Other worlds? Landscapes and Spacescapes in The Planets (2019)
Magdalena Kempna-Pieniążek
Institut of Culture Studies. University of Silesia in Katowicehttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2569-5596
Abstract
The author of the article looks at the particular relationship between terrestrial landscapes and spacescapes, understood as a kind of cultural landscape, in the BBC series The Planets (2019). The landscape strategies employed by the series’ creators are examined in the context of cinematic landscape theory and selected strands of astroculture studies. The author sees The Planets as an example of the effective use of terrestrial landscapes in the process of symbolic terraforming of selected Solar System objects. The main arguments in favour of this thesis are the three distinctive strategies present in the series: the construction of vertical landscapes, the juxtaposition of natural earthly landscapes with computer-generated cosmic images, and the mobilisation of an aesthetic of the sublime with its anthropocentric background.
Keywords:
space documentary, spacescapes, BBC – popular science series, sublimity, cultural landscapeReferences
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Institut of Culture Studies. University of Silesia in Katowice https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2569-5596
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