CYBORGS AND RESISTANCE: DISSOLUTION OF HUMAN IN ARAFAT MAZHAR’S SHEHR-E-TABASSUM AND DAVID JAMES ARMSBY’S MODEL CITIZEN

Abstract

This research examines the salient features of dystopian fiction through Foucault's concept of panopticon in animated short films. The aim is to conduct a comparative analysis of Arafat Mazhar’s ‘Shehr-e-Tabassum’ (2020) and David James Armsby’s ‘Model Citizen’ (2020) by analysing animations of futuristic metropolitan spaces as foundations of control. The objective is to reveal how both the films under discussion build on narratives which mirror contemporary, claustrophobic societal structures, while criticizing the dissolution and reduction of individuals of society into artificially driven cyborgs. Conducting a qualitative study of dystopian societies presented in digital media animations, this research investigates how visualisation uniquely captures and communicates the prevalence of surveillance at state level. It also tends to showcase unchallengeable power dynamics inherent in modern so-called democratic societies. The research challenges the normalization of surveillance and internalized discipline using color scheme, characters, masks, camera angles and perspective. It highlights the perspective of Pakistani and Scottish directors from an omnipresent observer’s point of view, while focusing on selected animated films from East and West situating their commonalities. The paper tends to explore how visual narrative, artistic representation, and adaptations enhance our understanding of the ‘panopticon’ and its implications. Moreover, it also discusses the role of animation in shaping and influencing cultural perceptions, changing belief systems and fostering critical discourse on surveillance, control, and individual freedom of modern-day citizens. This research contributes to the growing scholarship on dystopian animation studies, and Foucault’s concept of panopticon. It attempts to demonstrate resistance as an antidote to totalitarian control while contextualizing the argument in a global scenario.