Confined in an Infinite Abyss: Outer Space (and Its Poetics) in Werner Herzog’s Documentaries
Magdalena Kempna-Pieniążek
Institut of Culture Studies. Faculty of Humanities. University of Silesia in Katowicehttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2569-5596
Abstract
The subject of the article is the poetics of outer space in Werner Herzog’s documentaries. The author discusses The Wild Blue Yonder (2005), Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds (2020) and Last Exit: Space (2022,directed by R. Herzog, produced by W. Herzog), focusing on three main themes. The first of them is the paradox of confinement in infinite openness. Unlike standard space documentaries, which emphasise the vastness of outer space and its enormous range of exploration possibilities, Herzog portrays the deep universe as an area in which humanity is doomed to be confined. The second theme is the confrontation of two possible ways of penetrating the cosmos: in Herzog’s films, the utopian project of interstellar voyages is confronted with the benefits of deep space observations. The third motif is of an aesthetic nature: the images of outer space in Werner Herzog’s films are decontextualised in a different way than the landscapes presented in his other works.
Keywords:
Werner Herzog, astroculture, outer space in audiovisual culture, space documentariesReferences
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Institut of Culture Studies. Faculty of Humanities. University of Silesia in Katowice https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2569-5596
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