Thematising the ugly side of sublime technological development:Sonzero’s Pulse (2006) as an inadvertent critique of the ‘technocentrism’ of postmodernity

Abstract

This article employs certain of the theoretical insights of Jean-François Lyotard and Julia Kristeva to identify the covert, and largely inadvertent, subversive aspects of the mainstream cinematic text Sonzero’s Pulse (2006), namely its thematisation of both the autonomous nature of ‘capitalist technoscience’, and the latter’s detrimental impact upon the subject. In short, this article is principally concerned with demonstrating the value of, and fostering an increased engagement in, the critical appropriation of potentially subversive mainstream cinematic texts, in the interests both of problematising the assumption, propagated via contemporary cultural ‘products’ such as mainstream film, that there is no need to revolt against the dehumanisation that proceeds from the ‘technocentrism’ of postmodernity, and in so doing, of shedding light on the ugly side of sublime technological development.

DIE TEMATISERING VAN DIE LELIKE KANT VAN SUBLIEME TEGNOLOGIESE ONTWIKKELING: SONZERO SE PULSE (2006) AS ONBEDOELDE KRITIEK OP DIE ‘TEGNOSENTRISME’ VAN DIE POSTMODERNITEIT. Hierdie artikel maak gebruik van bepaalde insigte van Jean-François Lyotard and Julia Kristeva om die bedekte, en grotendeels onbedoelde, subversiewe aspekte van die hoofstroom-filmteks, Sonzero se Pulse (2006), te identifiseer, naamlik die tematisering daarin van beide die outonome aard van die ‘kapitalistiese tegnowetenskap’, en die nadelige impak van laasgenoemde op die subjek. Kortom, hierdie artikel is prinsipieel daarmee gemoeid om die waarde te demonstreer van, en verhoogde betrokkenheid te bevorder by, die kritiese toe-eiening van potensieel subversiewe hoofstroom-filmtekste, ten einde (a) die aanname te problematiseer wat via kontemporêre kulturele ‘produkte’ soos die hoofstroomfilm gepropageer word dat dit onnodig is om in opstand te kom teen die verontmensliking wat spruit uit die ‘tegnosentrisme’ van die postmoderniteit, en (b) sodoende lig te werp op die lelike kant van sublieme tegnologiese ontwikkeling.