The future is female : gynoidian skins and prosthetic experience : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Media Studies at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

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dc.contributor.authorDillon, Sarah M
dc.date.accessioned2017-12-08T00:31:12Z
dc.date.available2017-12-08T00:31:12Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.description.abstractThe female cyborg, or ‘gynoid’, has historically recurred in cinema as a trope by which the female form magnetises anxieties about new experiences proffered by digital technologies. This thesis draws on phenomenological theory, including Laura Marks’ notion of the ‘haptic’ and Jennifer Barker’s method of ‘textural analysis’, to conceptualise the affective experiences that gynoids within a strand of contemporary Hollywood films promote. The gynoidian protagonists of Spike Jonze’s Her (2013), Alex Garland’s Ex Machina (2015), and Luc Besson’s Lucy (2014) attempt to engage the viewer in various ‘prosthetic’ (Alison Landsberg) encounters: tactility, sensations, gaming and sexual experiences. I argue that these films use sophisticated stylistic means, including what I term ‘haptic absence’, to employ the gynoid’s body or voice as a conduit in promoting a more positive or celebratory exploration of the affects produced by new technologies. The films demonstrate that within this particular cultural milieu, phenomenological experiences of cinema have the potential to open up a less fraught relationship between women and technology.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10179/12488
dc.identifier.wikidataQ112933613
dc.identifier.wikidata-urihttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q112933613
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherMassey Universityen_US
dc.rightsThe Authoren_US
dc.subjectCyborgs in motion picturesen_US
dc.subjectWomen in motion picturesen_US
dc.subjectResearch Subject Categories::HUMANITIES and RELIGION::Aesthetic subjects::Filmen_US
dc.titleThe future is female : gynoidian skins and prosthetic experience : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Media Studies at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealanden_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
massey.contributor.authorDillon, Sarah M
thesis.degree.disciplineMedia Studiesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorMassey Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelMastersen_US
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts (MA)en_US
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