Does anyone have any precise information (or more detailed thoughts) about
what Benjamin means by "unconscious optics"? I'm really intrigued by this
comparison.
See also Benjamin's Essay on "Surrealism," in the Reflections volume.
Without directly speaking to unconscious optics I'll briefly comment on
Benjamin's intellectual milieu and his/their attitude towards
psychoanalysis. The shock and horror of World War I brought western
rationalism into question, reason was brought into doubt. The concept of the
unconscious would be popularized by this generation of artists,
intellectuals and writers who would use the notion of the unconscious to
either turn away from the enlightenment or embrace psychoanalysis an attempt
to rescue the enlightenment project. Benjamin belonged to the later school,
believing that lifting the unconscious sources of repression would lead to
human liberation.
Thus I would speculate that by 'unconscious optics,' Benjamin is referring
to the potential of film to tap into libratory impulses in the unconscious
and lead to new forms of political praxis which Benjamin spells out in the
'Art in the Age...' essay.
________________________________________
From: Film-Philosophy Salon [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Martha P. Nochimson
Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2006 9:03 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Walter Benjamin Query
Recently, I came across this quotation from Walter Benjamin's Illuminations
: By close-ups of the things around us, by focusing on hidden details of
familiar objects, by exploring commonplace milieus under the ingenious
guidance of the camera, the film, on the one hand extends our comprehension
of the necessities which rule our lives; on the other hand, it manages to
assure of us an immense and unexpected field of action.....the camera
introduces us to unconscious optics as does psychoanalysis to unconscious
impulses. [Emphasis mine]
Does anyone have any precise information (or more detailed thoughts) about
what Benjamin means by "unconscious optics"? I'm really intrigued by this
comparison.
Best,
Martha
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