Seventeenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

Dragonfly Eyes (2016) is a film directed by Chinese contemporary artist Xu Bing. Different from normal procedure of film production, all images in this film are shot automatically by Closed Circuit Television (CCTV). The computer records and selects specific episodes it needs, and then combines them into a whole story. So, it challenges human’s roles in creative production. This paper takes Dragonfly Eyes as example to explore the problems human faced in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) age. When CCTV image is more real than the reality, which one is closer to the truth. Even though film could be produced automatically by high technology and big data, the meaning behind the image is removed. The body is caught in sensory pleasure but lose the chance of rational thinking. Many philosophies criticise this “post-real” world. That is why we should emphasise the value of humanity in World 4.0.