Bendito Machine, a set of short animations by Zumbakamera, was a good choice as a starter for this #edcmooc on e-learning and digital culture.
Such an interesting series to watch! Kudos to Andy Mitchell who made a handy Youtube playlist.
It made a lot of sense to watch the whole series instead of only the one mentioned in the course materials. Well crafted pieces of art. Visually pleasing, though the storyline was a bit one-dimensional.
Bendito Machine I-IV (plus The Sxipmobile) juxtaposed and linked technology with other major Western cultural phenomena, say "industrialism", or "capitalism". Spotting "Coke" and "Shell" tickled my thoughts, as in recent weeks it's been in the news about Coke being the Numero Uno reason for Mexican obesity, and opposing Shell's arctic projects has put many activists behind the bars in Murmansk, Russia.
The helplessness of the people and their being in the mercy of the machinery was sad and annoying at the same time. Why didn't they take a grip of their life and the situation? Does it have something to do with cultural determinism? What if not only the animated puppets but the animation studio crew as well is reacting to the Progress and to el Sistema in a way their own culture determines, as oppressed by-standers like protagonists in so many Latin novels?
In regards to our subject – e-learning and digital culture – I thought about pupils and students who have the feeling they've got no control over their own life or learning path. Preventing that and empowering the learners at school has been a big issue here in Finland in recent years. There are major programmes helping those with socio-economical or learning challenges. This is one reason why there is not such a stark contradiction between ordinary people and the System here. So, again, not a technological but cultural and societal issue.
To put my experience short, it was like reading a novel in magical realism: fascinating stories from another world, interesting but quite alien.
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