The struggle continues

I hope that by now I have established that modernism and postmodernism are not only present in the matrix, but that they also are in constant tension with one another. The Matrix trilogy and the Animatrix allow for strong examples of this tension as many aspects of culture are constantly juxtaposed and are literally at war with one another. So is there an end in sight? It was suggested in class that since modernism and postmodernism are not fixed periods or defined phenomenons, that they constantly shift. What may be postmodern now may move to the realm of the modern as it becomes more indoctrinated into society. Therefore, something new will become the postmodern. The Matrix does not fail us in providing examples in this way either. In the Matrix Online, we see that the struggle continues as the machines and humans work to coexist. New modern and postmodern tensions can be seen through the introduction of a minority agent and machines and humans alike who seek to shatter the peace that has been made. Morpheus himself even becomes a voice of fanaticism who is unable to let go of his unwavering belief in the world that he has envisioned for humans. In the end, he too must be questioned rather than blindly followed. The struggle between modern and postmodern continues, even when it seems that the struggle should have ended.

Names in the Matrix

Was I the only one to notice that not a single person in Zion that we know of is named a “normal” name such as Greg or Lucy? Red pills awakened from the matrix retain their hacker alias and home grown citizens of Zion carry similar names such as Tank and Dozer. It is not as if the Zion culture is unfamiliar with these names either. We know that Neo‘s matrix name was Thomas Anderson, and Cypher‘s last name was Reagan. Likewise, agents carry names such as Smith or Jones. It would seem that postmodernism seeps into the conventions of the names characters take as well. This might even be an easier way than clothing or race to decide who is a modernist or postmodernist. These postmodern name adaptations all seem to be heavily associated with symbolism. Paul “nEo” Martin, in his blog  Postmodern Motifs and Ambience in Cyberpunk Films, makes the observation that “not only Neo, but many other names of characters have symbolic meaning as well. The man who wakes the human beings up from their seemingly endless sleep is Morpheus. The woman who completes the team of Neo and Morpheus is called Trinity. And, finally, the traitor’s name is Cypher, bearing a suspicious resemblance to Lucypher.” Names of home growns such as Tank maintain their symbolism as well. Tank was the only one in Cypher’s attack to endure the lightening, thus making him a human tank.

I cannot but help think that the red pill and home growns’ rejection of the conventional names is similar to the rejection of Western names that were given to them during slavery. The name assigned to a red pill would essentially be a “slave name.” The White culture that has been adopted by the machines would also include former names, thus continuing to use such names would remind red pills of their former bondage.

So are the conventions of naming in the Matrix trilogy postmodern? I would say so. The origins of the postmodern names come from the alias that red pills used when they first began questioning the world they live in. In style the names (while highly symbolic) function not just as an alias for use outside of the matrix, but also as a purposeful selection for red pills to proclaim that they will not blindly submit to the control of the world around them.

White culture in the Matrix

In Digitizing Race, Lisa Nakamura points out that whiteness is represented through the oppressive state apparatuses of the machine city. The movie trilogy shows whiteness as being a construct of technology. With a few key exceptions, all white persons in the movie have a strong dependence on technology. Most of the white persons seen in the movie are still connected to the matrix and thus highly dependent on the system to maintain their current reality, as well as the health of their dormant bodies. This of course parallels the modernist dependence and unwavering reliance on science.

Thus, whiteness could be characterized by a dependency on or access to technology—technology that separates the white population from other groups. Those who are dependent on the technology are the subjugated, while those who have strong access to the technology, subjugate. All white persons in the matrix, with the exception of those who have not been freed, have amassed a vast amount of power, whether intentional or not.

The main antagonists in the movie who maintain this power structure, the Architect and the agents, are White. But the only ones that these antagonists have any real success in controlling are white persons. A good example of this is the character Bane. Bane (who is White) is one of the few red pills we see  assimilated by Smith. The assimilation of Morpheus is attempted, but is met with failure. Bane it seems cannot escape the confines of the White power structure. That is not to say that all White persons are controlled. Persons of all races become red pills, but we do not see any minorities assimilated against their will.

Programs not controlled by the matrix such as the Merovingian, ghosts, and werewolves have large amounts of political, social, and political power within the realm of the matrix. Despite the diversity of their classification, they are all White and exhibit the characteristics of whiteness. In fact, all of these programs attempt to subjugate the Keymaker, whose residual self image is Japanese, as they see the value of controlling his power.

In essence, those with the real power, the power to enact change are minority persons. These persons are all targets of subjugation or elimination by the white power structure. The Oracle is an elderly black woman and arguably holds as much if not more power that anyone else in the series. Does the fact that she is of multiple minority groups allow her to have this power? Regardless of why she has this power, it is coveted by the leaders of each of the White groups in the film. These groups know that by possessing the Oracle’s, they can further their own goals. The Oracle’s power is only gained after she voluntarily is assimilated. She is able to enact the change that she ultimately sought to create by working inside the white power structure. The Matrix trilogy does a good job at suggesting where power lies currently and where the potential for change lies. But it is only by questioning the power structure around them that characters turn their potential power into the power to change.

Can anyone think of any other examples of people in the matrix who demonstrate this dependency on the structure of power and the ability to change the structure of power? I would welcome example of whiteness and non-whiteness that contradict my argument as well.

Spaces in the Matrix

I thought we would talk a little about spaces in the matrix. There are two that stand out in my mind, the construct and the Architect’s room. Both of these spaces are completely white. Even the persons (or program) inhabiting the space is dressed in white. Referring back to what white as a color can represent, we can associate advanced technology, safety, and sterility with these rooms. They are safe as each is heavily protected from outsiders. They show advanced technology as one is the source code of the entire matrix and the other controls entry into Zion. And the sterility of the rooms is tied to their security. Each is kept pure from outside influence. No one who is not supposed to be in these spaces is ever in these spaces.

Of course, we can infer quite a bit more from these spaces. Although the construct is controlled by the residents of Zion it is still a part of the matrix, and thus retains its color ties to White culture. The room is not influenced by the culture displayed in the residual self images of red pills. Is the construct, representing advanced technology, unable to be fully assimilated by the people of Zion?  Or, is it fair to say that the people in the construct are able to exist alongside of the technology without changing it to match their own culture? Nakamura suggests that the non-white characters in the film, specifically black characters, contain a “mojo” that makes the humans human, and thus cannot be overwritten. It is this mojo that sets human characters apart from the computer characters. The construct and the space where the Architect resides are devoid of any such mojo, perhaps a critique on White culture. Since the technology associated with the construct is too closely tied to the machines, the people of Zion are unable change it.

I do appreciate what is going on here in terms of modernism and postmodernism. The room is modern in style, but is occupied by postmodernists. And though the people occupying it are postmodernists, they are trusting modern technology for their safety. Maybe this reflects that postmodernism is not necessarily concerned with destroying modernism, but instead creating a culture that does not readily accept modernist fundamentals. This could be supported by the overall plot line of the trilogy. The people of Zion never talk about defeating the machines from the world. In fact, they seem to have come to accept the machines as a permanent part of the world. Their goal is not to be consumed by the machines.

A similar tension exists visually in the Architect’s room. The space is modernist in style, focusing on function only rather than elaborate decoration or ornamentation. Yet the room has been designed to facilitate Neo’s postmodernist questioning of the system created by the Architect. The space becomes a modernist space, created by a modernist for a postmodernist.

Does anyone have any other suggestions of spaces where the tension between modern and postmodern is apparent? I feel like there is something to be said for Zion and how it is a city built completely on function. Perhaps the postmodern tension comes from the few cultural practices we see from its denizens (I’m thinking the rave party). Does anybody have an idea of how Zero-One (the machine city) is the same or different?

Intertextuality in The Second Renaissance

“The Second Renaissance” from the Animatrix largely relies on intertextuality to set up the story that precedes the events in the Matrix trilogy. Intertextuality plays a strong part in the setup for the story as it is reliant on many of the images from global religion and culture to set the stage for the crisis leading up to the films. The narrator begins by telling that first man made machines and “for a while it was good.” This reference to the book of Genesis demonstrates that humans stepped into the role of God to make a creation in his/her image. This reference is repeated frequently throughout the film short. Other references we see are to a “million machine march” that was held by machines to protest their treatment. They were met with violence, humiliation, and apathy. We also see a news clip of a single machine standing in the way of an oncoming tank reminiscent of the Tiananmen Square incident. However, in each of these incidents, the result provides a great difference between the event it represents and how the humans were treated versus how the machines were treated. In the case of the machine protester and the tank, the tank rolls right over the machine without even momentary hesitation.

Other intertextual references in the short film are machines executed in the same fashion as General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan‘s execution’s of Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém, the Holocaust, and the Clarence Darrow trials.

The way in which The Second Renaissance is made has a significant post-modern influence. Referencing real-world events allowed the makers of The Second Renaissance to create a parody of our own history and society. The use of intertextuality shows how history could repeat itself. In Practices of Looking, Linda Hutcheon writes that “history is a key point of inquiry for postmodernism. Postmodern questioning raises important epistemological questions about the project of history and the degree to which we have access to the past” (332). So while this film short explains some of the history of the matrix to its fans, it also informs us of our own history. The use of scenes from the African-American slavery and civil rights struggle represent how our own country lives in the shadow of past deeds. The same is true of the Tiananmen Square tank protester and the viet cong officer’s execution. Each reference helps us to piece together our past.

Through the intertextuality representing our own history, it is clear to the audience who was to blame for the events that took place in the Matrix series. One of the final scenes of The Second Renaissance references Genesis as it shows four grim robots on mechanical horses riding toward the cities of men. Even if the audience were not familiar with the Matrix trilogy, the intertextual reference provided shows the audience the aftermath of human society in that one scene.

The postmodern body

I cam across a quote in Practices of Looking that seemed relevant to the residual self images seen in the Matrix. In postmodernism, the body is imagined to be easily transformed: One can change one’s gender through cross dressing or surgery, one can change one’s race through changing skin tone and using colored lenses, and one can change one’s appearance and shape through gym workouts, liposuction, plastic surgery…” (Sturken and Cartwright 326). Sturken and Cartwright also point out that this is in sharp contrast to modernism where the body is seen to be stable, bound, and with a fixed identity. This made me think even about the most rudimentary way of changing the body–working out. Though the characters grow in strength within the matrix, their physical appearance remains bound. The protagonists clothes change, but aside from that, and maybe hairstyles, there is no physical change to reflect the strength changes of the persons. Perhaps this was done for basic filming reasons, or perhaps it could be argued that a residual self image is a mental reflection of a person’s body and the body reflected is the one that they have in real life. But this fixed identity of the body in the matrix carries through each of the movies.

I think it would have been interesting to see how a transgender person would have constructed their own RSI in the matrix. In Domain Errors, Nakamura criticizes the film series as people creating avatars for games frequently choose a different race or gender. Nakamura seems to think that this was a missed opportunity to speak to the issue of race and gender in the film. I disagree with Nakamura on the basis that in having the characters in the film choose different genders and races, it brings an entirely new focus to the film, championing one race or gender over another.

Still, the idea of someone who wants to change their gender entering the matrix is intriguing. If a man sees himself as a woman, will the transformation be complete in the matrix? It doesn’t seem like there is any choosing of the residual self image on a conscious level, so it might be possible. There are after all rumors that the character Switch from the first movie was a lesbian. Fans of the movie base this on Switch’s short spiky hair, hard boiled attitude, and that her residual self image usually wears clothing of a bright color such as yellow or red in the matrix. I’m not sure if this is enough to assume her sexual orientation is different from what we might expect, in fact, these could all be written off as postmodern style (except for the clothing color). But that brings up the question: How might culture be translated into a residual self image when reentering the matrix? Granted what we saw was Zion culture for one city, but what could be expected?

Machine clothing

We discussed how Neo’s clothing is an example of postmodernist style and demonstrates the transition from modernism to postmodernism, but what about the agents in the Matrix? The agents, with the exception of Smith (who I will discuss later) all are modernists in style and behavior. They rely heavily on science and the structure of the machine government and work to “balance the equation” as the Architect put it. They wear dark suits, the color symbolizing their proximity to power, but we also see some white in their suits, as well as the color of their skin, connecting them to the dominant white class ideologies of Western society. White can also be a connection to divinity as agents and those who run the matrix are deities in a sense. They have power well beyond that of most humans in the matrix and control all. Their ties to and unquestioning loyalty to the powers that be show that these agents are modernists in the purest sense. They fight the postmodernist red pills to maintain their world as is.

Of course, in speaking of divinity, the Architect’s clothing is completely white with the exception of his tie. His black tie could represent power, and also could be a representation of the very (very very very) slight insecurity he has with his own established order. He does not question his own structure in a complete postmodern sense, but he does seem frustrated by his inability to perfect it. The Architect is the only prominent character in the series to wear all white. It is a representation of his divinity within the matrix. Of course, we can’t forget about the ties of white to perfection, which is what the Architect is always seeking. I do wonder is the Architect can represent a tension between modernism and postmodernism in terms of ideologies. He is constantly seeking to perfect his equation. In doing so he is questioning the structure of his surroundings, surroundings he has created for himself. Is he trapped by his own equation? Either way, his clothing in style and color generally ties him to modernism.

Agent Smith is interesting. Once he is reintroduced in the second movie, Smith clearly began to question his own surroundings and his purpose. He would not return to the source as he was supposed to, but instead remained. Following this change of mindset, Smith’s suit went from the very deep green of normal agents to a black color. The change of color represents Smith increase in power, but I think that the most interesting change to Smith are his sunglasses. Smith’s sunglasses in the first movie were very square, purely for function as it goes in modernist tradition. In the sequels, Smith’s sunglasses have become more angular and thin. They are representative of the cyberpunk culture. Smith’s clothing is in tension with his sunglasses. He questions the world around him but still feels bound by the world around him. Even when he defeats Neo in the final movie and is recalling his vision of this moment, Smith says, “Wait…I’ve seen this. This is it. This is the end. You were laying here just like that. And I stand here, right here, and I am supposed to say something.” Though Smith is questioning the world around him, he still believes that he should follow a system of power without question even though he cannot identify it.

Neo’s clothing

Discussing how clothing portrays postmodernism in the Matrix can be done in two ways: the actual styling of clothing when unplugged humans are in the matrix and the color of clothing. I will discuss each of these. Most of the human characters’ residual self images in the Matrix have a cyberpunk style of clothing. The typical cyberpunk world is characterized by a domination of computer technology within a society. Movies such as Blade Runner or Akira each show that A.I. or artificial intelligence has come directly into conflict with human society. The artificial intelligence either tries to bond with the society only to be rejected, or has completely dominated the society. The cyberpunk reality is a postmodern look at an extreme example of what the modernist reliance on science and technology could result in, a society where science and technology have become a physical entity that subjugates or disrupts human society. The Matrix storyline exhibits each of these trait as the Animatrix shows the A.I. initially trying to bond with human society peacefully only to dominate the society completely upon its rejection.

The clothing seen in cyberpunk settings is characterized by elaborate garments usually of dark hues or vivid reds. These garments are typically entirely leather and are either completely form fitting or consisting of free flowing parts such as long coats. This cyberpunk look is in stark contrast to the garments worn by the modernist machines in the matrix whose clothing is reflective of 21st century modernist human society clothing.

A character’s clothing while they are in the matrix can show us their transition from the modernist outlook of when they are plugged in, to an increasingly postmodern outlook. Let’s look at Neo for example.  Neo’s clothing changes from a white shirt and tie combination to a very postmodern style by the end of the trilogy. The transition begins once our hero is unplugged from the system. We can actually see the transition taking place from the first time Neo jacks back into the matrix. In the image, Neo’s clothing has moved from his business attire to decidedly casual clothing. In style, there is nothing really cyberpunk about them. Likewise, looking at Morpheus, (our first time we see his residual self image outside of the matrix) he wears a suit and tie. Both characters have not yet come into the power that they do by the end of film series. The clothing has begun to adopt the characteristic cyberpunk black color, but this color is not their only color. Both wear green in a dark hue, demonstrating their ties, no matter how slight, to modernist power structures. Morpheus is removed from these power structures more thoroughly than Neo, so his style leans slightly more towards the postmodern than his counterpart.

The dojo fight between Morpheus and Neo also show color characterizing their attachment the modernist constructs. Morpheus’ gi is black with a small amount of white trim, while Neo’s gi is white with some black trim. At this point, Neo has not yet learned to bend the rules of the matrix while Morpheus is highly adept at this. Neo’s white gi represents his tie to the matrix power constructs, while the black represents his growing rejection of these constructs. The same is true for Morpheus. If black is acknowledged as a power color, than as a measure of power, Neo’s gi also shows that he has quite a bit of growing to do.

By the end of the series, as Neo has learned to fully question the structures that he has relied upon previously, he comes into his full power. His clothing reflects this power and are thoroughly cyberpunk.

Pastiche and steak

The strong presence of multiculturalism in the Matrix trilogy serves as another was that modernism and postmodernism collide. In “Race in the Construct, or the Construction of Race: New Media and Old Identities in The Matrix,” (found in Domain Errors) Lisa Nakamura notes that “Previous canonical cyberpunk films have depicted minority characters, particularly Asians, as window dressing symptomatic of a post-apocalyptic pastiche of cultures…the viewer can tell that the apocalypse has come and gone because there are so many minorities running around” (65). Pastiche is generally a term that is characteristic of postmodernism as it refers to a mixing of elements from different styles. Sturken and Cartwright define pastiche as “a style of plagiarizing, quoting, and borrowing from previous styles with no reference to history or a sense of rules” (452). Sturken and Cartwright do not mean to imply in the case of the Matrix trilogy that the Wachowski brothers stole from the styles of different minority groups in a malevolent fashion to create the style in the Matrix. Rather, pastiche uses the elements of style taken to interrogate the established norm.

Race is highly visible in the Matrix, but not discussed. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that race AND culture are seen in the Matrix, but not discussed. The Wachowski brothers created a pastiche of fighting styles, leadership, cultural practices, and religions to arrive at the culture seen primarily through minority characters in the films. Nakamura is right in that the apocalypse is shown to have come due to the strong presence of minorities and minority culture in the “real” world, but the viewer is left to decide how the apocalypse has effected their world. It seems that the only thing that this apocalypse has claimed is the dominant white culture. A culture that is prominent within the world of the Matrix, but that is no longer existent in terms of the “real” world. This culture, adopted by the machines is identical to the white culture we observe today. The humans that are still plugged into the Matrix are reliant on science in a very real way. They do not question their surroundings, and through taking the blue pill, have essentially adopted a modernist point of view.

Even Cypher, a character who has taken the red pill, and essentially chosen a post-modernist point of view questions his choice. Cypher opts to discard the real for a hyperreality. In the discussion with Agent Smith over red wine and steak, Cypher acknowledges that though the steak is a simulation, the affects of the steak on the mind and the sensation that the wine gives him are powerful enough to be constructions of reality. Perhaps what we are seeing is a critique by the Wachowski brothers not necessarily on the white race, but on white culture. The hyperrealities that are built are powerful enough to challenge and overcome the sense of self awareness that we might have. The modernist view of progress and measuring that progress through technology is not something that most would easily or freely part with.

Postmodernism?!

Hello world! I am creating this blog for a class project. In it, I hope to discuss the ways that visual representation in the Matrix allow modern and postmodern ideas to clash. Sound a little academic? I think you’ll find that this discussion is not just for academics, but for hardcore fans of the Matrix who know just how deep the rabbit hole goes. I invite everyone to respond and talk about their own examples. After all, it’s a blog. Keep it civil and I’ll keep it posted!

Still not convinced? Let’s start with some of the basics, such as what is modernism and postmodernism. To use the definitions from Maria Sturken and Lisa Cartwright’s Practices of Looking, modernity can be defined as “a period of history characterized by industrialization, an emphasis on the value of science as a means of achieving progress, and an ethos of progress and freedom associated Enlighment philosophy and political theory” (311). On the other hand, post modernity is a period “tied to shifts that include the demise of the nation-state and the dissolution of national sovereignty; the skeptical embrace of science and technology in the wake of the Holocaust and the nuclear bombing of Japan, which showed how scientific ideas could be turned against humankind and toward acts of unthinkable violence and destruction; and the promotion of trade liberalization in a world increasingly characterized by uneven global flows of money, goods, and people” (Sturken and Cartwright 311). I like to look at events or time periods as a way of understanding postmodernism and modernism since they give a familiar background to understand the theory. Note that these characteristics should not be considered to be all-inclusive definitions of modernism and postmodernism. After all, entire books have been written devoted to each of these subjects (for example: Simulacra and Simulation which is shown in the first Matrix movie). Both of these concepts are broad subjects, we do not live in a postmodern world, nor do we live entirely in a modern world. Rather these two sets of ideas and cultures interact and conflict regularly. Modernism is characterized by science and progress, a reliance on the structure of society and how that structure could illustrate truths on what is real and what is not. Postmodernism questions these “truths” and the human condition.

I think we’ll be able to all have a better understanding of postmodernism and modernism as we explore the Matrix trilogy and see how the philosophy and visual representation of the movies take shape. After all, to borrow from Morpheus, no one can really be told what modernism and postmodernism are. You have to experience them for yourself.