Simulation of the future in Enigma

[Lighter 15,376]

What was the purpose of that? What future was she pertaining to?

I think in the simplest explanation, she’s dropped the aesthetic and what the next era/future will look like. At least visually. The animé neon theme. That’s it. That’s the Future That’s LG6 or could it be just a work of fiction intended for the show, to show what Gaga’s future would be in an alternate universe.

But then why would she give us such huge hint if the show is actually how the next era will look like? Wouldn’t Enigma be much of a spoiler if ever that’s the case?

 

[Didymus 32,890]

It's basically just a chronological overview of her career. I think we're supposed to believe that at the beginning, she's just starting out in 2008 with her early batch of songs and receives some kind of vision of the future, aka her career as it has unfolded until now.

This is very clear in the paparazzi attack scene where her enigma explains that they're only dangerous in the simulation, hence the implication is that in the real world they really aren't and it's Gaga's (misguided but understandable) perception of them as dangerous that causes her so much pain. She's trying to win them (and us) over with promises and excitement (Aura) but is destroying herself in the process. This runs in sync with basically every interview she gave in 2014 and 2015.

When she reappears on the machine this marks a personal growth, a change in her perception of herself (hence the simulation in the first place: it allows Gaga to interact with her own understanding of herself), and she is now ready to start ruling the machine rather than letting the machine rule her. This basically ties the whole show together with the main idea of ARTPOP: that technology is not necessarily devoid of heart, and that it's in the combination of the two that our future lies (this also explains why she chose a futuristic theme). This is reinforced by her enigma, in the end, being "infected" with human emotion.

What I think happened is that Gaga just chose a futuristic, anime-inspired theme and then built the show's storyline around it, which is why the narrative only makes half-sense, especially chronology wise, but that ambiguity does allow her to schedule her hits in an appropriate manner, aka from The Fame to ASIB. And she's able to make a statement about technology which is an obvious plus for her.

[Sneaky Oliver 20,175]

I dont think anime imagery is going to be LG6’s main theme but whatever LG6 visuals are, they must fit in Enigma show. I mean imagine if she releases something like Joanne, it just doesn’t feel right! 

And tech, dark, futuristic, modern concepts have always been part of her “brand” anyway. 

[Didymus 32,890]

Some more thoughts on the connection between "aura" and "enigma": it's clear, to me, that what she has described in the past as an "aura" is what we present as ourselves to the world, but it is ultimately an illusion, a veil (hence the use of "aura" and "burqa" as synonyms). With Enigma, Gaga seems to suggest that the public has misunderstood her, that they have projected their own ideas onto her (as she said to Jamie Lee Curtis) and have created "Lady Gaga" as a veritable aura which may have surrounded her, but which didn't represent her. A perfect illusion, if you will (and remember she connected that song to the damaging effects of social media in her interviews).

In this show, however, the enigma functions as something far greater: rather than representing something, a person's enigma is the totality of possible identities (or aura's, if you will) an individual may choose. It is not the answer to the question: Who am I? but the question itself. It's infinite space (hence, a futuristic, space-like theme). This space can be likened to the world wide web, which is obviously a simulation as well, and one that can be destructive (hence, Gaga needs healing midway through the show) but can also help us to understand ourselves and to work on ourselves for the better.

What she's revealing, then (and what has always been a major theme in her work) is that she doesn't have to choose any identity, in fact it's her choice to not choose a permanent aura, which explains her many shape-shifting exercises throughout her career. So my guess is that this whole "let me show you the future" device is there to make us conclude that for Gaga, her fame was a simulation, something she did not initiate herself per se, but something that just happened to her, and was perhaps guided by a higher force, which advised her throughout. In this sense, the "future" is really Gaga's past, but it is our future if we so choose.

Anyway. End of vomiting. But these are my thoughts about the show

[Lord Temptation 11,209]

To me Enigma is all about how technology is destroying our ancestral ability to perceive a different reality and replacing it with digital cognitive powers.

Robots are becoming more human like but at the same time humans are becoming more robotic.

Instead of dreams and imagination we now utilise preprogrammed functions with recursive feedback loops to generate fractal realms of possibility.

The distinction between “you” and “I”, or “past” and “present”, or “artist” and “audience”, “enemy” and “friend” is diminishing at an accelerated rate. Logic is no longer a yes-or-no dichotomy but an eternally spinning spectra with an unknown number of dimensions / directions. 

We are transforming into one. But one “what”???

That is the Enigma. The universe is speaking but whose voice do you hear?

[keith ink 1,482]

31 minutes ago, Didymus said:

It's basically just a chronological overview of her career. I think we're supposed to believe that at the beginning, she's just starting out in 2008 with her early batch of songs and receives some kind of vision of the future, aka her career as it has unfolded until now.

This is very clear in the paparazzi attack scene where her enigma explains that they're only dangerous in the simulation, hence the implication is that in the real world they really aren't and it's Gaga's (misguided but understandable) perception of them as dangerous that causes her so much pain. She's trying to win them (and us) over with promises and excitement (Aura) but is destroying herself in the process. This runs in sync with basically every interview she gave in 2014 and 2015.

When she reappears on the machine this marks a personal growth, a change in her perception of herself (hence the simulation in the first place: it allows Gaga to interact with her own understanding of herself), and she is now ready to start ruling the machine rather than letting the machine rule her. This basically ties the whole show together with the main idea of ARTPOP: that technology is not necessarily devoid of heart, and that it's in the combination of the two that our future lies (this also explains why she chose a futuristic theme). This is reinforced by her enigma, in the end, being "infected" with human emotion.

What I think happened is that Gaga just chose a futuristic, anime-inspired theme and then built the show's storyline around it, which is why the narrative only makes half-sense, especially chronology wise, but that ambiguity does allow her to schedule her hits in an appropriate manner, aka from The Fame to ASIB. And she's able to make a statement about technology which is an obvious plus for her.

you may have hated Enigma to the pits but i completely agree with this. In the beginning its like shes implying that shes in the 2008 world. 

Especially when she said "in the future, im strong" like how its in sync in her future now that she has won over her critics and insecurities

[Didymus 32,890]

@Lord Temptation

[Killa 14,480]

My stupid statement since most relevant ideas have been said

"Let me show you the simulation":

It's like i'm watching those horrible american dubbs of any anime

GAGA THIS IS NOT DIJIMON, PLEASEE NOO

Can't she hire a writter in Hollywood , her ideas are so good,..... it makes me sad

[Killa 14,480]

7 minutes ago, Lord Temptation said:

To me Enigma is all about how technology is destroying our ancestral ability to perceive a different reality and replacing it with digital cognitive powers.

Robots are becoming more human like but at the same time humans are becoming more robotic.

Instead of dreams and imagination we now utilise preprogrammed functions with recursive feedback loops to generate fractal realms of possibility.

The distinction between “you” and “I”, or “past” and “present”, or “artist” and “audience”, “enemy” and “friend” is diminishing at an accelerated rate. Logic is no longer a yes-or-no dichotomy but an eternally spinning spectra with an unknown number of dimensions / directions. 

We are transforming into one. But one “what”???

That is the Enigma. The universe is speaking but whose voice do you hear?

ISSA YaSS! your ARTPOP came through 

i've missed this kind of thread

[brucee 1,690]

It's a tribute to all her past, but does that mean she is coming back to it, or that she doesn't want to be stuck repeating herself over and over by repeating the same scheme ? 

[Didymus 32,890]

35 minutes ago, brucee said:

It's a tribute to all her past, but does that mean she is coming back to it, or that she doesn't want to be stuck repeating herself over and over by repeating the same scheme ? 

I think it just means she's learned some lessons which she wanted to share with us, before going forward.

[Lord Temptation 11,209]

48 minutes ago, Killa said:

ISSA YaSS! your ARTPOP came through 

i've missed this kind of thread

Thank you 

ARTPOP is my Bible 

52 minutes ago, Didymus said:

@Lord Temptation

Oh my thank you 

[LUCARTPOP 5,850]

1 hour ago, Lord Temptation said:

To me Enigma is all about how technology is destroying our ancestral ability to perceive a different reality and replacing it with digital cognitive powers.

Robots are becoming more human like but at the same time humans are becoming more robotic.

Instead of dreams and imagination we now utilise preprogrammed functions with recursive feedback loops to generate fractal realms of possibility.

The distinction between “you” and “I”, or “past” and “present”, or “artist” and “audience”, “enemy” and “friend” is diminishing at an accelerated rate. Logic is no longer a yes-or-no dichotomy but an eternally spinning spectra with an unknown number of dimensions / directions. 

We are transforming into one. But one “what”???

That is the Enigma. The universe is speaking but whose voice do you hear?

Well holy ****  

[Lighter 15,376]

2 hours ago, Lord Temptation said:

To me Enigma is all about how technology is destroying our ancestral ability to perceive a different reality and replacing it with digital cognitive powers.

Robots are becoming more human like but at the same time humans are becoming more robotic.

Instead of dreams and imagination we now utilise preprogrammed functions with recursive feedback loops to generate fractal realms of possibility.

The distinction between “you” and “I”, or “past” and “present”, or “artist” and “audience”, “enemy” and “friend” is diminishing at an accelerated rate. Logic is no longer a yes-or-no dichotomy but an eternally spinning spectra with an unknown number of dimensions / directions. 

We are transforming into one. But one “what”???

That is the Enigma. The universe is speaking but whose voice do you hear?

I’d die to be your friend

[Lighter 15,376]

2 hours ago, Lord Temptation said:

To me Enigma is all about how technology is destroying our ancestral ability to perceive a different reality and replacing it with digital cognitive powers.

Robots are becoming more human like but at the same time humans are becoming more robotic.

Instead of dreams and imagination we now utilise preprogrammed functions with recursive feedback loops to generate fractal realms of possibility.

The distinction between “you” and “I”, or “past” and “present”, or “artist” and “audience”, “enemy” and “friend” is diminishing at an accelerated rate. Logic is no longer a yes-or-no dichotomy but an eternally spinning spectra with an unknown number of dimensions / directions. 

We are transforming into one. But one “what”???

That is the Enigma. The universe is speaking but whose voice do you hear?

I’m so fascinated with people like you being capable of such wide vocabulary.

How did you improve that? Also your grammar. What classes did you take?