Thursday, October 13, 2011

the postmodern prometheus

















You know what else I think? That you and I were made for each other.”





The TMBG song "For Science" is an alien invasion twist on the Weird Science theme.
The song ends with the seemingly random shout:
"Let's get those missiles ready to destroy the universe!"

Here we see Weird Science actor Anthony Michael Hall holding our new little baby [Homunculus], The Sync Book...

...the back cover of which features Jason's quote about destroying the universe:













In all of this we are toying with ideas of Universal Destruction/Rebirth as they connect to different Golem figures.

When the Gaon saw that the Golem was growing larger and larger, he feared that the Golem would destroy the universe. He then removed the Holy Name that was embedded on his forehead, thus causing him to disintegrate and return to dust.
In some tales, (for example those of the Golem of Chelm and the Golem of Prague) a golem is inscribed with Hebrew words that keep it animated. The word emet (אמת, "truth" in the Hebrew language) written on a golem's forehead is one such example. The golem could then be deactivated by removing the aleph (א) in emet, thus changing the inscription from 'truth' to 'death' (met מת, "dead").
Note that in 2010: The Year We Make Contact, it is revealed why HAL killed the crew of the Jupiter Mission: he had been instructed to lie and presented with a programming paradox. When he is restored, it is not only with the magical letters, but the most important one for any Golem ... "Truth"
[HAL is told he may have to sacrifice himself to save the crew]
HAL 9000: I understand now, Dr. Chandra.
Thank you for telling me the truth.
Dr. Chandra: You deserve it.

. . .



Utter Destruction (As Beauty)

The Alchemist seeks to create a shesoul within himself, but to do so he must destroy a universe. Donnie Darko's world ends when he comprehends the necessity of his own self-sacrifice in order to resurrect his girlfriend.





The Alchemist creates the shesoul (golem Smurfette) after his own nature, i.e. dark and obscure, but the elementary spirits (the Smurfs) are able to transform her. As with the jet engine that descends from another universe in Donnie Darko (representing Air, or pneuma, the descending dove of the gospel narrative), a higher power now intervenes (the Temple is not made with human hands). Smurfette first destroys the world by flood (immersion in the unconscious--she, too, is drawn from the waters). Like Pandora, she is initially sent to cause havoc, but the spirits bestow upon her their gifts.

"Burn it to the ground."


In Pedro Almodóvar’s latest release, “The Skin I Live In” (opening Friday), Antonio Banderas stars as a plastic surgeon who, apparently haunted by his long lost wife, embarks upon a mysterious skin experiment on an immaculately beautiful woman. He keeps her captive in his mansion, and soon an outlandish, lurid backstory to his obsession emerges. (NYT)

Helena Bonham Carter as harbinger of the Current 93 of destruction


To conclude: Steve Jobs the Promethean Alchemist-cum-Mad Scientist gives to the world the gift of the sentient Robot Girl, Siri (Smurfette again), healing the GAP in the Godhead and necessitating his own sacrificial death.

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