Uncanny not just strange
In the past year, I study from the direction of human history to science fiction has changed many times, the final position in the uncanny. I have been looking for a point of interest, even forcing yourself from some of the things that interested in looking for inspiration, the results have failed. I try to find the answer from human history, I learned from the human history, we all live in the common imagination of human being, we believe that we invented the state, legal, financial systems and other concepts. We are accustomed to this way of life habit, everything around us, so we never to doubt these things exist is reasonable. so I will love sci-fi reason can be attributed to breaking the routine of daily life for it, a fictional and real life related but distinct world, produced a familiar but strange feeling. This feeling of curiosity and at the same time continue to inspire new thinking this familiar and unfamiliar experience can be called uncanny.
The uncanny was first put forward in an essay, On the Psychology of the Uncanny, by German psychiatrist Ernst Jentsch. He argued that the uncanny - in German ‘unheimlich(unhomely)’, was always be considered as something negative and uncharted. Sigmund Freud demonstrated that uncanny always make people be daunting and arouse angst and alarm based on his artistic analysis. As the uncanny is mainly based on the personal experience, it doesn’t have a specific definition yet. According to Freud, the uncanny could be explained as animism, enchantment, accidental recurrence and transitory wish-fulfillment
Even if each category seems contrasting, Freud bridged a connection among them by a German word unheimlich (similar to the English word uncanny), which,“ applies to everything that was intended to remain secret, hidden away, and has come into the open.” When people suddenly confront these uncanny things, their primordial scare inside their body is invited. Furthermore, it may lead to the intellectual uncertainty which results in a strong feeling of distaste and antipathy.
Freud’s aesthetic investigations on the psychological phenomenon aroused the artist's’ attention since it was publicized. The artists with a background like surrealists and contemporary art have tried to visualize and manufacture the objects could cause the uncanny phenomenon.
This paper will analyze Mike Nelson, Claes, Oldenburg, David Czupryn and other Western artists, Zhang Xiaogang, Zeng Fanzhi, Yue Minjun and other Chinese artists and Kenya Hara and other designers’ works to explore the possibility of using the uncanny concept of psychology in the field of art.
The first time I feel the feeling of uncanny is when I was doing a research about science fiction, I saw a robot that looks extremely realistic but revealed a strange feeling. Because I can feel that she is not a life, but so close to a real human on the face. I feel a sense of fear and anxiety. In fact about this experience for a robot, as early as 1970, Japan's roboticist Masahiro Mori created the term 'the uncanny valley', which describes how people love the robot will fall sharply when they are too humanoid.“The ‘valley’ refers to the dip in the graph that charts people’s positive feelings towards artificial beings. As long as a robot didn’t try too hard to look like a person, any clever tricks it performed would generally be deemed charming and impressive. But as soon as it started to move, speak and look like a human being, people were liable to find it spooky, possibly even disgusting.However, on the other side of the "valley", Mori's graphics began to rise again. As robots become truly lifelike, it is clear that people will once again begin to have a good impression.”( Grose 2013) So 'uncanny valley' refers to the area identified in the icon. Though the robot looks lifelike, it’s still different from the real people because lacking some details, which leads to the result that people can not produce empathy. The robot is a body with the real people’s appearance. Often at this time, it would wake up people’s sense of terror and disgust to the body.
Also, the robot in the movie chappie ’ s shape will make people feel more comfortable. The external image or mechanical characters, no simulation fur even if it's behavior and emotional reality and there is no difference, even it eventually transplanted a reality perception.
Yue Minjun
China artist Yue Minjun's paintings show that both familiar and strange. A big man laughing figure of a recurring aspect of his works, and this image is based on his own self-portrait, which makes the familiar feeling more intense, but at the same time, the facial expression is some people even exaggerated, some works on the head with horns. To direct visual, I felt disgusted. Have ugly face with a strange expression, although a large number of replication in the interpretation of his picture's head is a gimmick, it is undeniable that by the strong visual impact lead The deep impression, is no reason to dislike, serious want to vomit, hair all up. The art of beauty praise removed, as is his works usually bring sensory information to reflect offensive role. But I have to say that there is resentment the sensory effect, but the total reflection still feels alienated. Of course, this is just different people have different views of the one-sided, art critics have special Zhu Zhu discussed the significance of Yue Minjun's works within a picture in < > was born. I think it is very well written than the information inside can convey interpretation by Yue Minjun in the painting. He repeated The face is interpreted as "Parody" and "self-idol culture tendencies." repeated portraits and exaggerated facial vision to produce concentrated "idol effect". In the left picture also still remain impressive such paintings function is achieved. And from history see Yue Minjun, the artists of this generation grew up in a Chinese market economy started to implement the policy and accelerate the development period, and this period is a period of economic tendencies." repeated portraits and exaggerated facial vision to produce concentrated "idol effect". In the left picture also still remain impressive such paintings function is achieved. And from history see Yue Minjun, the artists of this generation grew up in a Chinese market economy started to implement the policy and accelerate the development period, and this period is a period of economic prosperity in the world. On the "self" is defined as the theme Chinese contemporary art since the 90s, for China artists personally, this "self The worship of that image "has become a kind of international and domestic brand identity. The international art market seems to be planned and with a friendly attitude to accept their generation artists. They fully develop their marketing strategies and public communication skills in the appropriate atmosphere. They almost become their own personal Avatar the invention of the trademark. Undoubtedly, in this generation of artists, Yue Minjun is a very successful artist.
Zhang Xiaogang
At the same time, Chinese artists Zeng Fanzhi and Zhang Xiaogang also have a similar situation. Once the masked figure appears repeatedly Fanzhi's works, but the proportion of different characters is rigorous and looks very strange. He works in the realistic frame, and people with a heavy sense of oppression. Zhang Xiaogang's works are different approaches but equally satisfactory results, his works "blood: Comrade No. 120", each family member's face is the same.
People who wear black or white staring at the audience, the numbness on their faces makes them looks even a bit neurotic. People in the painting were immersed in the anxiety and indignation which couldn’t be poured out, the only thing they could do is to keep silent. Once people see the painting, it gives a peaceful visual perception.People interact with the character and exchange the emotion from each other by looking at his back eyes. The history is alive, while people would get older and older and forget some parts of their memories as the time flying. When looking back to the past, they get emotional ups and downs beneath the peaceful appearance. In the society that collectivism takes the right of discourse, the similar face and wearing shows that is praxis is a solid guarantee.
This kind of uncanny experience is based on the culture and history which belongs to the common life experience of a typical generation. Just like Xiaogang Zhang said, “ I cannot see the future. I hope to meet someone could understand the person like me because the society doesn’t, but I can’t. That’s the thing to make me feel painful and depressed.” Therefore, he tries to be too honest to himself by using painting to express his mind.
Moreover, Zhang described the connection between the objectives and explored the meaning hidden behind the portrait by connecting the paintings with the red string, like an umbilical cord. The empty background of this painting gives it a gray hue which shows sort of uncertainty. Turbulent times, miserable memories and authentic history, these pieces of details all pointed to nihility. The smoothness on character's face created an illusion of press work. However, a flare like a scar breaks this peace along with a hesitant emotion, which could be understood as a kind of hope as well as the strength of growth from the heart. This is also one of Zhang's typical painting style. He combined the hope with despair, light with dark emotionally but accurately. In a moment, people could see the hope of a new life in a daze.
Those serious and numb faces make people cannot stop watching this painting though it also brings people an awkward feeling. In that turbulent background, people all suffered from different levels of psychological trauma. Nevertheless, what he saw is outside the glory as well as the harm. Zhang uses details to show what he saw and his proposition then observes people’s face and reaction.
There’s a gap between these visual elements and young Chinese people. However, the influence of that generation was so far-reaching that most young people still have a familiar feeling on it. Regardless of the context of history and culture, the proportion of the character is incorrect in the visual perspective because his head was magnified. By blurring the outline of the character and highlighting the black eyes to set the awkward feeling off, the interaction was augmented when people and the character looking at each other. Similarly, the big smiling face in Mingjun Yue’s painting tells the same story. By using the visual elements which are slightly different from their tacit knowledge and experience to create an uncomfortable feeling in visual sense perspective to achieve the uncanny effect.
Zhang Xiaogang
In Zhang Xiaogang's recent series of works, the greatest feeling is all the characters seem to be placed in a confined space. A recurring figure riding a car seems to be fragile, a small table was suddenly in a foreground, a desire to escape, the incapable of action heaviness and depression filled in the canvas. More dazzling is right behind the open door also appear repeatedly, but always have a role, from wearing animal caps thin characters to the baby car weak children, but also a solid wall than that by the only exit to escape. In another nightmare not to reflect the memory of the lingering painter in painting, a fan Is a window similar to the brick block to create a strong sense of oppression. But in contrast with the characters and objects of larger size appeared several times the thin wire, such as silk, add a sense of suspense in the cable for the whole picture, it seems nervous in the next second will be overwhelmed, and all fall apart. Not the same person inside and outside of the mirror and a hand holding a candle adds a strange atmosphere to the whole picture. It makes me think of the coral reef. installation artist Mike Nelson.
Mike Nelson(coral reef)
The coral reef is a huge installation artwork with a maze consists of numerous rooms. The layout of each room was different which shows a great contrast with Tate. It makes visitors feel like that they are walking in another world. As Jonathan Jones said, “As soon as you enter the door marked The Coral Reef, you are in a seedy world of – what? Ratty hotels, call-centers, terrorist cells, taxi offices – you are not sure what exactly what the interstitial, transient rooms and antechambers you pass through or glimpse through dirty windows are, or where. But a machine gun and a mask left on a worktop are almost superfluous to the atmosphere of menace. ” Therefore, there would be a mess in visitors’ mind when many spaces come across. In the meantime, just like what Zhang did on his works, space was decorated with many details and objectives which always remind us that they belonging to another space or story, but sometimes they also so competing for that running counter to people’s life experience.
According to the examples above, it seems that many uncanny works give people an unpleasant experience caused by the instinct until claes oldenburg’s works challenged it. His work bring people a distinct experience.
Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg, he is easy to turn an ordinary life into art activities. Oldenburg's work is not only easy to understand, easy to close, and is the only one in the world down the public art works in pop art. Oldenburg let people know that "art is happy"
In 1976, through the art practice with a combination of techniques like graffiti waste material, he began the real art figurative works, about his works, Oldenburg said: "I use simple imitation, this is not due to my lack of imagination, not because I want to talk about daily life. I copy: a normal item; two, created items, such as symbol, not with intent to engage in the arts, and a simple function containing contemporary magic things, I also tried through my own no affectation of simplicity, to the further development of these things is to enrich their strength further. Fine. The mind deals with them, and I do not want to make them into art. It must first be made clear that I have a didactic purpose in copying these things because I want people to get used to the power of ordinary things"
His sculptures contain many, he seems to want to know anything seen in daily life into art, a sculpture made in Oldenburg consists of three parts:
Soft sculpture food: such as he works < SoBig> is a big Mac with colored canvas and filled with foam plastic directly based on the huge monster, his "fast food" in the realm of specific food image. The huge volume, in the twentieth Century to become the commercial idol image through the hands of Oldenburg, make people doubt the feeling of the artist the use of imitation and one of the United States business culture symbol of the most powerful, and intends to strengthen its influence and impact, and with its gentle, soft sculpture, shattered all the traditional sculpture that firm, established the concept hard. Huge "food" Oldenburg has become the business and society A new kind of totem worship in the industrial society, and the transformation of extremely mundane things into a magnificent spectacle.
Sculpture building: further, Oldenburg will become a real sculpture of his real building, therefore, he made great efforts, finally realized in cooperation with Gehry. Homes Astra generation of advertising company headquarters, Gary in the works is attractive and quiet. Criticism of the building, out of criticism from the form of confusion. A large binocular telescope will be only three-story office building is divided into three distinct parts, and the binocular telescope is the masterpiece of Oldenburg. This time, the huge real is not simply a sculpture, it is an important part of the building Gary, is trying to try the pop art directly applied to the architectural creation, Oldenburg is also trying to close cooperation with the site of sculpture to pay the true architecture and architects.
Oldenburg is the daily necessities of the giant, the worldly things into a place of sculpture, which he called "the monument", and hope that through their daily activities: to replace the traditional classical solemn commemorative sculpture. It is surrounded by a variety of omnipresent from our goods, Oldenburg received the inspiration and the source of his physical creation, his kind is a great Everything is contained therein., PEG landscape sculpture, a woman’s lipstick instead of the fountain in the square, the gigantic scissors is suggested replacing Washington Obelisk and so on, they can become a kind of current Generation of a dream.
So it demonstrates that the change in proportion might not lead to the discomfort, the choosing of objects plays a decisive role. The experience brought by the oversized daily supplies is interesting instead of being disquieting.
Fukasawa Naoto’s CD player
Besides, uncanny was applied to another field in Fukasawa Naoto’s works, especially the CD player he designed for Muji which looks similar to a ventilator, especially a process of opening the CD. Put the CD inside and pull down the cord switch, then the music will be played. People would expect the wind or the sound of the wind comes out after they pull down the switch because they are used to the experience of opening a ventilator. Just as Kenya Hara said, “When we staring at this CD player, our body would do the instinct reaction, especially the skin near cheek which is pretty smooth and sensitive. People would wait for the music just like wait for the wind come.
Panasonic remote control
At the HAPTIC exhibition, Panasonic company designed a remote control which could breathe. Once it’s closed, it would be very soft like the clock in Salvador Dali's work, The persistence of memory. As long as the switch was on, it will be back to live again. It start to breath like a being falling into sleep with the regular ups and downs. While someone needs to use it, the sensor can detect that the hands are closing, then it becomes splendent and hard. This design break the traditional concept of remote control, gives a tool some being features and even start to have interaction with people.
David Czupryn(not born in the same nursery, 2015)
In fact, Freud argues that an object that is supposed to be inanimate, actually it is alive, is a potential factor in triggering uncanny. The core of German painter- David Czupryn‘s research is this kind of uncanny. His work is full of fantastic mystery，as Alisei Apollonio said:His intriguing works invite the viewer into the world that is both unfamiliar and evocative, like a dream already dreamt. A typical of Czupryn’s exploration of the uncanny is the painting “ not born in the same nursery”.Even at first glance, people have a unique feeling, this painting is composed of strange anthropomorphic creatures.However, it is more difficult to justify its character. This fact may cause a problem, regardless of whether the character is there so that the audience feel troubled.Czupryn's characters have an ambiguous situation: the audience can not determine whether they are non-living automatic devices, or from a fairy-tale world to escape. “Freud compares the uncanny feeling to the “sense of helplessness” one often experiences in dreams. At times, Czupryn’s characters seem to be trapped in their own dreams, unable to budge, unable to avoid the viewer’s gaze. It is precisely such identification (the viewer knows what it is like to feel helpless in a dream, to have one’s limbs act inconsistently), such subject-object merger, which creates an uncanny situation.” (Alisei Apollonio)
This paper begins with the psychological term uncanny, citing Freud's thesis the uncanny explained that uncanny is a familiar and strange feeling. With the robot experiments by scientists in Japan as an example to further explain the experience of uncanny. When the robot looks too close to the real time of human beings, people will instinctively have an uncomfortable feeling even the feeling of fear. Through the analysis of Chinese artist Yue Minjun and Zhang Xiaogang's works, especially found in the familiar local exaggerated portraits of the viewer can cause discomfort, produce the effect of uncanny. Because we are too familiar with ourselves, a little exaggeration can cause conflict visual experience. At the same time, the same image in different scenarios can also strengthen the repeated The sense of conflict. China artists borrow uncanny this way very strong showing was Chinese living in a cultural revolution in the 1960s under the influence of the abnormal society. Through the analysis of the coral reef device works for Zhang Xiaogang painting and Mike Nelson, concluded that in much overlapping space, will produce a cognitive the confusion to the audience, especially there are many details of the case, the message is more diverse, will add to such a mess. But in the analysis of Claes Oldenburg sculptures can be seen in, Through the amplification effect of uncanny will not cause discomfort can also produce a pleasant experience, but the extra important, because in his works is the daily items. Examples of the remote controller designed by Fukazawa Naohito and Panasonic shows that uncanny CD phenomenon used in the design field increase design of interest, enhance the user experience. Examples of David Czupryn's works to illustrate another feature of the uncanny is for the life of the uncertainty, did not appear to have things in life is actually alive. Based on above Art The analysis of the home and the designer's work demonstrates the many possibilities of uncanny's psychological idea in the art field.
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