Perhaps Benjamin couldn't have said it better himself, but this passage is
obviously a citation. These are Wiertz's words, these are Wiertz's ideas, his
prophecy, part of the history of the arcades, the history of Paris in the nineteenth century. Benjamin then wants to point out that the article was in
response to "the new invention of photographic enlargement," so that
we see, in the creation of "life-size photos," the artificial enhancement
of the human (not to mention the photo itself), who then, as a result of
technological engagement or cooperation, creates a kind of cyborgian mythic
creature to rival the paranoia about the "titan" of photography
itself. The prophecy is in many ways already fulfilled, then, by means of the citation in
front of us. Technology here produces life itself, just as was implied in the
epigraphs, the mortal "rekindling" the sun.
No comments:
Post a Comment