endeavors...as long as they don't have sex of course...cause thats yucky.

A bar has been raised Call of Duty. Congrats, and good luck on your interactive endeavors in reminding this generation of the hell our forefathers had to go through to get us to a point where videogames are more violent than the wars of the modern age.






Oh and yes there is a bonus option where you fight Nazi Zombies....

Critical Xmas

So I am officially calling this my "sister" blog. My other blog, simply titled, adrianbobb.blogspot.com will act more as my professional concept art page, where this one, "The Demiurge," will act as my personal blog where I will post about all things that I am interested in...and thankfully there is a lot so I shouldn't get bored.

So its almost 2009 and as such, I'd like to end this decade with a great change. First? Location. I am currently planning my move with my long time friend Rory Geddes to Montreal to pursue more career oriented opportunities in concept design for film/television/videogames.

Second? Storybuilding. For years I have been working on a story that has been improbable to put together for far too many years. But now I have a focus...The moon. Hahaha alright, enough with dramatics...

Simply put, I am focusing on finding out as much as possible about the rocky inner-system planet named "Theia" that orbited between Mars and Earth. Theoretically (and I use this to imply probability not improbability), the collision between this planet and our own proto-earth was what led to the formation of the moon, as well as the stability necessary for life to develop and survive for 4 billion years. This is quite possibly the most beautiful story I have ever heard, and being the storyteller I am, I NEED to romanticize it. What was this planet before? Did it have life? Why did it have such a strange orbit? These are the questions I know for a fact will lead to even greater questions I think are necessary to ask.

I believe western culture is greatly deprived of origin stories in the form of myth. Fortunately I am geeky enough to receive great hope and joy from scientific journals/documentaries/professionals, etc. so I sort of have a drive to seek that sort of thing out...one thing I kinda wish that more people would have but oh wells. Diversity is the spice of life right?

And finally third? Well...perhaps there is no third...I mostly feel location will compensate for most of the change and character building I feel I need to go through before the decade's end. I feel Saskatchewan's been great for developing skills and building ties, but there is an unfortunate ceiling point in this province that starts becoming a tad claustrophobic for those out of University. Will I ever visit? Most likely...but Montreal seems so promising that I feel I might blend in pretty well.

Ok. That's all for tonight.

It's Xmas!

- Adrian B.

Silence and Shadow

Being an artist with limited access to material and money in the "information age" is a benifit I am becoming increasingly aware of. If you know anything about my 2D and or 3D art you'll know that the only way for such forms and figures to exist on screen in film format is through money, ILM, or lots of patience with CGI programs. Ergo there is quite a huge gap in my imagination between what I want to create and what I can create in a film. However I have found that my most appreciated special effect is no effect. Back in my impressionable days in the late 80's, early 90's when films had to be creative in revealing awe-inspiring creatures/characters/sights/images, success was dependant on knowing not only what to show, but what NOT to show. Yes CGI existed then, but wasn't ALL that existed. Puppettry, CGI, Stopmotion, Animatronics, Matte Paintings...This was the Rennaisance of filmmaking for me anyways... Yes these things exist today as well but not in the same way. Back then, you went to "discover" a movie. I use the word discover because today I find that absolutely EVERYTHING is an adaptation... Today everything WILL be a movie. Spider-man, Transformers the movie, Graphic Novel movies, Comic Book Movies, Movies based off of old fantasy epics, etc. Now these movies ARE awesome don't get me wrong...But I do miss walking into a theatre to see a movie that people do not already know the characters, the story, the ending, the locations, etc. I find as much as I love seeing things in film, I also love not seeing. A great filmmaker uses the dark as much as he uses light, silence as much as sound. And in an age where ANYTHING can be produced on screen, I find that it takes alot of guts to limit yourself. Thus I say yay for my low budget to no budget filmmaking AND my appreciation for silence and shadow.

- Adrian B.