She’s So Sci-Fi!

I recently attended an Oxford University Continuing Education day course on Science Fiction in Art, Film and Literature. I admit, science fiction isn’t my forte. Despite having an appetite for storytelling, I have always had trouble suspending my disbelief. For me, fiction has to at least have plausibility, or be within the realm of possibility, yet over the years I have become more acquainted with science fiction, despite the vastness of ideas at times being overwhelming. However, to that point, this particular course stood out to me when I realised how art, like science fiction, is itself vast and an opportunity for endless ideas to emerge.

Notably, the course description made me realise just how prevalent art in science fiction really is.

You are having to combined two art form mediums that demand your imagination to flourish.

We covered the aspect of writing science fiction, where real life influences from various periods in

time could be used as a basis for apocalyptic futures, advances in science and technology upon the world and the way we live, or the need for colonizing another planet.

Sociological concerns and collective conscious can be heavily influential. It’s no secret the effects The

Cold War had on science fiction of the 1950s, nuclear war threats and paranoia of alien invasions

present in both literature and film.

Today, we would be more likely to find the burgeoning developments and usage of AI prevalent within science fiction and the social worries surrounding the rise of the machines, what it means to be human, whether ethical treatment of robots should be considered and if such mechanisms are in fact conscious, or can even feel. A film such as Ex Machina is representative of this notion in the present day, however, the question of medical advances, playing God and nurturing the inhuman goes as far back as literature such as Frankenstein.

Economic crisis, poverty, sustainability and climate change all provide creativity of the mind towards

futures of dystopian landscapes, societies and ways of living. In this regard, though the term 'science fiction' gives connotations of futuristic landscapes, costuming, and mis en scene, films such as Soylent Green may still be presented as recognisable as the planet Earth we are currently familiar with.

When it comes to architecture, set design for films, or similarly influence of science fiction on

existing buildings, can represent futuristic ideas, aesthetically fit scenery and surroundings, or be

used innovatively from the perspective of sustainability, as well as convenience, navigation and habitation. The concrete jungles and high rise cities of New York, Tokyo, or Singapore might

represent the cities in films such as Metropolis, The Matrix, or The Fifth Element. In the real world,

buildings such as the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, The Guggenheim, or the Tokyo Olympics

gymnasium might take influence from science fiction with designs reminiscent of futurism,

spaceships, or robots.

With regards to fashion, many films were assessed for their futuristic costuming, such as Barbarella,

2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Trek. Certain films may have been influenced by, or even hired high

profile designers, such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, Paco Rabanne and Thierry Mugler.

When we see films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, films set far in the future from when they were

made in the 1960s, you can still sense a great deal of 60s fashion influencing the future, from space

helmet like hats, colour coded cadet uniforms, or storm trooper type armour. Though we might now

see elements of 60s style clothing, (or even hair, make up and furniture), as kitsch, that decade

certainly seemed to have had an element of futurism and innovation well suited to ideas of the

future – just look at The Jetsons!

Recently I have started projects dealing with faces, displaying certain emotions, based on stills of

actors on film. The face and appearance in science fiction film correlates well here, particularly with

regards to various forms of androids. As the world of AI and robotics continues to evolve, many

variations on the appearance of androids have been showcased in science fiction film. They may

take elements of a human form, but be identifiable as machinery, such as C3PO in Star Wars. Cut in

the figure of a human, with fluency in the English language, but the character is also created with metallic material and presented with robotic movements and vocals.

Some androids are showcased as so close to human, they may be indistinguishable, but perhaps for giveaways such as lack of emotion, empathy, or

warmth in how they present themselves and talk, examples including David in Prometheus, or

Rachael in Blade Runner.

Overall, in terms of art, the genre of science fiction is indeed a colourful one, rich in ideas and concepts, whilst also incorporating human concerns, panic and creativity, allowing for great influence upon and opportunity to showcase it in literature, artwork and film.