Ideas and Ideals

The article aims to analyze save game option in videogames using findings from the field of social topology. The author highlights two main questions. First, what qualities of social space provide players with the possibility to save their game sessions? Second, what consequences for the players’ understanding of videogame space follow from the existence of such possibility? The article proposes answers to the aforementioned questions through the use of topological insights of actor-network theory. Being one of the most important sources for the material turn in social sciences, the actor-network theory emphasizes social meaning of interactions between humans and non-humans. In order to study these interactions the proponents of the actor-network theory have created new, network topology that represents social space as a rhizome of mutable associations between heterogeneous actors. Mobilization of the network topology when discussing save game option in videogames points toward following conclusions. An option, or possibility, of saving the game session in videogames is largely a spatial phenomenon. In order to understand its nature researchers need to follow configurations of network relations that connect varied social actors. There are two main directions to follow. One direction is toward actors and relations that provide the possibility of saving the game session. Another direction is toward actors and relations within the game session that might be actually saved. Following the first direction reveals networks of material conditions of the save game option in videogames. The possibility of saving the results of game session turns out to be an effect of spatial relations between countless material actors. Following the second direction allows to complete the picture by describing the save game option as a node, or an actor, within the videogame actor-network. As such, save game option mediates interactions between players and the aspects of the game session that are meant to be saved. Providing limited means for affecting the game session, the save game option influences on how players comprehend the power of the game rules and the margins of the videogame space.

The article analyzes the figurative language of A. Burganov's plastic art exhibited at the exhibition “Sculpture Theater” in the inner courtyard of the A. Bakhrushin Theater Museum. The author considers the trends that, despite a lot of difficulties of their existence, are still developing in accordance with the best characteristic feature of Russian culture such as openness, which is directed straight to the viewer. The compositions presented at the exhibition are considered from the point of view of the plastic synthesis of theater and sculpture, the combination of which in A. Burganov compositions has a strictly individual solution in the wide spectrum of the space-plastic tendencies of the XX-XXI centuries. Considering the space-plastic tendencies in the sculptural work of A. Burganov, the author applies the following methods: a method of artistic and stylistic analysis with the purpose of revealing and theoretical substantiation of the main plastic tendencies in the sculptural works presented at the exhibition; typological method in order to identify and analyze the main modifications of the theater and sculpture in spatially-shaped solutions; method of artistic and psychological analysis of works of art in order to understand the perception of the plastic language of the exhibition in the Theater Museum Courtyard. A. Bakhrushin theatrical art, conceived by the master as a special kind of sculpture, is considered in three modes of interpretation of his works and organization of the exhibition. The author distinguishes the following aspects of the analysis: sculpture and theater as a new plastic experience, the semantic symbolism of creations, a sculptural theatrical portrait and a sculpture theater in the exhibition space of the A. Bakhrushin Courtyard Museum. The author analyzes the methods, with the help of which A. Burganov draws special attention to image-bearing means of theatrical art. In conclusion, the author shows that the sculpture, by its theme, content, rhythm, deepens and expands the architectural image of the museum as the guardian of the theatrical heritage. In their turn, the creators of the exhibition reveal the profile of the museum, which can develop in different directions, including popularization of modern landscape sculpture. The author notes that the exhibition environment allows to create a specific, individual atmosphere for each sculpture. This is the place, where a viewer can spend enough time alone to understand the plastic expression of the sculptor's idea better.

The subject of analysis of this article is the habitus of a German writer of Japanese origin Yoko Tawada as well as the hybrid nature of her works. The main thesis of this study is that the "boundary" person (Tawada) with hybrid identity generates transnational texts, the topic of which is the problems of the language border at the denotative and connotative levels. The article especially focuses on the analysis of the problem of sexual and gender identity on the example of the story “The Bridegroom Was a Dog” The methodological foundations of this article are semiotics, the typology of culture, and the theoretical concepts of Mikhail Bakhtin, Yuri Lotman, and Homi Bhabha. The empirical analysis of Tawada’s novel and her several essays ("U.S. + S.R. Eine Sauna in Fernosteuropa", "Living in Japan", "Suspicious Passengers of Your Night Trains") makes evident that, in the Tawada’s understanding, at present there is no clear geographic or axiological boundary between East and West. The digital era, the Internet, global trade, and transnational corporations have played a key role in the delimitation of these value boundaries. The author analyzes gender transitions and the problem of sexual identity on the example of the story “The Bridegroom Was a Dog” and the novel “Suspect on the Night Train”. In the story “The Bridegroom Was a Dog” Y Tawada describes the transitions of artistic images from heterosexuality to lesbianism (Mitsuko Kitamura vs. Fukiko), and from heterosexuality (Taro vs. Yoshiko) to bisexuality (Mitsuko Kitamura vs. Tashio Matsubara). In contrast, the novel “Suspect on the Night Train” considers androgyny simultaneously in a woman and in a man. The detailed analysis of different segments of Tawada’s texts shows that the gender identity of her characters is not portrayed as biologically given, as a gift of nature, but is rather a product of search by means of crossing gender boundaries. In addition to the their description of the search for gender, transitional situations like bisexualism, and the final “landing” at the same-sex love (lesbianism, homosexuality), Tawada’s texts also contain manifestations of gender hybridity - hermaphroditism, as the “third” mental construct, after lesbianism and homosexuality.

In this article, the lexemes of Old English and Middle English periods are given, denoting the time in the Manuscripts of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. So, the author gives original inscriptions with a translation into the Russian language, showing the time intervals important for the Anglo-Saxon ethnos. In the article it is noted that the following lexemes are such basic time guides: kalendae / calendae, idus, nonae, on Octabris /on Octabus, midwinter / midsumer and Christian holidays. Such lexical grid is explained by the history of the Anglo-Saxons. Thus, the article provides a historical reference, which is the following: Julius Caesar, beginning in 55 BC, sought to turn Britain into a Roman colony, but all his attempts ended in failure. Only the third time Rome was able to subjugate Britain, by the middle of the 1st century AD. In the conquered territory, the Romans built fortifications, developed trade relations, built villas according to the Roman pattern, introduced an agricultural system, etc. The Roman legions were withdrawn from Britain at the beginning of the 5th century, because of the dissolution of the Roman Empire. What about Christianity, in the first half of the VII century on the island of Britain namely the kingdom of the Angles Northumbria through the Irish missionaries (the Church in Ireland was approved as early as the 5th century), Christianity and, as a consequence, the Latin alphabet and the Latin book culture penetrated. Consequently, in Britain, being a colonized Roman Empire, and then converted to Christianity, the ideas of the Latin world about time took root. Along with the designation of the dates of the Roman calendar, the Christian folk conceptions gradually penetrate the Anglo-Saxons. The temporal reference point of the historical events of the Manuscripts is limited to the lexicon represented in the article.

In this article, the analysis of the age identity is used as a method to indicate the change in the relationships between generations in modern Japan. The age identity is understood as an element of the level model of the identity developed by the author. Perceiving the age identity as a level within which a person, belonging to a certain age, shares or does not share the values and attitudes of his/her generation, and based on the understanding that values and attitudes can change following the time trends, which are especially noticeable in a modern, dynamically changing world, the author analyzes this level and comes to the conclusion whether the values and attitudes of young, elderly and middle-aged people in modern Japan are similar. The socio-philosophical aspect is manifested in the fact that in this study the age level of identity is considered not in a psychological manner, which is quite typical for research of this level, but in terms of the impact, these changes in the consciousness and perception of the world among representatives of different generations have on the society. Characteristics of modern Japanese society are depopulation of the aging society, a decrease in the birth rate and changes in the labor market. The economic difficulties: difficulties with getting a secure job and low income levels lead to the fact that the Japanese start their families later or do not marry at all, and thus the family institution is being transformed. The changes in the family institution are also affected by changes on the gender level, as more and more women want or are forced to work after getting married and birth of children, and government supports them. Norms and values of the older people comply with the traditional understanding of marriage, children and work. However, the socio-economic realities of the modern world determine the change in norms and values for the middle-aged and young people. And this change does not create an acute conflict of generations, due to the continuing traditionalism and conservatism of the Japanese society.

The paper considers the phenomenon of “a man the player” in the context of the axiological shift, which occurred in modern culture. The authors substantiate their assumptions basing on the experience of studying the game element in culture, conducted by J. Huizinga in the beginning of the twentieth century. The article also analyzes the reasons and grounds enhancing the game frame in the everyday life of a modern man, which primarily relate to the changes in the coordinates of a contemporary axiological worldview: pluralism of values, understanding the world and being as the text, which meaning is not apparent, eclecticism, consumerism, dominance of computer culture. The article proves that all of these lead to the gamification of human existence and a clearly expressed desire for escapism and transgression. The novelty of the article is support of the proposition that the era of postmodernity gives birth to a new “man the player” who represents a synthesis of Homo Ludens and Homo Mobilis (Homo Mobiludens) for whom the game becomes more than just an "element of the culture" (J. Huizinga), but the way of being in the culture, while the game element gradually smoothes, it turns into quite a serious act, it increasingly substitutes life. Using the philosophical-anthropological approach, the authors assert that for Homo Mobiludens (the authors’ term – L.B., O.N.) the game turns into a vital and necessary method of subjective interpretation of reality as the possibility to overcome the information and values chaos of the existence. Information technology has become the most affordable tool to get entertainment and distraction from the hardships of reality, the routine of everyday life, a fast way to meet the needs through the "digital services". Generating new meanings, Homo Mobiludens uses gaming principle as a sample of the possible existence and the risk for violations of our routine life, perceives them as personal discovery, innovation. Deconstructing and generating new meanings, a human eclectically plays with traditional forms and qualities of life, establishing new forms of language games, trying to fit into a particular narrative strategy his/her personal life set by the game. In search of the meaning of life and the place in it, a new “man the player” of the post-modern era Homo Mobiludens gradually loses his/her personal identity and takes on a new form of identity-role identity, characterized by plurality and the definite situation. The introduction of alternative scenarios of life through gaming practice helps offset time and space by connecting together the real and virtual in the playing field. A virtual human being becomes dependent in sociocultural and anthropological contexts, forming an attitude to life as a game, in which there is an easy way to change the situation and receive different sensations and emotional states.

The article considers the genesis and essence of a library as a social institution and also the role and functions of the library in different periods. The author highlights the importance of emergence of libraries during every historical epoch and their performance of invariable initial functions and tasks. The mission of the library is implemented by means of concrete social functions, that’s why its transformation leads to changes of social functions of the library. The author shows the value of the library for the society depending on its type. The paper analyzes a library as a social institution, characterizing its historical variability. The purpose of the first libraries and their first mission was to store documented knowledge. The first libraries were storages-treasuries of mostly closed type as the collections of books existing in them had material value. The antique library can be considered both as a public library (for readers from certain strata of the society) and as the academic establishment. Monastic libraries played the leading role in saving the cultural heritage of antiquity, in maintaining continuity in the development of education, sciences and culture. During the Middle Ages monastic libraries significantly developed. In the early Middle Ages they were the only centers of culture and education. In the late Middle Ages they conceded the place to university libraries. The universities and their libraries played an important role in the distribution of books and education. Theology started gradually to concede its superiority to secular sciences in university audiences (respectively the structure of the libraries holdings changed). The circle of users of university libraries was much wider, than in other medieval libraries. The library has gradually become such an establishment which defines the character of educational, scientific and cultural policy of the state. The library development has passed a long evolutionary way from the collections of different plates and scrolls in the libraries of ancient empires, small book collections in monasteries comprised mainly of religious literature and having a very limited circle of users, to the university libraries and private collections which were a prototype of a modern public library with its universal book holdings of public use. During a long period of human history the libraries social functions have undergone essential changes.

The article is devoted to the study of the influence of the Italian and Flemish Renaissance traditions on the painting styles of Castile and Aragon in the 15th century. The subject of the study is the artistic features, which connect Spanish paintings with the Italian and Flemish Renaissance. The object of the study was the life and work of a Spanish artist Bartolomé de Cárdenas (Bartolomé Bermejo). The analysis of “Saint Michael Triumphant over the Devil with the Donor Antonio Juan”, “Nursing Madonna”, “Saint Dominic of Silos”, “Piedad Desplá”, “Saint Engracia” (central part, the Arrest of Santa Engracia, the Flagellation of Saint Engracia, Crucifixion), “Saint Augustine”, and “Lamentation” demonstrates the following features, characteristic for the painter: attention to proportions, a sense of perspective, physiognomic accuracy, abandoning the estofado technique, work with the landscape, addressing nature, etc. An analysis of the Bermejo’s works showed that the master found no conflict between the motives and characteristics of the two traditions. They coexisted in the same works. The article also describes the circumstances that influenced the spread and rooting of the influence of Italian and Flemish painting in the art tradition of the Iberian Peninsula, including political and economic conditions, artistic tastes of Spanish rulers (Juan II, Isabella I and Ferdinand II), the Arab heritage and its influence on painting, the connection between Aragon and the Papal Court in Avignon, pieces of art trade with Flanders. The author considers the methods, with the help of which these two schools found the way into the Iberian Peninsula. The article gives the answer to the question of why the Italian and Northern traditions were of key importance in shaping the national painting tradition of Spain. The paper contains a brief description of two different systems with many similarities that yet represent two different aspects of Renaissance. The author puts forward a thesis that in spite of the features brought by the art of Italy and Flanders, the paintings of Spanish Renaissance have their own unique identity, which is manifested in the works of its artists.

From the middle of the XIX century when the position of the artist was introduced in the Maritime Department, the display of military realities became the rule, first in the fleet, and later in the army. These were landscapes of famous marine painters - I.K. Aivazovsky, A.P. Bogolyubov, L.D. Blinov, genre paintings by V.V. Vereshchagin, I.A. Vladimirova. Full-fledged work of professional artists in the army and the navy broke down after the October Revolution of 1917. With the creation of the Battle Workshop, named after M.B. Grekov in 1934, in memory of the first Soviet artist-battalist M.B. Grekov, the battle genre began to develop in the vein of socialist realism. A colossal surge in the development of the battle genre falls on the years of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Under the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army, the Political Administration of the Navy and the Chief Military Sanitary Directorate, propaganda and front-line art brigades started their work. Painting and graphics became not only a work of art, but a visual document of military reality. The subject of this article is the creation and work of front-line art brigades created by the order of E.I. Smirnov, the Chief of the Main Military-Sanitary Directorate (GVSU).The artists of the Moscow branch of the Union of Artists responded to the offer to work in the brigades: N.N. Volkov, D.N. Domogatsky, A.T. Ivanov, N.G. Kozlov, N.F. Korotkova, N.G. Kotov, E.A. Lvov, F.I. Nevezhin, Yu.G. Neroda, D.P. Pavlinov, N.S. Sergeyev, R.I. Sinilnikova, N.G. Yakovlev. For each trip of the brigade, an order was drawn up, a detailed route was prescribed, and a letter was sent to the heads of the sanitary departments of the fronts. The route could change in connection with the frontline situation and, as a rule the previously agreed route was enriched and additionally developed. Front art brigades worked on many fronts of the Great Patriotic War that enabled artists and photographers to cover a wide geographic range of military events. The artists had the task to portray the realities of the medical and sanitary service as truthfully as possible.

The world is rapidly becoming more complex. The proliferation of socio-cultural complexity has an impact on the media space of modernity. At present, the real-event environment of human existence is becoming more and more complex information-digital space. As a result, the world of a person, as well as his/her style of thinking are changing under the pressure of information complexity. The spheres of social life are integrated into the media space, there is an active mediatization of various social subsystems. The complication of culture threatens the human psyche. A man “drowns” in that complexity: in the details, nuances, unnecessary details and subjective opinions. Information noise, consisting of pieces of information and their unreliable interpretation, leaves no chance for an objective picture of the world. The explosive growth of sociocultural complexity changes the media space. The modern information space turns out to be an incarnate myth about the tower of Babel – the pandemonium of information flows devoid of linear logic and meaning. Modern macro-social changes express the fusion of many processes of different directions, which form a multidimensional and contradictory system of relations of solidarity and conflict, harmony and tension, complexity and simplification. All these processes have an impact on the nature of communication, determine the transformation of the media space. Modern media space is a clear demonstration of the conflict between the modern and postmodern episteme, linear logic of the text and the nonlinear logic of hypertext. Digital culture of modernity is objectively discrete, but subjectively it returns us to the “analog” forms of culture, experiencing the reality in audiovisual forms, mythological images. The media space is set by the network logic of electronic media, revealing a tendency to fragmentation and decentralization, rethinking the role of the author and the reader. The synthesis of television, the Internet and virtual reality creates a heterogeneous media space in which contradictory trends coexist, at the same time complicating and simplifying existence and thinking. The media space of modernity is nonlinear and narrative. The hypertextuality of the media space determines the complexity of the media space and the rhizomaticity of multidirectional information flows.