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Reflection Of Jan Svankmajer's Dimensions Of Dialogue

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Jan Švankmajer's 1983 claymation, Moznosti Dialogu (Dimensions of Dialogue) poignantly critiques the flaws in modern human communication and society's self-destructive mannerisms, spurring the audience to reflect upon their own lives. This is evident through symbolism, aesthetic decisions and animation techniques. Švankmajer's first segment of Dimensions of Dialogue, Factual Dialouge, highlights societies mediocracy through narrative structure and graphic aesthetics. This work depicts two humanoid 2D forms through the stop motion technique. Drawing inspiration from 16th century artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, specifically his Four Seasons series, each form is not made of flesh, rather, they are composed of organic foodstuffs and man-made cooking utensils (Cavaleir, 2017). This evokes '…the nightmarish spectre of seeing commonplace things coming …show more content…

After they meet, they gnash at each other in conversation. Suddenly, the creature on the right devours its companion. The camera cuts to a close-up shot of the organic and man-made materials destroying each other and blending together. This degradation combined with the shrill, extra-diegetic avant-garde music speaks to the effectiveness of Švankmajer's work, leaving a poignant reminder of our self-destruction through social interaction. Eventually, the creature regurgitates itself until both forms resemble expressionless clay busts. This destruction evokes a sense of primitiveness, where both creatures through their interaction destroy themselves and each other. The audience is forced to acknowledge the '…sense of pointlessness in this endless string of violence…' (Grob, 2016). This futile degradation, simplification and resulting production of featureless

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