Can the Future Be Cancelled? On the Technological Dystopia in Melanie Gilliganâs The Common Sense

Saara Hacklin

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Chapter 6 Can the Future Be Cancelled? On the Technological Dystopia in Melanie Gilliganâs The Common Sense

In: Analysing Darkness and Light: Dystopias and Beyond

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Saara Hacklin

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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 133â147

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004681385_008

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Abstract

Contemporary art has always been preoccupied with technology. Artists are often early adopters of new technologies and sensitive to the changes they bring into society. However, some argue that despite the rise of the digital and the virtual in the arts, technology has received little critical assessment within contemporary art. The chapter discusses one critical perspective on technology through a work by artist Melanie Gilligan (b. 1979, Canada), The Common Sense (2014). It is a 15-part video installation or a sci-fi mini-series, depending on the presentation context. Central to The Common Sense is an invention called the patch, which enables wearers to experience other peopleâs physical sensations and feelings. The chapter analyses the dystopian vision of Gilliganâs work, how it reflects our relationship to technology, as well as questions of privacy, subjectivity, the relation of self and other, and belonging to a social group. The reading of Gilliganâs work draws from the discussion of technology within continental philosophy, particularly Martin Heidegger and Bernard Stiegler, entering into dialogue with thinkers of contemporary art and new media.

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Analysing Darkness and Light: Dystopias and Beyond

Series:Â Social and Critical Theory, Volume: 31

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004681385

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 18 Aug 2023

Subjects
- Philosophy
  - Aesthetics & Cultural Theory
  - Anthropology

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Chapter 6 Can the Future Be Cancelled? On the Technological Dystopia in Melanie Gilliganâs The Common Sense

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Analysing Darkness and Light: Dystopias and Beyond

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Chapter 6 Can the Future Be Cancelled? On the Technological Dystopia in Melanie Gilliganâs The Common Sense