Paul Virilio, The Vision Machine
Monday, November 27, 2006
Paul Virilio is one of the most significant French cultural theorists writing today. Increasingly hailed as the inventor of concepts such as 'dromology' (the 'science' of speed), Virilio is renowned for his declaration that the logic of acceleration lies at the heart of the organization and transformation of the modern world. However, Virilio's thought remains much misunderstood by many postmodern cultural theorists. In this article, and supporting the ground-breaking work of Arthur and Marilouise Kroker, I shall evaluate the contribution of Virilio's writings by suggesting that they exist beyond the terms of postmodernism and that they should be conceived of as a contribution to the emerging debate over 'hypermodernism'. Consequently, the article details Virilio's biography and the theoretical context of his work before outlining the essential contributions Virilio has made to contemporary cultural theory. In later sections an appraisal of Virilio's hypermodernism, together with a short evaluation of the controversies surrounding Virilio's work, will be provided before the conclusion.
A challenging survey of the technologies of perception, production and dissemination of images throughout history by one of France’s leading contemporary intellectuals, Paul Virilio.
Surveying art history as well as the technologies of war and urban planning, Virilio provides us with an introduction to a new ‘logistisc of the image’.
From the era of painting, engraving and architecture culminating in the 18th century, the history of ‘regimes of the visual’ shifted with the intervention of the photogram(photography and cinematography) in the 19th century. The latest era starts with videography, holography and infographics, turning the dissolution of modernity into a generalized logic of public representations.
Virilio’s book offers the most provocative account of the history of ‘seeing’ to date and could revolutionise the way we periodise not only art history but ‘social existence’ itself.
Find the book at demonoid, thepiratebayor karagarga.
Just to make it clear, it is not illegal to refer to these files, it is illegal to download them, which i of course, havent done.
at 3:22 AM