Books by Sylvie Bissonnette
Routledge Advances in Film Studies, 2019
This book combines insights from the humanities and modern neuroscience to explore the contributi... more This book combines insights from the humanities and modern neuroscience to explore the contribution of affect and embodiment on meaning-making in case studies from animation, video games, and virtual worlds.
As we interact more and more with animated characters and avatars in everyday media consumption, it has become vital to investigate the ways that animated environments influence our perception of the liberal humanist subject. This book is the first to apply recent research on the application of the embodied mind thesis to our understanding of embodied engagement with nonhumans and cyborgs in animated media, analyzing works by Émile Cohl, Hayao Miyazaki, Tim Burton, Norman McLaren, the Quay Brothers, Pixar, and many others. Drawing on the breakthroughs of modern brain science to argue that animated media broadens the viewer’s perceptual reach, this title offers a welcome contribution to the growing literature at the intersection of cognitive studies and film studies, with a perspective on animation that is new and original.
"Affect and Embodied Meaning in Animation" will be essential reading for researchers of Animation Studies, Film and Media Theory, Posthumanism, Video Games, and Digital Culture, and will provide a key insight into animation for both undergraduate and graduate students. Because of the increasing importance of visual effect cinema and video games, the book will also be of keen interest within Film Studies and Media Studies, as well as to general readers interested in scholarship in animated media.
Edited Volumes by Sylvie Bissonnette
Special Issue Modes of Existence, Mechademia: Second Arc, Volume 15, Number 1, Fall 2022 (Co-authors: Casper Bruun Jensen, Euan Auld, Steven D. Brown, Paul Wells, Frenchy Lunning, Nicolle Lamerichs, Miguel Cesar, Yezi Yeo, Amanda Weiss, Kazumi Nagaike, Ziyi Lin, Stevie Suan, Yuji Sone, Miles Lee) Mechademia: Second Arc 15.1, 2022
Étienne Souriau and Bruno Latour explore the relations between multiple modes of existence, inclu... more Étienne Souriau and Bruno Latour explore the relations between multiple modes of existence, including their psychological, spiritual, physical, and fictive inflections. This volume of Mechademia: Second Arc, Vol.15.1 includes original essays on their approaches to fictional modes of existence to bear on the multitudes of fandom’s love affairs with the characters found in anime, manga, theater, cosplay, and YouTube Japanese streaming platforms.
Japanese fiction is certainly swarming with metamorphic entities. Visible and invisible beings, cyborgs, and chimeras unsettle traditional manners of being, question the stability of spatiotemporal relations, and stir up passions. But which aspects of the work of fiction can compel a fan to fall in love with it? Can this attraction be summoned by the quality of the drawings of manga, the charism of a virtual YouTuber, the particular voice of the author, or the vividness of anime characters?
Souriau and Latour’s overviews of the implications of the modes of existence touch upon everyone’s responsibility toward building a better future. They evoke the creative contribution of individuals who participate in the achievement of projects larger than themselves. This issue also explores how similar aspirations can compel some fans to perpetuate the legacy of their favorite anime and manga characters by writing about them on online forums or by remediating works they admire.
animation: an interdisciplinary journal, Jun 23, 2014
The collection of articles in this special issue of animation: an interdisciplinary journal exami... more The collection of articles in this special issue of animation: an interdisciplinary journal examines conceptions of life and the universe at a variety of scales in animated media. In our era of media globalization and bioengineering, recent modes of visualization have offered the opportunity to experience the world at microscopic and macroscopic scales. Explorations of the body’s interior, visual flâneries of miniaturized urban spaces, journeys through cosmic landscapes, reanimations of the genomic data of marine microbes, and mobile visions of protein folding in video games all challenge viewers’ spatio-temporal frame of reference and produce novel embodied experiences that transform our understanding of the physical limits of the body and its agency. The nine articles in this issue consider a range of visual styles and techniques that influence our understanding of the limits of animation and the particular ways in which each style or technique animates space, including cel animations, hybrid animated films, computer animations, CG cinema, and online video
games.
Referred Journal Articles by Sylvie Bissonnette
animation: an interdisciplinary journal, Jun 23, 2014
Scalar travel documentaries and their adaptations in interactive media present animated models of... more Scalar travel documentaries and their adaptations in interactive media present animated models of the body’s interior and the physical worlds at a variety of scales. Featuring increasingly comprehensive animated images at microscopic and macroscopic scales, they help scientists better understand the structure of the universe. This article examines the poetics of scale and the diverse rhetorical mechanisms used in these documentaries. In Powers of Ten and Cosmic Voyage, for instance, the metronomic overview of the underlying organization of the natural world generates ideological discourses on the position of humankind in the universe. The mechanical gaze these films produce, it is argued, reveals the instrumentality of new modes of knowledge and the posthuman nature of our perception. Finally, comparing the various ways with which scalar documentaries animate scientific models, this article suggests that the visions of the natural world these films construct should be more reflexive of the limits of representation at the edge of the knowable.
New Review of Film and Television Studies, Dec 2010
In his film La face cachée de la lune (2003), Robert Lepage uses reflexive strategies to question... more In his film La face cachée de la lune (2003), Robert Lepage uses reflexive strategies to question the transparency of representation and reflect on the relevance of conventions and boundaries. More particularly, this article examines Lepage's explorations of the boundaries between two cultures: science and art. First, it looks at the ways in which this film distinguishes analogical modes of thinking from empirical knowledge. Then, I examine the parallels that Lepage establishes between both modes of inquiry. By emphasizing the optical properties of the cinematic device, Lepage suggests that both the scientific and the cinematic modes of representation construct only partial visions of the world. However, I argue that Lepage's blurring of worldviews is not merely a meta-representational exploration of the poetics of cinema: it can also be interpreted as a discursive strategy to encourage cultural exchange. Ultimately, Lepage's highlighting of boundaries and optical processes invites spectators to broaden their horizons.
Contemporary Theatre Review, Apr 2010
The twentieth and twenty-first centuries witnessed many radical-adaptive versions of Shakespeare’... more The twentieth and twenty-first centuries witnessed many radical-adaptive versions of Shakespeare’s plays which explored contemporary stage practices that employed multimedia technology or challenged gender conventions. Robert Lepage combined both strategies in his one-man show Elsinore, an adaptation of Hamlet which debuted in Montreal in 1995. Elsinore stimulated active participation from the audience through intertextual negotiations and historical references, and in it, Lepage played all the characters, including the Queen and Ophelia. Lepage took these liberties with Shakespeare’s text not to move away from the spirit of Hamlet, but to initiate a set of intercultural exchanges between the actual representation of the play and the stage performances given during the Elizabethan era. This intention can be observed, as this essay will argue, in the ways in which Lepage’s mise-en-scène recalls Renaissance aesthetic motifs and constructs a sub-text of references to Renaissance humanism.
Screen, 2009
According to Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline, the two scientists who coined the term ‘cyborg’, ar... more According to Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline, the two scientists who coined the term ‘cyborg’, artefact-organism systems could extend human unconscious, with self-regulatory controls being only one possibility. Their research was not only concerned with improving humans’ physiological and psychological performance through drugs and body prostheses, but also through their imagination. If these scientists were more interested in altering astronauts’ spirits for outer space explorations, the brain in a vat in Possible Worlds (Robert Lepage, 2001) suggests the possibility via a brain connected to a computer of exploring alternative inner worlds and split subjectivities produced by parallel states of consciousness. The concepts of the brain in a vat and possible worlds have already been examined separately in film studies, but the combination of the two has received less consideration. This essay examines how the nested worlds suggested by the envatted brain and the multiplication of possible worlds in this film may function as metaphors for ideologically saturated subjectivities in a computational world. Through reflexive strategies, this film encourages viewers to use their imagination and curiosity to increase their awareness about the network of information they are part of, and the fast-paced, changing world that surrounds them in an era of globalization and bioengineering revolutions.
Nouvelles «vues» sur le cinéma québécois, 2008
Book Chapters by Sylvie Bissonnette
Regards croisés sur Incendies. Du théâtre de Mouawad au cinéma de Villeneuve, 2016
A book chapter exploring the motif of the double in the films of Denis Villeneuve, including Un 3... more A book chapter exploring the motif of the double in the films of Denis Villeneuve, including Un 32 aout sur Terre (1998), Maelström (2000), Polytechnique (2009), Incendies (2010), Enemy (2013), Prisoners (2013) and Sicario (2015).
Stages of Reality: Theatricality in Cinema, 2012
This article examines instead how theatricality, as an aesthetic strategy, can challenge social c... more This article examines instead how theatricality, as an aesthetic strategy, can challenge social conventions and may even invite viewers to take up positions on social issues. For such a filmic theatricality, I coined the concept of “committed theatricality.” The article considers the relevance of this concept in the filmic adaptations of Quebec plays Being at Home with Claude (Jean Beaudin, 1992), Cabaret neiges noires (Raymond Saint-Jean, 1997), Nô (Robert Lepage, 1998), Matroni et moi (Jean-Philippe Duval, 1999), and Les muses orphelines (Robert Favreau, 2000), all of whose elements of theatricality stress a political agenda. For example, lyrical speeches that highlight the power of words, when interpreted symbolically, may underline the importance of the French language for the Québécois people. In addition, tormented characters that double as other characters in order to liberate themselves from alienating social conventions may suggest the desire for emancipation of marginalized communities.
From Camera Lens to Critical Lens: A Collection of Best Essays on Film Adaptation, 2006
Ever since its beginnings, cinema has found its inspiration in many art forms, and its relationsh... more Ever since its beginnings, cinema has found its inspiration in many art forms, and its relationship to the theatre has always been complex. Alfred Hitchcock showed sustained interest in this ambiguous love-hate relationship and explored the boundaries between theatre and film in many film-mediated dramas. Many Hitchcock films based on stage plays foreground their stage origins rather than hide them, which is true of I Confess (1952). Also stage-bound, Le confessionnal (Robert Lepage, 1995), which was inspired by the work of Alfred Hitchcock in general, and I Confess in particular, pushes back the frontiers of fiction. Indeed, this film deals with the concept of adaptation through intertextual references to I Confess and historical rewriting. Ultimately, Lepage’s film “confesses” its sources of inspiration while exposing cinematic conventions through historical references and reflexive strategies.
Other Publications by Sylvie Bissonnette
Mechademia Second Arc, 2022
Introduction to the special issue of Mechademia Second Arc 15.1 Modes of Existence inspired by th... more Introduction to the special issue of Mechademia Second Arc 15.1 Modes of Existence inspired by the approaches to fictional modes of existence developed by Étienne Souriau and Bruno Latour.
animation: an interdisciplinary journal, Jun 23, 2014
The collection of articles in this special issue of animation: an interdisciplinary journal exami... more The collection of articles in this special issue of animation: an interdisciplinary journal examines conceptions of life and the universe at a variety of scales in animated media. In our era of media
globalization and bioengineering, recent modes of visualization have offered the opportunity to experience the world at microscopic and macroscopic scales. Explorations of the body’s interior, visual flâneries of miniaturized urban spaces, journeys through cosmic landscapes, reanimations of the genomic data of marine microbes, and mobile visions of protein folding in video games all challenge viewers’ spatio-temporal frame of reference and produce novel embodied experiences that transform our understanding of the physical limits of the body and its agency. The nine articles
in this issue consider a range of visual styles and techniques that influence our understanding of the limits of animation and the particular ways in which each style or technique animates space, including cel animations, hybrid animated films, computer animations, CG cinema, and online video games.
La Revue de la Cinémathèque, 2007
Nouvelles "vues" sur le cinéma québécois, 2005
Entre 1990 et 2004, plus d’une centaine de longs métrages étrangers, provenant surtout des États-... more Entre 1990 et 2004, plus d’une centaine de longs métrages étrangers, provenant surtout des États-Unis, ont été tournés au Québec. Ce cinéma étranger façonne un nouveau paysage urbain répondant aux besoins de la production. En plus d’avoir un impact sur notre représentation imaginaire du Québec, ces productions étrangères ont aussi des retombées économiques locales considérables. Elles profitent donc d’un important appui politique et financier provenant autant du gouvernement fédéral que des gouvernements provincial et municipal. Or quels rôles réserve-t-on aux industries culturelles locales dans ces superproductions hollywoodiennes? Cet article tente de circonscrire quelques-uns des impacts économiques et politiques de ce nouvel urbanisme cinématographique.
Book Reviews by Sylvie Bissonnette
Screen Bodies, 2019
Book review of Body Images in the Post-Cinematic
Scenario: The Digitization of Bodies, edited by ... more Book review of Body Images in the Post-Cinematic
Scenario: The Digitization of Bodies, edited by Alberto Brodesco and Federico Giordano. What emerges across the 13 essays is a picture of the technological body that is malleable because of technological advances. As discussed, developments in computer graphics and virtual reality have enabled new methods of digitizing bodies. The internet, social media, and smartphones, just to name a few revolutionary milestones, have transformed the ways with which people disseminate body images and engage with their representations.
L'Annuaire théâtral, 2010
Nouvelles "vues" sur le cinéma québécois, 2004
Conference Presentations (Panels Organized) by Sylvie Bissonnette
Uploads
Books by Sylvie Bissonnette
As we interact more and more with animated characters and avatars in everyday media consumption, it has become vital to investigate the ways that animated environments influence our perception of the liberal humanist subject. This book is the first to apply recent research on the application of the embodied mind thesis to our understanding of embodied engagement with nonhumans and cyborgs in animated media, analyzing works by Émile Cohl, Hayao Miyazaki, Tim Burton, Norman McLaren, the Quay Brothers, Pixar, and many others. Drawing on the breakthroughs of modern brain science to argue that animated media broadens the viewer’s perceptual reach, this title offers a welcome contribution to the growing literature at the intersection of cognitive studies and film studies, with a perspective on animation that is new and original.
"Affect and Embodied Meaning in Animation" will be essential reading for researchers of Animation Studies, Film and Media Theory, Posthumanism, Video Games, and Digital Culture, and will provide a key insight into animation for both undergraduate and graduate students. Because of the increasing importance of visual effect cinema and video games, the book will also be of keen interest within Film Studies and Media Studies, as well as to general readers interested in scholarship in animated media.
Edited Volumes by Sylvie Bissonnette
Japanese fiction is certainly swarming with metamorphic entities. Visible and invisible beings, cyborgs, and chimeras unsettle traditional manners of being, question the stability of spatiotemporal relations, and stir up passions. But which aspects of the work of fiction can compel a fan to fall in love with it? Can this attraction be summoned by the quality of the drawings of manga, the charism of a virtual YouTuber, the particular voice of the author, or the vividness of anime characters?
Souriau and Latour’s overviews of the implications of the modes of existence touch upon everyone’s responsibility toward building a better future. They evoke the creative contribution of individuals who participate in the achievement of projects larger than themselves. This issue also explores how similar aspirations can compel some fans to perpetuate the legacy of their favorite anime and manga characters by writing about them on online forums or by remediating works they admire.
games.
Referred Journal Articles by Sylvie Bissonnette
Book Chapters by Sylvie Bissonnette
Other Publications by Sylvie Bissonnette
globalization and bioengineering, recent modes of visualization have offered the opportunity to experience the world at microscopic and macroscopic scales. Explorations of the body’s interior, visual flâneries of miniaturized urban spaces, journeys through cosmic landscapes, reanimations of the genomic data of marine microbes, and mobile visions of protein folding in video games all challenge viewers’ spatio-temporal frame of reference and produce novel embodied experiences that transform our understanding of the physical limits of the body and its agency. The nine articles
in this issue consider a range of visual styles and techniques that influence our understanding of the limits of animation and the particular ways in which each style or technique animates space, including cel animations, hybrid animated films, computer animations, CG cinema, and online video games.
Book Reviews by Sylvie Bissonnette
Scenario: The Digitization of Bodies, edited by Alberto Brodesco and Federico Giordano. What emerges across the 13 essays is a picture of the technological body that is malleable because of technological advances. As discussed, developments in computer graphics and virtual reality have enabled new methods of digitizing bodies. The internet, social media, and smartphones, just to name a few revolutionary milestones, have transformed the ways with which people disseminate body images and engage with their representations.
Conference Presentations (Panels Organized) by Sylvie Bissonnette
As we interact more and more with animated characters and avatars in everyday media consumption, it has become vital to investigate the ways that animated environments influence our perception of the liberal humanist subject. This book is the first to apply recent research on the application of the embodied mind thesis to our understanding of embodied engagement with nonhumans and cyborgs in animated media, analyzing works by Émile Cohl, Hayao Miyazaki, Tim Burton, Norman McLaren, the Quay Brothers, Pixar, and many others. Drawing on the breakthroughs of modern brain science to argue that animated media broadens the viewer’s perceptual reach, this title offers a welcome contribution to the growing literature at the intersection of cognitive studies and film studies, with a perspective on animation that is new and original.
"Affect and Embodied Meaning in Animation" will be essential reading for researchers of Animation Studies, Film and Media Theory, Posthumanism, Video Games, and Digital Culture, and will provide a key insight into animation for both undergraduate and graduate students. Because of the increasing importance of visual effect cinema and video games, the book will also be of keen interest within Film Studies and Media Studies, as well as to general readers interested in scholarship in animated media.
Japanese fiction is certainly swarming with metamorphic entities. Visible and invisible beings, cyborgs, and chimeras unsettle traditional manners of being, question the stability of spatiotemporal relations, and stir up passions. But which aspects of the work of fiction can compel a fan to fall in love with it? Can this attraction be summoned by the quality of the drawings of manga, the charism of a virtual YouTuber, the particular voice of the author, or the vividness of anime characters?
Souriau and Latour’s overviews of the implications of the modes of existence touch upon everyone’s responsibility toward building a better future. They evoke the creative contribution of individuals who participate in the achievement of projects larger than themselves. This issue also explores how similar aspirations can compel some fans to perpetuate the legacy of their favorite anime and manga characters by writing about them on online forums or by remediating works they admire.
games.
globalization and bioengineering, recent modes of visualization have offered the opportunity to experience the world at microscopic and macroscopic scales. Explorations of the body’s interior, visual flâneries of miniaturized urban spaces, journeys through cosmic landscapes, reanimations of the genomic data of marine microbes, and mobile visions of protein folding in video games all challenge viewers’ spatio-temporal frame of reference and produce novel embodied experiences that transform our understanding of the physical limits of the body and its agency. The nine articles
in this issue consider a range of visual styles and techniques that influence our understanding of the limits of animation and the particular ways in which each style or technique animates space, including cel animations, hybrid animated films, computer animations, CG cinema, and online video games.
Scenario: The Digitization of Bodies, edited by Alberto Brodesco and Federico Giordano. What emerges across the 13 essays is a picture of the technological body that is malleable because of technological advances. As discussed, developments in computer graphics and virtual reality have enabled new methods of digitizing bodies. The internet, social media, and smartphones, just to name a few revolutionary milestones, have transformed the ways with which people disseminate body images and engage with their representations.