Abstraction, diffraction, experimentation: the making of ‘The Amber Spyglass’ in Philip Pullman’s trilogy His Dark Materials
Abstraction, diffraction, experimentation: the making of ‘The Amber Spyglass’ in Philip Pullman’s trilogy His Dark Materials
This article traces the construction of ‘The Amber Spyglass’ (2015[2000]) from Philip Pullman’s homonymous children’s novel, to explore two interrelated conceptual issues. These are the problem of abstraction as a productive and experimental practice, and that of vision as something materially mediated rather than pre-given. The author’s contention is that the making of ‘The Amber Spyglass’ dramatizes the situated character of knowledge production in a compelling way, allowing us to grasp experimentation as an ethically grounded and politically committed practice. The article offers a ‘diffractive’ reading of an episode narrating the construction of this fictitious visualization technology, by putting the story in conversation with writings by AN Whitehead and Félix Guattari, as well as feminist writers Karen Barad, Maria Puig de la Bellacasa and Donna Haraway. This is done in order to lay bare the materially and socially generative character of knowledge practices for crafting alternative visions of the world in times of ecological collapse.
His Dark Materials, abstraction, diffraction, experimentation, mediatization, speculation, vision, ‘The Amber Spyglass’ (2015[2000])
Genova, Neda
28792bd8-b147-4938-a175-8d54fa7173a3
18 November 2025
Genova, Neda
28792bd8-b147-4938-a175-8d54fa7173a3
Genova, Neda
(2025)
Abstraction, diffraction, experimentation: the making of ‘The Amber Spyglass’ in Philip Pullman’s trilogy His Dark Materials.
Journal of Visual Culture.
(doi:10.1177/14704129251381719).
Abstract
This article traces the construction of ‘The Amber Spyglass’ (2015[2000]) from Philip Pullman’s homonymous children’s novel, to explore two interrelated conceptual issues. These are the problem of abstraction as a productive and experimental practice, and that of vision as something materially mediated rather than pre-given. The author’s contention is that the making of ‘The Amber Spyglass’ dramatizes the situated character of knowledge production in a compelling way, allowing us to grasp experimentation as an ethically grounded and politically committed practice. The article offers a ‘diffractive’ reading of an episode narrating the construction of this fictitious visualization technology, by putting the story in conversation with writings by AN Whitehead and Félix Guattari, as well as feminist writers Karen Barad, Maria Puig de la Bellacasa and Donna Haraway. This is done in order to lay bare the materially and socially generative character of knowledge practices for crafting alternative visions of the world in times of ecological collapse.
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genova-2025-abstraction-diffraction-experimentation-the-making-of-the-amber-spyglass-in-philip-pullman-s-trilogy-his
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Accepted/In Press date: 2025
Published date: 18 November 2025
Keywords:
His Dark Materials, abstraction, diffraction, experimentation, mediatization, speculation, vision, ‘The Amber Spyglass’ (2015[2000])
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 494779
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/494779
ISSN: 1470-4129
PURE UUID: 186a9071-f4a5-4178-b5a3-69a897ccb8d8
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Date deposited: 15 Oct 2024 16:45
Last modified: 10 Dec 2025 03:07
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Author:
Neda Genova
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