正在同步电影信息
ThevisualimageryofThePalaceisindistinct.Thefilmdepictswhatappearstobeanarchitecturalsurface,yetperceivedthroughafilter.Itisreminiscentofimagesproducedbyanelectronmicroscope–de-saturated,yetalarminglyacuteinitsrenderingofhigh-contrastdetail.Thesurfacesoscillateinandoutoffocus,atopographyofbrightridgesandindistincttroughsthatneverresolvesitselfintoaclearrepresentationofmaterialconstitution.Suchrenderingisindicativeofdigitalimaging,thecollationofpointsofmeasureddataprocessedbyaformofcomputationthatresemblesorabstractsarealphysicalprocess.Projectedthroughthemediumoffilm,theimagessuggestasimultaneousexpansionandcontraction,asthedigitalassumesthephysicaldemeanoroftheanalogue,andtheanalogueprojectsanaestheticofthedigital. ThePalacepairstheseimageswiththesoundofanoldermalevoicethatnarratesinthefirstpersonapartialbiography.Akintothequalityoftheimages,theexperiencesherelatesareindistinctintheinformationtheyprovide,dwellingonpsychologicalandperceptualstatesbeneathwhichconcreteparticularsbecomeclouded.Thenarrativebeginswiththeretellingofanexchangewithawoman,possiblyhispartner,asheattemptstocomprehendherexperienceofmonochromacywherethebrainisunabletoperceivecolors.Hegoesontospeakofhavingworkedasaforeignaidworker,implyingthatthiswasafrontforforeignintelligencegathering.Thejobrequiredhimtomemorizelargeamountsofinformation–ongeography,governments,the“authoritiesincharge”.Hedescribestheabstractprocessofrecallthroughtheuseof“memorypalaces”,wherethevisualizationofaconcretespaceandtheassignationofspatialfeaturestocorrespondtopocketsofinformation,allowsforadensityofcognitiveaccumulation. TheimageryofThePalacecollapsesthetwoformsofcognitiveplasticitydescribedinthevoiceover:Thatofimpairedvisionanditsimpactonsubjectivity,andthewillfulabstractconstructionofthememorypalace,thatpurportstoextendneurologicalcapacity.Themonochromaticdigitalspaceisoneofmatter,mediatedthroughanabstractioninwhichvitaldataislost.Yetequallyitapproximatestheselectivityofaprocessinwhichtheneedtoremember,tocreateaworkablelogicfortheretentionofinformation,centersaroundtheimagingofequivalencebetweenphysicalformandabstractinformation.Astheblurredidentitiesofaforeignaidworkerandaspysuggest,thefilm’sperceptualaffectsgiveformtoaconflictbetweenidentityandmodifiability,determinationandfreedom.