From Passivity to Action in the Depiction of Sedentary Biota in Audiovisual Culture
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Abstract
For centuries, the moss and plants that cover ruins have symbolized the decline of civilization, even when they have taken over skyscrapers in recent films and other cultural content. Nevertheless, this sessile biota has historically been a passive element of the setting in which audiovisual works unfold. This study, however, analyzes how this botanical invisibility has gradually given way to diverse leading roles in films, television series, comics, and video games. To this end, an eight-category classification system has been created and applied to a sample of 394 audiovisual works. Content analysis of this catalog reveals a historical evolution in which sessile biota has been transformed into a source of terror before being portrayed as a powerful biotechnological infrastructure, reflecting the latest advances in botanical and mycological research.
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