Description
From the iconic Metropolis in 1927 all the way up to Franklin Rich’s The Artifice Girl in 2022, cinema has been a watchful presence in humanity’s dalliance with artificial life. From robots, to androids, to cyborgs, the idea that our own hubris might, in fact, create the very conditions for our own destruction has been central to the ways in which filmmakers have reflected on issues surrounding artificial life. Whether it be the out-of-control security robots of Jim Wynorski’s Chopping Mall (who take their role as shopping mall guards a little too seriously), the uncanny, malfunctioning androids of Westworld or the army of daleks jealously bent on total domination of humanity in Dr Who and The Daleks, their portrayal has often been seen as a warning against humanity’s unbridled creation of electronic or robotic life. Yet they have also been portrayed as benevolent: as faithful friends (The Iron Giant); humorous and quirky sidekicks (Short Circuit); clever and loyal allies such as R2D2 and C3PO (amongst others) in The Empire Strikes Back; and even studious (and heart-warming) workers (WALL-E). Cinema’s relationship with the robot, the android and cyborg has therefore been a complex one.| Period | 11 Mar 2023 |
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| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Brussels, BelgiumShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |