Vampires in Transition
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VAMPIRES IN TRANSITION Daniel Berjano Rodríguez Utrecht University and Universidad de Granada GEMMA 2016-2018 Supervisor: Adelina Sánchez Espinosa (UGR) Second supervisor: Gianmaria Colpani (UU) July 2018 VAMPIRES IN TRANSITION ABSTRACT In Vampires in Transition, I develop semiotic analyses of two key films of the Spanish transition: Elisa, vida mia (Carlos Saura, 1977) and Arrebato (Ivan Zulueta, 1980). Building off Gilles Deleuze's semiotics (1986, 1989) and Teresa de Lauretis' film theory (1984, 1987) – both drawing on Charles Sanders Peirce (1930-35/1958), I have designed three inter-connected concepts in relation to the vampire figuration: 'vampire-images', 'camera-vampires', and the 'phoenix'. One one hand, these concepts aim to approach the films under study through decolonial and trans-feminist perspectives. On the other hand, they intend to draw meaningful insights on Hispanic film studies in relation to what Donna Haraway calls “informatics of domination” (1991c). Departing from one of the peripheral meanings of the vampire – a male sexual predator, the vampire has been designed as a perverse figuration of structural violence in cybernetic capitalism which could help us understand the relationship between massive addictive habits of digital machines and western patriarchal agendas, as Wendy Huy Kyong Chun studies (2016). Drawing on Teresa de Luretis (1984) and my own trans-faggot experience, vampire-images are designed to give an account of the processes of simulation that work to erase traces of exploitation. They depart from Gilles Deleuze's time-images of modern cinema (1989), which imply irrational cuts caused by particular relinkages of sound and visual data. In addition, as my analysis of Elisa, vida mia attempts to prove, vampire-images involve icons of women as objectified or subordinated to men. The 'camera-vampire', particularly outstanding in Arrebato, stands as a tool to capture and observe the effects of vampires, but its cybernetic design involves a feedback-loop system, which often implies vampiric procedures and habits. Last, as a way to mediate between images and cameras through my own situated knowledge, I have designed an inter-connected phoenix figuration, particularly drawing on Joanne K. Rowling's Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix (2003). Building on the ethics of Zhuangzi (2003) and Karen Barad (2007), phoenix tokens transform the predatory and immortal features of vampires as a way to remind us the never-ending change of material-discursive practices. Last, by public screenings and debates and practices of situated knowledge (Haraway, 1991) and anthropophagic procedures (Suely Rolnik, 1998), I have aimed at decolonizing my id-entity (Anibal Quijano, 2000) as Spanish and European citizen designed at birth as 'male', apart from sharing and spreading revolutionary faith. Keywords:Elisa, vida mia; Arrebato; semiotics; time-images; informatics of domination; imaging; cartography; vampire; phoenix; Spanish transition. i VAMPIRES IN TRANSITION RESUMEN E n Vampiros en transicion, he llevado a cabo analisis semioticos de dos peliculas clave de la transicion espanola: Elisa, vida mia (Carlos Saura, 1977) y Arrebato (Ivan Zulueta, 1980). A traves de la semiotica de Gilles Deleuze (1986, 1989) y la teoria filmica de Teresa de Lauretis (1984, 1987), ambxs basandose en Charles Sanders Peirce (1931-35/1958), he disenado tres conceptos interrelacionados a traves de la figura del vampiro con la intencion, por una parte, de aproximarme a estos filmes y a sus lecturas a traves de perspectivas decoloniales y trans-feministas, y por otra, de entender las vicisitudes de lo que autoras como Donna Haraway han llamado la “informatica de la dominacion” (1991c) en relacion con los estudios de cine hispano. Inspirandome en sus usos perifericos (el vampiro como seductor y depredador sexual), el vampiro surge como una figuracion perversa del capitalismo cibernetico para abarcar diferentes realidades mediatizadas tecnologicamente y fuertemente relacionadas con el sistema patriarcal occidental, como los habitos adictivos de consumo tecnologico (Wendy Huy Kyong Chun, 2016). Apoyandome en Teresa de Lauretis (1984) y a traves de mi experiencia trans-marica, la imagen-vampiro explica como se llevan a cabo procesos de simulacion de condiciones de explotacion. La imagen-vampiro parte de lo que Deleuze llamo la imagen-tiempo del cine moderno, que involucran cortes irracionales a traves de re-asociaciones de material audiovisual (1989). Ademas, como el analisis de Elisa, vida mia trata de explorar, las imagenes-vampiro implican iconos de mujeres objetificadas o subordinadas a los hombres. La 'camara-vampiro', specialmente notable en Arrebato, surge como una herramienta para intentar capturar efectos vampiricos, pero su propio diseno cibernetico implica un sistema de retroalimentacion, que en numerosas ocasiones lleva asociado procedimientos y habitos vampiricos. Por ultimo, y mediando entre los dos conceptos mencionados, he disenado una figuracion fenix que se inspira en Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix (Joanne K. Rowling, 2003). Basandome en la etica de Zhuangzi (2003) y Karen Barad (2007), los signos fenix transmutan el caracter depredador e inmortal del capitalismo vampirico para recordarnos el poder cambiante de las practicas materiales y discursivas, Por ultimo, a traves de visionados publicos y debates y de la aplicacion de metodologias situadas (Haraway, 1991) y antropofagas (Suely Rolnik, 1998), he intentado decolonizar mi id-entidad (Anibal Quijano, 2000) como ciudadanx espanolx y europex designadx al nacer como 'varon' y compartir y propagar una fe revolucionaria. Palabras clave: Elisa, vida mia; Arrebato; semiotica; imagen-tiempo; informatica de la dominacion; imaging; vampiro; fenix; transicion espanola. ii VAMPIRES IN TRANSITION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks to the endless conversations about vampires, machismo, the end of the world and the phoenix. Thanks to Gabriel Doménech, Lucía Cores, Blanca Berjano for their wise comments, and to Leilani Rapaport, Emily Knudson and Adonis Kopsacheili for their wise superb language corrections. Thanks to everybody who assisted to the film screenings and participated in the dialogues. Thanks to Ravellaan, La leva and La Redonda squats for making this world much easier and more beautiful and chaotic. Thanks to my sisters, my friends and my family. Come what may. Thanks to the GEMMA master's staff (especially to Dresda and Omayra). Thanks to my supervisor, Adelina Sánchez Espinosa, for her support and patience, and to my second supervisor, Gianmaria Colpani. This thesis has been produced mainly in Utrecht (the Netherlands) and Granada (Andalucía) during the Erasmus Mundus Master's Degree in Gender and Women's Studies (GEMMA). To my sister Blanca and my parents Fina & Rafa. Madrid, July 2018 Dan iii VAMPIRES IN TRANSITION Table of Contents 1. Introduction..............................................................................................1 2. The Vampire Hypothesis........................................................................13 3. (It')S-pain................................................................................................22 3.1. The Spanish transition.....................................................................26 4. Epistemological Reflections...................................................................32 4.1. Credits..............................................................................................33 5.2. Virtuality..........................................................................................35 4.3. Cybernetics......................................................................................39 4.4. Semiotics..........................................................................................42 5. Elisa, vida mía........................................................................................50 5.1. The complementary model..............................................................51 5.2. The vampire-image..........................................................................56 5.3. The phoenix.....................................................................................63 6. Arrebato .................................................................................................68 6.1. Vampires and cinema ......................................................................69 6.2. Vampiric metamorphoses................................................................75 6.3. The camera-vampire.......................................................................78 7. Interlude..................................................................................................83 8. Vampiric Conclusions............................................................................91 LIST OF REFERENCES...........................................................................97 APPENDIX A: Translated quotes............................................................113 APPENDIX B: DIALOGUES..................................................................121 -Dialogue after screening Arrebato (@ CSOA La Redonda, May 29).121 -Dialogue after watching Elisa, vida mía (@ Institute of Women's and Gender Studies, June 6)........................................................................134 APPENDIX C: Selected Images..............................................................149 -Elisa, vida mía ....................................................................................149