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Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2010 Into the Screenscape: Screens, Bodies, and the Biopolitics of the Population Katheryn Wright Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES INTO THE SCREENSCAPE: SCREENS, BODIES, AND THE BIOPOLITICS OF THE POPULATION By KATHERYN WRIGHT A Dissertation submitted to the Program in Interdisciplinary Humanities in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2010 Copyright © 2010 Katheryn Wright All Rights Reserved The members of the committee approve the dissertation of Katheryn Wright defended on March 26, 2010. ________________________________ Amit Rai Professor Directing Dissertation ________________________________ Andy Opel University Representative ________________________________ Leigh Edwards Committee Member ________________________________ Kathleen Yancey Committee Member Approved: ___________________________________ John Kelsay, Director, Interdisciplinary Humanities The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members. ii For my sponsors: Clinton Bryant James and Barbara Wright iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people have helped me in the completion of this dissertation. First and foremost I want to thank my major professor and good friend, Amit Rai. He encouraged me to be daring and creative in my work, and to think big in the hope that something exciting might happen. Amit gave me confidence when I needed it, and for that I owe him my gratitude. I want to thank the members of my committee for their encouragement and generosity over the past three years: Andy Opel, Leigh Edwards, and Kathleen Yancey. I first wrote about the urban screen for a research paper in Greg Elmerʼs “Media and Cultural Studies” course. This work became the starting point from which my dissertation eventually developed. Also, I have presented portions of my research at the UCLA Art History Graduate Student Symposium, the Popular Culture Association, and the National Communication Association. The participants in these panels provided invaluable feedback that helped me clarify my arguments. Also, the students in my “New Media in Theory and Practice” and “Television and Culture” courses talked through ideas and concepts related to this project, offering their unique insights into the role screens play in their lives. A major portion of this dissertation involved attending the 2008 US Open in New York. While I was there, I stayed at the home of my cousins, Andy Whitley and Sally Freedman. Even though they were in Spain, Andy and Sally welcomed my husband and I, as did my uncle and aunt, Thurmon and Wilma Whitley. I thank them for all for their hospitality and generosity, and for helping me complete research that I wouldnʼt have been able to do otherwise. Many friends and colleagues from Interdisciplinary Humanities have stood by me throughout the dissertation writing process, and I thank each of you. Erika Johnson-Lewis has been my writing companion for a nearly two years, and without her I definitely would be wandering around Tallahassee trying to find a decent bagel. Erin DiCesare, my partner in crime, is an incredibly caring friend iv with an insane work ethic that will hopefully rub off in the near future. Also, Valerie Danesh has stuck by me for more than two decades. She amazes me with all sheʼs accomplished in her life, including her two beautiful girls. Most importantly, my family has been a constant source of love and support. My parents have always been there for me in everything I do. My mother, Barbara Wright, is inspiring in her dedication to others and my father, James Wright, is the most humble person I have ever met. Saying “thank you” doesnʼt seem like enough, so know that Iʼm honored to be your daughter and will always try to make you proud. My husband, Clinton Bryant, has been there for me through every step of this dissertation. He fostered my interest in popular music, watched tennis with me, edited my entire manuscript free of charge, listened to endless discussions, and provided assurance when I needed it. Clinton is my partner in every way. He helps me stay true to myself, and gives me strength when I have none. Without you I would not be me. v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ................................................................................ vii Abstract ..................................................................................... viii INTRODUCTION: A TALE OF TWO CEREMONIES...................... 1 1. SCREEN AS CULTURAL FORM............................................... 8 2. BODIES IN POPULATIONS ...................................................... 40 3. BLANK SLATES AND SCREENSCAPES ................................. 60 4. STEALTH SCREENS AND MOBILE PHONES ......................... 93 5. VIDEO BOARDS AND HANDHELD TELEVISIONS.................. 122 CONCLUSION: NEXT TIME ON .................................................... 166 APPENDICES................................................................................. 173 A IRB APPROVAL MEMORANDUM .................................... 173 B SAMPLE PARENTAL PERMISSION FORM..................... 175 C SAMPLE CONSENT FORM.............................................. 176 D SAMPLE ASSENT FORM FOR MINORS ......................... 178 REFERENCES .............................................................................. 179 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ............................................................. 197 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. “Vows”. Screen capture from opening credit sequence............... 64 Figure 2. “Belonging”. Screen capture of transparent LCD. ....................... 78 Figure 3. “The Attic”. Screen capture of the layout in the attic.................... 89 Figure 4. “99”. Fan image taken by Choltrop at the concert in Jacksonville and posted to NIN.com............................................................................... 98 Figure 5. “Opps”. Fan image taken by innerg07 at the concert in Jacksonville and posted to NIN.com. ......................................................... 108 Figure 6. View of spectators watching the video board outside of Arthur Ashe Stadium, picture by author...................................................... 128 Figure 7. Video board in Arthur Ashe Stadium, picture by author. ............. 130 Figure 8. US Open Live at Madison Square Park, picture by author.......... 141 Figure 9. A fan watching live tennis on a handheld television, picture by author......................................................................................... 150 Figure 10. Spectator enjoying tennis on her handheld television, picture by author......................................................................................... 151 Figure 11. Surfing the web at the Polo store, picture by author.................. 154 vii ABSTRACT This dissertation explores the formation and significance of the screenscape in popular culture. A screenscape encompasses the mixture of screens and bodies that enter into and transform the aesthetic quality of social space. After reviewing types of screens that might comprise a given screenscape, I approach the screen not only as a technology but a cultural form that influences the way audiences perceive the relationship between media and their environments. As such, I expand Brian Massumiʼs reading of the production of fear through the television after 9/11 and argue that the screen is a space of and for the collective modulation of affect. My argument hinges on three interlocking concepts: the screen as threshold, the affective body, and the biopolitical population. While new media theorists Lev Manovich and Anne Friedberg position the screen as a frame for onscreen content, the first chapter concludes by outlining how the screen also functions as a threshold, a critical point or site of transition. The second chapter defines the affective body and biopolitical population, linking the two through the collective modulation of affect. Each of the final three chapters focuses on a specific example, weaving together the concepts of the screen as threshold, affective body, and biopolitical population through the construction of the screenscape. I analyze the television series Dollhouse as a metaphor of the screen as a threshold. The narrative positions the primary character, Echo (Eliza Dushku), as a screen – a site for display rather than an object on display. She simultaneously represents both the affective body and the biopolitical population. Next I turn to Nine Inch Nailʼs Lights in the Sky tour. Trent Reznor, the visionary behind Nine Inch Nails, stands for the fantasy of the artist who surrenders his body to the onstage screenscape he finances and designs. Reznorʼs playful interactions with the three “stealth” screens enable his body to be controlled and secured by the logic of the screenscape as it expands beyond his control. My final discussion takes an viii ethnographic approach to the study of the screen at the 2008 US Open in New York. This sporting attraction and entertainment spectacle brings together a variety of screens ranging from video boards to handheld televisions. Here, the enormity of the event is expressed through the personal, affective relationships people have with their screen technologies. At the same time, the arrangement of screens across the