Silva, Liane (2024) The music for those "more human than human": Authenticating consciousness through music in Cyberpunk science fiction. In: Sound On Screen III: Music and Sound in Transmedia Franchises, 3 Jul 2024, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.

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Abstract

The concepts of ‘soul’ and consciousness have long since been a core theme of Cyberpunk
science fiction media throughout its history. The genre’s focus on high technological
advancement is often accompanied by themes of alienation, loneliness, and existential
questioning, particularly on behalf of those humanoid artificially intelligent characters. In a
trans-mediatic context, Cyberpunk offers not only a passive linear conveyance of these
themes, but also the possibility to fully experience them in a videogame environment.
It becomes important then to understand how the music in Cyberpunk authenticates this
‘soul’, and more specifically, how it can achieve that across linear vs interactive mediums (such
as film and videogames). To better understand this phenomenon, I draw from the concepts
of authenticity (Moore, 2002) and existentialism (Sartre, 1943/2018) to investigate how the
‘soul’ is authenticated in the trans-mediatic universe of Blade Runner. In particular, I analyse
Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner film (1982/2007) and Nightdive Studios’ Blade Runner Enhanced
Edition videogame (1997/2022), in a cross-comparison that uncovers how the music for each
work authenticates the ‘soul’ of the Replicant. Specific scenes focusing on the concepts of
‘soul’ and ‘consciousness’ were selected, and the analysis of their music and on-screen events
was carried out, informed by LaRue’s holistic style-analysis (1970), as well as Nicholas Cooke’s
metaphorical models of multimedia (2004), and Figurative Semiotics Theory (Schutte, 2015).
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Indicative
Barr, M. (1997) ‘Metahuman “Kipple” Or, Do Male Movie Makers Dream of Electric Women?:
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Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Subjects:	Music
Depositing User:	Marc Forster
Date Deposited:	16 Oct 2024 06:55
Last Modified:	16 Oct 2024 08:00
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/12779

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