Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
dear Eduardo thanks for sending me back to your After Iran's Twitter Revolution: Egypt posted February 15, // Social media's role in Middle East uprisings brings online communities to life (Eduardo Navas) and after reading it my question is still same, i asked about what you meant by Twitter Revolution in Iran, as I cannot remember a revolution having taken place there. Probably I was worried, as I was when i asked Aristide to explain his dramatic description of Athens as a war zone (making me think back of the years when Sarajevo was the focus of such description), what you meant, and whether to speak of revolution, either in case of Iran or of countries like Egypt or Tunisia, is exaggeration. In all their complexities, one can see them as movements for reforming the system not changing it? And you seem skeptical of Twitter as a medium itself? In Iran the system of power has not changed. We shall have to see what will have changed in Egypt and Libya. respectfully Johannes Birringer Eduardo Navas schreibt Subject: Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices If you click on the link I provided you will quickly understand my position which I already alluded to in my brief post. To this effect, Ana actually responded to I wrote and I don't think additional commentary on my part can be useful at this stage of the discussion. I will certainly contribute throughout the month. In the mean time, the text-link I provided is very specific about my critical position for those actually interested. The questions you ask me would not come up if you had visited it before your response. Cheers, Eduardo ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
Hi, I am not sure if this is the best way to do this but Can someone update my email address to colaconcon...@gmail.com Thanks so much! Irina From: Eduardo Navas edua...@navasse.net To: soft_skinned_space empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au Sent: Thursday, March 8, 2012 9:13 PM Subject: Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices First I want to thank Ana for inviting me to participate in this month’s discussion. I have been part of this list for many years, but I don’t write every month. I do read most material that comes to my box, as I’m always interested in the discussions. So it is good to have a commitment to write more consistently from time to time. Thanks again. I have read the postings so far, and I’m a bit overwhelmed by the diversity and complexity of the material covered. Discussing issues from Fukushima to the middle east, the Americas and other parts of the world so far mentioned can be a bit dizzying; but at the same time, it also feels quite natural. This could be taken as one of the symptoms of a globalized world. Regarding the concept of resilience and resistance, I wanted to share a few points of my own. I usually like to begin evaluating a subject based on its denotative definition and to then move on to its connotations, which is where most people spend their time debating the meaning of things in terms of cultural understanding. Resilience basically means that the material/subject/object is able to bounce back or recover fast/well. This term may be linked to resistance, which as we know means that a material or object may be tough to destroy. The terms are easily interchangeable as synonyms under the right circumstances, and in terms of cultural critical practices, I believe that they are complementary. This is more or less what I also sense in the post so far contributed. One thing that struck me, though, as I read the posts is that perhaps we should consider how the meaning of the terms in discussion may be different in our times from others. Some posts have recalled the movement of 68 and its relation to the occupy movement. Other posts have discussed and provided links to different manifestations of urban resilience. But one of the challenges of a critical position, in my view, is to be able to adjust itself to the changes of the system it aims to critique. In particular, I find the role of technology fascinating in this respect. I think of the Arab Spring and how it arguably would have been very difficult for it to come about as quickly as it did if it were not for the appropriation of social media. I know Ana mentioned that what happened in Tahrir Square would have happened, but I really wonder if this is really true. Didn’t technology have such a role that without it, it would have been quite difficult to pull off such a decentralized, yet well organized event? You can read my reflections on this if you are interested in this text published on the Levantine Review: http://www.levantinecenter.org/levantine-review/after-irans-twitter-revolution-egypt It would be great to hear your views on how resistance and resilience may often be redefined for each generation. I think people (we) do have the tendency to reference these terms as though they are stable forms, but are they? Best, Eduardo On 3/8/12 7:45 PM, Ana Valdés agora...@gmail.com wrote: Dear all, I am very happy about the broad range of our discussion! Next week we are going to have two writers and I am delighted to see some of them (Leandro, Alicia) already participating... The examples raised by Alicia, the publisher house Eloisa Cartonera and their Uruguayan syster, La propia cartonera, are indeed examples of arte povera and they were invited to the Sao Paulo Biennal some years ago, to present their work in a artistist context. I attended the Biennal and talked to them and they impressed me with their very political way of concieve the publishing business, a business overtaken by bif multinationals and the old media. But I am sure Alicia and Sabela are going to present more examples of resiliance and resistance generated here at Rio de la Plata. Ana On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 10:34 PM, Johannes Birringer johannes.birrin...@brunel.ac.uk wrote: dear all Kamen's response – regarding the spirit of recession - is so evocative and striking that I want to just let it stay here, and take more time reflect further, on what you yourself wonder The question is how to continue being a moving target, shifting gears, adopting new tactics, new approaches, new practices and what you pose to interrogate, namely whether there is a critical aesthetic practice which could be truly adequate to these phenomena and to the historical moment we're experiencing, rather than a contemporary art sphere
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
Thank you David for sharing some interesting thoughts. I think networking in itself is a value, a virtue, similar to fortitude, justice, prudence and temperance, the traditional Christian values. When Jose Bové started his fight against MacDonalds and other fastfood chains he was using his knowledge and his contactnet to create a new network. The same thing does the farmes sueing Monsanto. All the best Ana On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 10:08 AM, davin heckman davinheck...@gmail.comwrote: Ana, I wonder if the reason for this lack of sustained critical mass has to do with some of our deeper structures of belief and motivation. I think the 20th century is committed to technique, and insofar as we have been committed to technique, we have been excellent at sustaining the centrality of our belief in technique and our committment to its practice. I was just re-reading Animal Farm and sobbing, along with my children, over its failure. We were wondering why such a sound idea was incapable of producing lasting results. And, the issue is not the problem with animalism in Animal Farm the problem is the belief that animalism in itself, as a formal system, would be enough to sustain its permanent state. But again and again in the story, the problem is not animalism, it is a problem with a belief in animalism as an external technique, rather than an intimately understood, subjectively integral, culturally networked way of being. We wonder why social movements often flounder, it has to do with a lack of belief in anything BUT the technical fix. Find the error, adopt the formula, implement the system and then we can live in utopia without having to constantly concern ourselves with creating it. If we can just get rid of the humans, the animals believe, then the future of animalism is secure. But, really, maybe to sustain a movement, you have to worry yourself constantly with its perpetual renewal. Unfortunately, we are conditioned to believe that the problems of life are solved through discrete purchases even though we have overwhelming evidence that this is not so many behave as though the lack of love in their life can be solved by properly groomed nostrils or scientifically scented skin or the right watch. They might not believe the specific propaganda claims, but at a very deep level, we are always looking for fixes, but we doubt our own capacity to become the fix. I mean, global hunger Monsanto says its about their seeds but really, the world has food, give hungry people food. We don't need a scientist or a machine to do that. Depression Pfizer pushes pills... but really, work less, give your time and effort to people for nothing. The Church was good at building its network because the network wasn't an end in itself. Sure, for some people it is, and these poor people graft themselves to power and try to take something from it without giving themselves to the spirit of the collective project. But the network itself grew and sustained itself because people believe in something else, of which the network is supposed, only, to be a trace, shadow, artifact. Or, to use a more contemporary example--the city--a city does not exist because it is a city, it exists because it offers a means for people to pursue individual existence collectively. The streets, sewers, buildings, law, etc. exist to support that function, and increase the likelihood that people will join the city to pursue life. And, a really good city, eventually becomes a metaphor for the life of its people, and then for people more generally. But this is only a power trick of signification, a way of talking about life through material metaphors. That Chan reference on this thread, really illustrates this idea quite nicely. Peace! Davin On Wed, Mar 7, 2012 at 4:03 PM, Ana Valdés agora...@gmail.com wrote: Thanks Johannes for a very inclusive post where you pinpointed some of the most relevant things we posted these days. I am as you concerned with the concept of networking. I think for the big capital has never haft problems with networking issues. Rome had soldiers and administrators taking to Rome wheat from Egypt, parrots from Africa, grain from everywhere, wine from Spain, etc, etc. The Catholic Church based it's power on networking. Yes, they were vertical and high centralized networkings but their goal was to keep the empire or their organization floating. Why should be so difficult for us, grassroots movements, students, peasants, social leaders, artists, intellectuals, commited people, to act the same way? Ana On Wed, Mar 7, 2012 at 3:34 PM, Johannes Birringer johannes.birrin...@brunel.ac.uk wrote: dear all thanks for all the postings herel I was intrigued to read the conceptual (theoretical) notions offered, perhaps as a form of political thought or analysis, alongside the reports from
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
Thank you Aristide. You are right that the violent changes to Athens, which have altered it from a European city to a war field... indicative of the future, is absolutely emblematic of the future and the ownership of states by the banks. This article from February 12th, signed by Alain Badiou, Jean-Christophe Bailly, Étienne Balibar, Claire Denis, Jean-Luc Nancy, Jacques Ranciere, Avital Ronell, may be old news to everyone, but it's worth considering if you have not read it: Save the Greeks from their Saviours! says Alain Badiou http://www.europeagainstausterity.org/?p=650 Thanks to everyone for the very stimulating discussion of resistance and resilience, which I have been following closely. Kristine Stiles Duke University On Mar 9, 2012, at 2:33 AM, Antonas Office wrote: Thank you Johannes Birringer for your observations. I would like to comment the Zizek's reference to Athens and Sparta. I was not there and I cannot see from your reference which was his point. I made my reference to Athens because I consider it the contemporary city that comes first in a series of cities that cannot anymore be included in a homogeneous European community. The city changed violently during the last years. The radical change is obvious by the growth of the homeless population occupying sidewalks and corners and with the garbage recycling works that keeps busy many athenian immigrants in the centre. Athens is maybe the first city in Europe that receives the spirit of a global unified world; it will show the reaction of europe over it. It maybe shows an image of the future because now in athens we can see a picture of what is happening next to us and the borders hide it. The violent changes in the city divided a homogeneous territory in gated communities and ghe ttoes. The city on some parts of it, is not recognizable, in some parts it is similar to a war field. What makes it also indicative for the future is the way Europe understands its recovery. The answer to this violent change seems to be a forced order and a constitution of a different status quo. A non voted government and the priority of the banks over the state is also a future feature which we observe already in Greece, in Italy, in Spain. Athens was a normal European city and it is not any more. This specific change in its tissue I call emblematic. It seems that it will be repeated and the rest of Europe should know. It shows an ending to the architecture of the city that we knew. Something different and important takes place in Athens. New state strategies for a next western world are tested. This is why the difference between resistance and resilience is crucial here. Aristide Antonas Athens Sent from antonas iPhone On Mar 8, 2012, at 23:34, Johannes Birringer johannes.birrin...@brunel.ac.uk wrote: johannes birringer ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
Ana, I think you are right, insofar as it is a web of intersubjective relations, a network does imply some pretty hearty obligations and rights. On the other hand, network can also imply a relationship among objects or objectives, as a command and control tool, more or less. I think sometimes, the lines between the two models of communication, one humanistic and the other informatic, tend to blend together. Davin On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 4:21 AM, Ana Valdés agora...@gmail.com wrote: Thank you David for sharing some interesting thoughts. I think networking in itself is a value, a virtue, similar to fortitude, justice, prudence and temperance, the traditional Christian values. When Jose Bové started his fight against MacDonalds and other fastfood chains he was using his knowledge and his contactnet to create a new network. The same thing does the farmes sueing Monsanto. All the best Ana On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 10:08 AM, davin heckman davinheck...@gmail.com wrote: Ana, I wonder if the reason for this lack of sustained critical mass has to do with some of our deeper structures of belief and motivation. I think the 20th century is committed to technique, and insofar as we have been committed to technique, we have been excellent at sustaining the centrality of our belief in technique and our committment to its practice. I was just re-reading Animal Farm and sobbing, along with my children, over its failure. We were wondering why such a sound idea was incapable of producing lasting results. And, the issue is not the problem with animalism in Animal Farm the problem is the belief that animalism in itself, as a formal system, would be enough to sustain its permanent state. But again and again in the story, the problem is not animalism, it is a problem with a belief in animalism as an external technique, rather than an intimately understood, subjectively integral, culturally networked way of being. We wonder why social movements often flounder, it has to do with a lack of belief in anything BUT the technical fix. Find the error, adopt the formula, implement the system and then we can live in utopia without having to constantly concern ourselves with creating it. If we can just get rid of the humans, the animals believe, then the future of animalism is secure. But, really, maybe to sustain a movement, you have to worry yourself constantly with its perpetual renewal. Unfortunately, we are conditioned to believe that the problems of life are solved through discrete purchases even though we have overwhelming evidence that this is not so many behave as though the lack of love in their life can be solved by properly groomed nostrils or scientifically scented skin or the right watch. They might not believe the specific propaganda claims, but at a very deep level, we are always looking for fixes, but we doubt our own capacity to become the fix. I mean, global hunger Monsanto says its about their seeds but really, the world has food, give hungry people food. We don't need a scientist or a machine to do that. Depression Pfizer pushes pills... but really, work less, give your time and effort to people for nothing. The Church was good at building its network because the network wasn't an end in itself. Sure, for some people it is, and these poor people graft themselves to power and try to take something from it without giving themselves to the spirit of the collective project. But the network itself grew and sustained itself because people believe in something else, of which the network is supposed, only, to be a trace, shadow, artifact. Or, to use a more contemporary example--the city--a city does not exist because it is a city, it exists because it offers a means for people to pursue individual existence collectively. The streets, sewers, buildings, law, etc. exist to support that function, and increase the likelihood that people will join the city to pursue life. And, a really good city, eventually becomes a metaphor for the life of its people, and then for people more generally. But this is only a power trick of signification, a way of talking about life through material metaphors. That Chan reference on this thread, really illustrates this idea quite nicely. Peace! Davin On Wed, Mar 7, 2012 at 4:03 PM, Ana Valdés agora...@gmail.com wrote: Thanks Johannes for a very inclusive post where you pinpointed some of the most relevant things we posted these days. I am as you concerned with the concept of networking. I think for the big capital has never haft problems with networking issues. Rome had soldiers and administrators taking to Rome wheat from Egypt, parrots from Africa, grain from everywhere, wine from Spain, etc, etc. The Catholic Church based it's power on networking. Yes, they were vertical and high centralized networkings but their goal was to keep the empire or
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
dear Ana, i can empathize with you enjoying the arrival of Benjamin's Passagenwerk, hmm, but i hope you share his saddened sense of irony (we always have nostalgia of what is left behind) it's of course best not to indulge in sentimental nostalgia, wouldn't you agree, especially in this conversation? i still owe you a critical synopsis of Zizek's thoughts on the failure of resistance and resilience and recalcitrance vis à vis totality of capitalism; i also am finding it hard to translate the Sparta metaphor, but will try later; first I wish to ask how others reacted to Aristide's evocation of Athens (Greece) , considering it the contemporary city that comes first in a series of cities that cannot anymore be included in a homogeneous European community. The city changed violently during the last years..The violent changes in the city divided a homogeneous territory in gated communities and ghettoes...a war field... indicative of the future. You may find my reaction insulting, or as patronizing as I assume Alain Badiou et al to be (Save the Greeks...)... but i do find what you write overly dramatically in tone, and you speak of what one might find a completely imaginary homogeneous European community that I doubt existed in any way you wish to state or propose here. Europe or the Euro-Zone never existed as a homogenous community. respectfully Johannes Birringer PS: and the messianic side of Benjamin was probably destroyed for good in 1939-40. ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
Dear Johannes, I was struck the same way as you after the description of Athens as a trruly European city. I have been in almost the whole European continent and never found two cities similar to each other, not either the Scandinavian capitals, in the perifery of Europe, almost like the Romans limitanae. I was in Skopje last year, in Belgrad as well, in Tuzla in Bosnien and never found a familiarity or a common ground. That's because I put into the discussion Damascus, Istanbul and Jerusalem, more related to each other than Paris to London. Ana, totally agree with you about Benjamins irony. I have read Passagenwek in different languages, but never owned it. Ans Spanish is still my best language, followed very narrowly by Swedish : On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 9:33 PM, Johannes Birringer johannes.birrin...@brunel.ac.uk wrote: dear Ana, i can empathize with you enjoying the arrival of Benjamin's Passagenwerk, hmm, but i hope you share his saddened sense of irony (we always have nostalgia of what is left behind) it's of course best not to indulge in sentimental nostalgia, wouldn't you agree, especially in this conversation? i still owe you a critical synopsis of Zizek's thoughts on the failure of resistance and resilience and recalcitrance vis à vis totality of capitalism; i also am finding it hard to translate the Sparta metaphor, but will try later; first I wish to ask how others reacted to Aristide's evocation of Athens (Greece) , considering it the contemporary city that comes first in a series of cities that cannot anymore be included in a homogeneous European community. The city changed violently during the last years..The violent changes in the city divided a homogeneous territory in gated communities and ghettoes...a war field... indicative of the future. You may find my reaction insulting, or as patronizing as I assume Alain Badiou et al to be (Save the Greeks...)... but i do find what you write overly dramatically in tone, and you speak of what one might find a completely imaginary homogeneous European community that I doubt existed in any way you wish to state or propose here. Europe or the Euro-Zone never existed as a homogenous community. respectfully Johannes Birringer PS: and the messianic side of Benjamin was probably destroyed for good in 1939-40. ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre -- http://www.twitter.com/caravia15859 http://www.scoop.it/t/art-and-activism/ http://www.scoop.it/t/food-history-and-trivia http://www.scoop.it/t/gender-issues/ http://www.scoop.it/t/literary-exiles/ http://www.scoop.it/t/museums-and-ethics/ http://www.scoop.it/t/urbanism-3-0 http://www.scoop.it/t/postcolonial-mind/ mobil/cell +4670-3213370 When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always long to return. — Leonardo da Vinci ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
Eduardo Navas schreibt: One thing that struck me, though, as I read the posts is that perhaps we should consider how the meaning of the terms in discussion may be different in our times from others. Some posts have recalled the movement of 68 and its relation to the occupy movement. Other posts have discussed and provided links to different manifestations of urban resilience. But one of the challenges of a critical position, in my view, is to be able to adjust itself to the changes of the system it aims to critique. In particular, I find the role of technology fascinating in this respect. .. Didn’t technology have such a role that without it, it would have been quite difficult to pull off such a decentralized, yet well organized event? It seems you are suggesting technology to be instrumental in an uprising or a resistance movement. Technologies and techniques , arguably, are always used, by power and by actors who are affected by it, resist, rise up, recede, etc. Are you saying that social network media (presumably used by all sides, power and resisters) determine revolutions? (twitter revolutions)? Which Iranian twitter revolution did you have in mind, and how to you denote revolution? respectfully Johannes Birringer dap-lab ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
Hi Johannes, If you click on the link I provided you will quickly understand my position which I already alluded to in my brief post. To this effect, Ana actually responded to I wrote and I don't think additional commentary on my part can be useful at this stage of the discussion. I will certainly contribute throughout the month. In the mean time, the text-link I provided is very specific about my critical position for those actually interested. The questions you ask me would not come up if you had visited it before your response. Cheers, Eduardo On 3/9/12 3:58 PM, Johannes Birringer johannes.birrin...@brunel.ac.uk wrote: Eduardo Navas schreibt: One thing that struck me, though, as I read the posts is that perhaps we should consider how the meaning of the terms in discussion may be different in our times from others. Some posts have recalled the movement of 68 and its relation to the occupy movement. Other posts have discussed and provided links to different manifestations of urban resilience. But one of the challenges of a critical position, in my view, is to be able to adjust itself to the changes of the system it aims to critique. In particular, I find the role of technology fascinating in this respect. .. Didn¹t technology have such a role that without it, it would have been quite difficult to pull off such a decentralized, yet well organized event? It seems you are suggesting technology to be instrumental in an uprising or a resistance movement. Technologies and techniques , arguably, are always used, by power and by actors who are affected by it, resist, rise up, recede, etc. Are you saying that social network media (presumably used by all sides, power and resisters) determine revolutions? (twitter revolutions)? Which Iranian twitter revolution did you have in mind, and how to you denote revolution? respectfully Johannes Birringer dap-lab ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
Dear Ana, I do not find Johannes reaction insulting nor patronizing. I only think it is wrong strategically to underestimate a change. I propose a reading of an urban field; I think that there is a significant transformation recorded in the city of Athens and that we have to study it not as an isolated phenomenon but as a part of a changing equilibrium. Of course: no homogeneity is absolute, no change erases a past conditions but some observations are needed in order to orient our future works. Aristide Antonas Sent from antonas iPhone On Mar 9, 2012, at 22:33, Johannes Birringer johannes.birrin...@brunel.ac.uk wrote: dear Ana, i can empathize with you enjoying the arrival of Benjamin's Passagenwerk, hmm, but i hope you share his saddened sense of irony (we always have nostalgia of what is left behind) it's of course best not to indulge in sentimental nostalgia, wouldn't you agree, especially in this conversation? i still owe you a critical synopsis of Zizek's thoughts on the failure of resistance and resilience and recalcitrance vis à vis totality of capitalism; i also am finding it hard to translate the Sparta metaphor, but will try later; first I wish to ask how others reacted to Aristide's evocation of Athens (Greece) , considering it the contemporary city that comes first in a series of cities that cannot anymore be included in a homogeneous European community. The city changed violently during the last years..The violent changes in the city divided a homogeneous territory in gated communities and ghettoes...a war field... indicative of the future. You may find my reaction insulting, or as patronizing as I assume Alain Badiou et al to be (Save the Greeks...)... but i do find what you write overly dramatically in tone, and you speak of what one might find a completely imaginary homogeneous European community that I doubt existed in any way you wish to state or propose here. Europe or the Euro-Zone never existed as a homogenous community. respectfully Johannes Birringer PS: and the messianic side of Benjamin was probably destroyed for good in 1939-40. ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
On Wed, Mar 7, 2012 at 3:34 PM, Johannes Birringer johannes.birrin...@brunel.ac.uk wrote: kamen argues: This notion - of retreat, of losing the centre - is something I'm researching right now in terms of art practice could you elaborate on that, and your proposition that citizens produce public space, perhaps also in response to Alan Sondheim;s justified skepticism, and his mentioning of the resilient governing forces? Ah, indeed, retreat as recession (= to recede). This is actually slightly off-topic here, especially with regards to pin-point the nuances that distinguish resistance, resilience, recalcitrance, etc. But, yes, in the light of the 15M movement in Spain last summer, and the Acampada Sol phenomenon - and ESPECIALLY the late reaction and poor performance of the different Culture Commissions in different occupations all over the country - I started pondering the idea of what might define a critical aesthetic practice which could be truly adequate to these phenomena and to the historical moment we're experiencing. My initial impression - which was later confirmed by the OccupyWallStreet phenomenon - was that the contemporary art sphere was responding to this with the received wisdom and the aesthetic language of critical art practices from the 1960's and 1970's of last century. Not an inspiring sight. Some of the strongholds I came accross in this process came from critical thought, and some of them manifested themselves in actual direct activist practice. On the one hand, already back in 2009, Hal Foster, David Joselit, and Yve-Alain Bois launched an open call for discussion on the notion of Recessional Aesthetics. The resulting debate was later published in Recessional Aesthetics: An Exchange, October 135, Winter 2011, pp. 93-116. But, back in 2009, Paul Chan published his talk The Spirit of Recession (October 129, Summer 2009, pp. 3-12.). There, he attempts to outline an aesthetic understanding of the current recession, and resorts to an interesting etymological reading of the term, and, eventually, finds an empowering aspect to it in the significance of the recessional hymn in church service: For the other definition of recession has to do with the church, namely, the time after church service when the clergy departs and the people who make up the congregation are left to themselves. As the church authorities leave, a hymn is sung. This is called a recessional. (Ibid., pp. 10-11) And it is here, in the act of leaving and singing, that the idea of a recession gains its transformative potential. For a church without authority is blessed indeed. The end of the service announces the beginning of another kind of time: no more commands for sacrifice and expressions of faith; no more sermons from the book of Progress; no more exchange of prayers. Time holds no more duties and returns to the poeple a sense of being neither guaranteed nor determined, and inner composition unburdened by the anxiety of influence, one which finds its own shape only when power recedes. This is the time when thoughts turn away from the authority that captures their attention from above and from within, and toward the radical demands of life after church. (Ibid, p. 11) Now, in an (apparently) wholly unrelated context, I was deeply impressed at the events surrounding Acampada Sol between August 2nd and August 5th 2011. In preparation for the Pope to Madrid, the authorities, fearing the response of activists, decided to cordon off Puerta del Sol and this, somehow, behead the protest movement. Partly, this was done with the assumption that, this being August in Madrid, most people would have left on holiday. But the authorities must not have been reading the salmon pages in the newspaper - most of us were skint and had to stay in Madrid for the summer, so Sol was soon besieged by a crowd of over 10 000 demostrators, demanding access to the square. Of course, the principle of non-violence upheld by the movement meant that forcing our way through the riot police cordons was not an option, so for most of the first day, it was mostly a stalemate. Then something interesting happened. Frustrated at the impossibility of moving forward, and following someone's chant os Ciao! Ciao! Ciao! ¡Nos vamos a Callao! (We're off to Callao!), all of us followed suit and left the main square behind to concentrate on the nearby square of Callao. Then, a demonstration started from there and proceed to block the traffic and take over most of the major avenues and streets of the city centre. The operation was repeated the following three days, until, eventually, on the 5th of August, the demo reached Puerta del Sol, only to find the police cordons had disappeared and access to the square was open. So, the demo entered the square triumphantly, held a long general assembly, partied for a while, and, like an exceptionally lenghty flashmob, abandoned the square once more. There is nothing exceptional about this, historically.
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
dear all Kamen's response – regarding the spirit of recession - is so evocative and striking that I want to just let it stay here, and take more time reflect further, on what you yourself wonder The question is how to continue being a moving target, shifting gears, adopting new tactics, new approaches, new practices and what you pose to interrogate, namely whether there is a critical aesthetic practice which could be truly adequate to these phenomena and to the historical moment we're experiencing, rather than a contemporary art sphere [that] was responding to [the political activist movements] with the received wisdom and the aesthetic language of critical art practices from the 1960's and 1970's of last century. Not an inspiring sight. What artistic critical practices of tactical receding would that be? The thoughts on Slajoy Zizek's lecture will have to wait... (I had planned to mention his reference to Greece, to see what Aristide Antonas might reply (after he suggested Athens is emblematic for the future - why?) . Strangely, Zizek went for a (mythopoetic?) analogy, in his critique of how the new political activist uprisers or occupiers misunderstand global capitalism's totality, and he mentioned Sparta. It was a truly strange moment in his lecture to hear him reflect back on the ancient military struggle between Athens and Sparta. .. interesting feedback from Ethel, Pablo and Alicia Ana, and Ana's proposition of an autogestionated culture (experiencia autogestionaria) - as Alicia i think references the handmade books (Eloisa Cartonera) --cannot but raise questions that point in the direction, perhaps, of what Kamen or Pablo interrogated. but the notion of handmade also seems to be caught perhaps on the received wisdom and aesthetic languages of the past? (of institutional critique or arte povera?), artistic civil disobedience always has a somewhat bad taste attached, no? peace johannes birringer dap lab Kamen schreibt: Ah, indeed, retreat as recession (= to recede). This is actually slightly off-topic here, especially with regards to pin-point the nuances that distinguish resistance, resilience, recalcitrance, etc. But, yes, in the light of the 15M movement in Spain last summer, and the Acampada Sol phenomenon - and ESPECIALLY the late reaction and poor performance of the different Culture Commissions in different occupations all over the country - I started pondering the idea of what might define a critical aesthetic practice which could be truly adequate to these phenomena and to the historical moment we're experiencing. My initial impression - which was later confirmed by the OccupyWallStreet phenomenon - was that the contemporary art sphere was responding to this with the received wisdom and the aesthetic language of critical art practices from the 1960's and 1970's of last century. Not an inspiring sight. Some of the strongholds I came accross in this process came from critical thought, and some of them manifested themselves in actual direct activist practice. On the one hand, already back in 2009, Hal Foster, David Joselit, and Yve-Alain Bois launched an open call for discussion on the notion of Recessional Aesthetics. The resulting debate was later published in Recessional Aesthetics: An Exchange, October 135, Winter 2011, pp. 93-116. But, back in 2009, Paul Chan published his talk The Spirit of Recession (October 129, Summer 2009, pp. 3-12.). There, he attempts to outline an aesthetic understanding of the current recession, and resorts to an interesting etymological reading of the term, and, eventually, finds an empowering aspect to it in the significance of the recessional hymn in church service: For the other definition of recession has to do with the church, namely, the time after church service when the clergy departs and the people who make up the congregation are left to themselves. As the church authorities leave, a hymn is sung. This is called a recessional. (Ibid., pp. 10-11) And it is here, in the act of leaving and singing, that the idea of a recession gains its transformative potential. For a church without authority is blessed indeed. The end of the service announces the beginning of another kind of time: no more commands for sacrifice and expressions of faith; no more sermons from the book of Progress; no more exchange of prayers. Time holds no more duties and returns to the poeple a sense of being neither guaranteed nor determined, and inner composition unburdened by the anxiety of influence, one which finds its own shape only when power recedes. This is the time when thoughts turn away from the authority that captures their attention from above and from within, and toward the radical demands of life after church. (Ibid, p. 11) Now, in an (apparently) wholly unrelated context, I was deeply impressed at the events surrounding Acampada Sol between August 2nd and August 5th 2011. In preparation for the Pope to
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
Dear all, I am very happy about the broad range of our discussion! Next week we are going to have two writers and I am delighted to see some of them (Leandro, Alicia) already participating... The examples raised by Alicia, the publisher house Eloisa Cartonera and their Uruguayan syster, La propia cartonera, are indeed examples of arte povera and they were invited to the Sao Paulo Biennal some years ago, to present their work in a artistist context. I attended the Biennal and talked to them and they impressed me with their very political way of concieve the publishing business, a business overtaken by bif multinationals and the old media. But I am sure Alicia and Sabela are going to present more examples of resiliance and resistance generated here at Rio de la Plata. Ana On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 10:34 PM, Johannes Birringer johannes.birrin...@brunel.ac.uk wrote: dear all Kamen's response – regarding the spirit of recession - is so evocative and striking that I want to just let it stay here, and take more time reflect further, on what you yourself wonder The question is how to continue being a moving target, shifting gears, adopting new tactics, new approaches, new practices and what you pose to interrogate, namely whether there is a critical aesthetic practice which could be truly adequate to these phenomena and to the historical moment we're experiencing, rather than a contemporary art sphere [that] was responding to [the political activist movements] with the received wisdom and the aesthetic language of critical art practices from the 1960's and 1970's of last century. Not an inspiring sight. What artistic critical practices of tactical receding would that be? The thoughts on Slajoy Zizek's lecture will have to wait... (I had planned to mention his reference to Greece, to see what Aristide Antonas might reply (after he suggested Athens is emblematic for the future - why?) . Strangely, Zizek went for a (mythopoetic?) analogy, in his critique of how the new political activist uprisers or occupiers misunderstand global capitalism's totality, and he mentioned Sparta. It was a truly strange moment in his lecture to hear him reflect back on the ancient military struggle between Athens and Sparta. .. interesting feedback from Ethel, Pablo and Alicia Ana, and Ana's proposition of an autogestionated culture (experiencia autogestionaria) - as Alicia i think references the handmade books (Eloisa Cartonera) --cannot but raise questions that point in the direction, perhaps, of what Kamen or Pablo interrogated. but the notion of handmade also seems to be caught perhaps on the received wisdom and aesthetic languages of the past? (of institutional critique or arte povera?), artistic civil disobedience always has a somewhat bad taste attached, no? peace johannes birringer dap lab Kamen schreibt: Ah, indeed, retreat as recession (= to recede). This is actually slightly off-topic here, especially with regards to pin-point the nuances that distinguish resistance, resilience, recalcitrance, etc. But, yes, in the light of the 15M movement in Spain last summer, and the Acampada Sol phenomenon - and ESPECIALLY the late reaction and poor performance of the different Culture Commissions in different occupations all over the country - I started pondering the idea of what might define a critical aesthetic practice which could be truly adequate to these phenomena and to the historical moment we're experiencing. My initial impression - which was later confirmed by the OccupyWallStreet phenomenon - was that the contemporary art sphere was responding to this with the received wisdom and the aesthetic language of critical art practices from the 1960's and 1970's of last century. Not an inspiring sight. Some of the strongholds I came accross in this process came from critical thought, and some of them manifested themselves in actual direct activist practice. On the one hand, already back in 2009, Hal Foster, David Joselit, and Yve-Alain Bois launched an open call for discussion on the notion of Recessional Aesthetics. The resulting debate was later published in Recessional Aesthetics: An Exchange, October 135, Winter 2011, pp. 93-116. But, back in 2009, Paul Chan published his talk The Spirit of Recession (October 129, Summer 2009, pp. 3-12.). There, he attempts to outline an aesthetic understanding of the current recession, and resorts to an interesting etymological reading of the term, and, eventually, finds an empowering aspect to it in the significance of the recessional hymn in church service: For the other definition of recession has to do with the church, namely, the time after church service when the clergy departs and the people who make up the congregation are left to themselves. As the church authorities leave, a hymn is sung. This is called a recessional. (Ibid., pp. 10-11) And it is here, in the act
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
First I want to thank Ana for inviting me to participate in this month¹s discussion. I have been part of this list for many years, but I don¹t write every month. I do read most material that comes to my box, as I¹m always interested in the discussions. So it is good to have a commitment to write more consistently from time to time. Thanks again. I have read the postings so far, and I¹m a bit overwhelmed by the diversity and complexity of the material covered. Discussing issues from Fukushima to the middle east, the Americas and other parts of the world so far mentioned can be a bit dizzying; but at the same time, it also feels quite natural. This could be taken as one of the symptoms of a globalized world. Regarding the concept of resilience and resistance, I wanted to share a few points of my own. I usually like to begin evaluating a subject based on its denotative definition and to then move on to its connotations, which is where most people spend their time debating the meaning of things in terms of cultural understanding. Resilience basically means that the material/subject/object is able to bounce back or recover fast/well. This term may be linked to resistance, which as we know means that a material or object may be tough to destroy. The terms are easily interchangeable as synonyms under the right circumstances, and in terms of cultural critical practices, I believe that they are complementary. This is more or less what I also sense in the post so far contributed. One thing that struck me, though, as I read the posts is that perhaps we should consider how the meaning of the terms in discussion may be different in our times from others. Some posts have recalled the movement of 68 and its relation to the occupy movement. Other posts have discussed and provided links to different manifestations of urban resilience. But one of the challenges of a critical position, in my view, is to be able to adjust itself to the changes of the system it aims to critique. In particular, I find the role of technology fascinating in this respect. I think of the Arab Spring and how it arguably would have been very difficult for it to come about as quickly as it did if it were not for the appropriation of social media. I know Ana mentioned that what happened in Tahrir Square would have happened, but I really wonder if this is really true. Didn¹t technology have such a role that without it, it would have been quite difficult to pull off such a decentralized, yet well organized event? You can read my reflections on this if you are interested in this text published on the Levantine Review: http://www.levantinecenter.org/levantine-review/after-irans-twitter-revoluti on-egypt It would be great to hear your views on how resistance and resilience may often be redefined for each generation. I think people (we) do have the tendency to reference these terms as though they are stable forms, but are they? Best, Eduardo On 3/8/12 7:45 PM, Ana Valdés agora...@gmail.com wrote: Dear all, I am very happy about the broad range of our discussion! Next week we are going to have two writers and I am delighted to see some of them (Leandro, Alicia) already participating... The examples raised by Alicia, the publisher house Eloisa Cartonera and their Uruguayan syster, La propia cartonera, are indeed examples of arte povera and they were invited to the Sao Paulo Biennal some years ago, to present their work in a artistist context. I attended the Biennal and talked to them and they impressed me with their very political way of concieve the publishing business, a business overtaken by bif multinationals and the old media. But I am sure Alicia and Sabela are going to present more examples of resiliance and resistance generated here at Rio de la Plata. Ana On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 10:34 PM, Johannes Birringer johannes.birrin...@brunel.ac.uk wrote: dear all Kamen's response regarding the spirit of recession - is so evocative and striking that I want to just let it stay here, and take more time reflect further, on what you yourself wonder The question is how to continue being a moving target, shifting gears, adopting new tactics, new approaches, new practices and what you pose to interrogate, namely whether there is a critical aesthetic practice which could be truly adequate to these phenomena and to the historical moment we're experiencing, rather than a contemporary art sphere [that] was responding to [the political activist movements] with the received wisdom and the aesthetic language of critical art practices from the 1960's and 1970's of last century. Not an inspiring sight. What artistic critical practices of tactical receding would that be? The thoughts on Slajoy Zizek's lecture will have to wait... (I had planned to mention his reference to Greece, to see what Aristide Antonas might reply (after he suggested Athens is emblematic for the future - why?) .
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
Thanks Eduardo for joining the discussion. Under your week we are going to be more familiar with your research and thoughts but it's nice to have you here in the discussion, as Alicia and Leandro. I love impacient and enthusiastic guests! :) Regarding the importance of the new technologies (Twitter, social media, cellphones) to make things happen in different parts of the world, Tahir Square, Teheran some years ago, Acampada de Sol, Occupy Wall Street, etc, let me be a bit romantic :) The Paris commune happened in the last century in Paris without any technology, the taking of the Bastille too, I mean when riots and revolutions start it's difficult to point a beginning, the first shout, who started... Yes social media makes easier the gatherings but I believe people shoud ha been gathering anyway :) Ana On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 6:13 AM, Eduardo Navas edua...@navasse.net wrote: First I want to thank Ana for inviting me to participate in this month’s discussion. I have been part of this list for many years, but I don’t write every month. I do read most material that comes to my box, as I’m always interested in the discussions. So it is good to have a commitment to write more consistently from time to time. Thanks again. I have read the postings so far, and I’m a bit overwhelmed by the diversity and complexity of the material covered. Discussing issues from Fukushima to the middle east, the Americas and other parts of the world so far mentioned can be a bit dizzying; but at the same time, it also feels quite natural. This could be taken as one of the symptoms of a globalized world. Regarding the concept of resilience and resistance, I wanted to share a few points of my own. I usually like to begin evaluating a subject based on its denotative definition and to then move on to its connotations, which is where most people spend their time debating the meaning of things in terms of cultural understanding. Resilience basically means that the material/subject/object is able to bounce back or recover fast/well. This term may be linked to resistance, which as we know means that a material or object may be tough to destroy. The terms are easily interchangeable as synonyms under the right circumstances, and in terms of cultural critical practices, I believe that they are complementary. This is more or less what I also sense in the post so far contributed. One thing that struck me, though, as I read the posts is that perhaps we should consider how the meaning of the terms in discussion may be different in our times from others. Some posts have recalled the movement of 68 and its relation to the occupy movement. Other posts have discussed and provided links to different manifestations of urban resilience. But one of the challenges of a critical position, in my view, is to be able to adjust itself to the changes of the system it aims to critique. In particular, I find the role of technology fascinating in this respect. I think of the Arab Spring and how it arguably would have been very difficult for it to come about as quickly as it did if it were not for the appropriation of social media. I know Ana mentioned that what happened in Tahrir Square would have happened, but I really wonder if this is really true. Didn’t technology have such a role that without it, it would have been quite difficult to pull off such a decentralized, yet well organized event? You can read my reflections on this if you are interested in this text published on the Levantine Review: http://www.levantinecenter.org/levantine-review/after-irans-twitter-revolution-egypt It would be great to hear your views on how resistance and resilience may often be redefined for each generation. I think people (we) do have the tendency to reference these terms as though they are stable forms, but are they? Best, Eduardo On 3/8/12 7:45 PM, Ana Valdés agora...@gmail.com wrote: Dear all, I am very happy about the broad range of our discussion! Next week we are going to have two writers and I am delighted to see some of them (Leandro, Alicia) already participating... The examples raised by Alicia, the publisher house Eloisa Cartonera and their Uruguayan syster, La propia cartonera, are indeed examples of arte povera and they were invited to the Sao Paulo Biennal some years ago, to present their work in a artistist context. I attended the Biennal and talked to them and they impressed me with their very political way of concieve the publishing business, a business overtaken by bif multinationals and the old media. But I am sure Alicia and Sabela are going to present more examples of resiliance and resistance generated here at Rio de la Plata. Ana On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 10:34 PM, Johannes Birringer johannes.birrin...@brunel.ac.uk wrote: dear all Kamen's response – regarding the spirit of recession - is so evocative and striking that I want to just let it stay here,
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
Thank you Johannes Birringer for your observations. I would like to comment the Zizek's reference to Athens and Sparta. I was not there and I cannot see from your reference which was his point. I made my reference to Athens because I consider it the contemporary city that comes first in a series of cities that cannot anymore be included in a homogeneous European community. The city changed violently during the last years. The radical change is obvious by the growth of the homeless population occupying sidewalks and corners and with the garbage recycling works that keeps busy many athenian immigrants in the centre. Athens is maybe the first city in Europe that receives the spirit of a global unified world; it will show the reaction of europe over it. It maybe shows an image of the future because now in athens we can see a picture of what is happening next to us and the borders hide it. The violent changes in the city divided a homogeneous territory in gated communities and ghe ttoes. The city on some parts of it, is not recognizable, in some parts it is similar to a war field. What makes it also indicative for the future is the way Europe understands its recovery. The answer to this violent change seems to be a forced order and a constitution of a different status quo. A non voted government and the priority of the banks over the state is also a future feature which we observe already in Greece, in Italy, in Spain. Athens was a normal European city and it is not any more. This specific change in its tissue I call emblematic. It seems that it will be repeated and the rest of Europe should know. It shows an ending to the architecture of the city that we knew. Something different and important takes place in Athens. New state strategies for a next western world are tested. This is why the difference between resistance and resilience is crucial here. Aristide Antonas Athens Sent from antonas iPhone On Mar 8, 2012, at 23:34, Johannes Birringer johannes.birrin...@brunel.ac.uk wrote: johannes birringer ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
dear all thanks for all the postings herel I was intrigued to read the conceptual (theoretical) notions offered, perhaps as a form of political thought or analysis, alongside the reports from the activist fronts and resiliences, and here i especially found it helpful to hear of movements allowing us to imagine the urban contexts to be also, possibly, in strategic dependence politically on the non urban (the regions and hinterlands). So, thinking less of 'swarm' logics and emergences, and more of grown/rooted resiliences and how they are/were tactics of the past. kamen argues: This notion - of retreat, of losing the centre - is something I'm researching right now in terms of art practice could you elaborate on that, and your proposition that citizens produce public space, perhaps also in response to Alan Sondheim;s justified skepticism, and his mentioning of the resilient governing forces? I was also trying to think of Aristide Antonas speaking about the situation in Greece (Athens, he suggests, is emblematic for the future - why?) , and wanting to hear more from Leandro about how he values the rural based Sin Tierra movement in Brazil (i remember them occupying a huge strip of space going down the hill towards the government sector in Brasilia, i remember the red earth or sand where they had camped). So many different locations were mentioned, in these past days, the struggles seem always local, and how to you compare Fukushima and, say, the Organizing for Occupation (O4O) movement to protest foreclosures of houses auctioned off in Queen, New York? [cf. Gary Younge, The Itinerant Left has found its home in Occupy, 27 Feb 2012, Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/26/us-left-home-occupy-middle-america]. Does it however require, as Zizek maintains, to think in totalities? (and to assume neoliberal global capitalism to be one such totality unavoidably present and powerful?) I am going to try tomorrow to report on a discussion we had in London last week when Slavoj Zizek came for a talk on The Deadlock – Crisis, Transition, Transformation: Revolutionary Thought Today, and his analysis of the OCCUPY movements was not encouraging (suggesting that 2011 was the year of the revival of radical politics, in its emancipatory form [OWS, Arab Spring, mass protests in Europe] as well as in its reactionary form [Hungary, Scandinavian countries, etc.]., Zizek hinted that, however, the very massive visibility of these protests does bear witness to a frustrating deadlock -- what do the protesters effectively want? Do they contain a vision which reaches beyond moralistic rage?). I am unable to say anything yet, have conflicted feelings and am trying to understand what networking means now; I was in Yamaguchi, Japan, last week for a workshop; and my friends in Tokyo, who had been much worried about the fall out from Fukushima, tell me that the status of Japanese society has been changing completely. It is said that Mt. Fuji will be active; and very interestingly, after the disaster last year, the leading companies move their head office to Osaka. For example, Panasonic has moved their head office to Osaka and their procurement department has moved into Singapore ! Thus, even in performing arts, we hope to construct huge networks all over the world (not limited in internal Japan). I participated in such a networked project last week, but it was not activist or politicized, and thus unrelated to resilience, resistance, recalcitrance. It had an artistic side and an educational outreach side (to communities children), but there was not a single reference to politics in four days. regards Johannes Birringer dap lab ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre
Re: [-empyre-] re/claiming and unsettling / continuing artistic practices
El 07/03/12 15:34, Johannes Birringer escribió: dear all thanks for all the postings herel I was intrigued to read the conceptual (theoretical) notions offered, perhaps as a form of political thought or analysis, alongside the reports from the activist fronts and resiliences, and here i especially found it helpful to hear of movements allowing us to imagine the urban contexts to be also, possibly, in strategic dependence politically on the non urban (the regions and hinterlands). So, thinking less of 'swarm' logics and emergences, and more of grown/rooted resiliences and how they are/were tactics of the past. kamen argues: This notion - of retreat, of losing the centre - is something I'm researching right now in terms of art practice could you elaborate on that, and your proposition that citizens produce public space, perhaps also in response to Alan Sondheim;s justified skepticism, and his mentioning of the resilient governing forces? I was also trying to think of Aristide Antonas speaking about the situation in Greece (Athens, he suggests, is emblematic for the future - why?) , and wanting to hear more from Leandro about how he values the rural based Sin Tierra movement in Brazil (i remember them occupying a huge strip of space going down the hill towards the government sector in Brasilia, i remember the red earth or sand where they had camped). So many different locations were mentioned, in these past days, the struggles seem always local, and how to you compare Fukushima and, say, the Organizing for Occupation (O4O) movement to protest foreclosures of houses auctioned off in Queen, New York? [cf. Gary Younge, The Itinerant Left has found its home in Occupy, 27 Feb 2012, Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/26/us-left-home-occupy-middle-america]. Does it however require, as Zizek maintains, to think in totalities? (and to assume neoliberal global capitalism to be one such totality unavoidably present and powerful?) I am going to try tomorrow to report on a discussion we had in London last week when Slavoj Zizek came for a talk on The Deadlock – Crisis, Transition, Transformation: Revolutionary Thought Today, and his analysis of the OCCUPY movements was not encouraging (suggesting that 2011 was the year of the revival of radical politics, in its emancipatory form [OWS, Arab Spring, mass protests in Europe] as well as in its reactionary form [Hungary, Scandinavian countries, etc.]., Zizek hinted that, however, the very massive visibility of these protests does bear witness to a frustrating deadlock -- what do the protesters effectively want? Do they contain a vision which reaches beyond moralistic rage?). I am unable to say anything yet, have conflicted feelings and am trying to understand what networking means now; I was in Yamaguchi, Japan, last week for a workshop; and my friends in Tokyo, who had been much worried about the fall out from Fukushima, tell me that the status of Japanese society has been changing completely. since 60s and early 70s activism in Japan was very little, mainy because massive students movement finished very badly at internal level (united red army killings) and externally (huge repression by state police) and because of Fukushima more japanese people is becoming to engage in politics... It is said that Mt. Fuji will be active; and very interestingly, after the disaster last year, the leading companies move their head office to Osaka. For example, Panasonic has moved their head office to Osaka and their procurement department has moved into Singapore ! yes, and factories that were destroyed by tsunami are relocating to Vietnam and Thailand... so corporations will cut workers expenses, it said is gonna be a quite big change for japanese productive economy it s a typical corporate movement after a disaster, the ones that N. Klein explained in the Shock Doctrine about the previous big tsunami in Asia Thus, even in performing arts, we hope to construct huge networks all over the world (not limited in internal Japan). I participated in such a networked project last week, but it was not activist or politicized, and thus unrelated to resilience, resistance, recalcitrance. It had an artistic side and an educational outreach side (to communities children), but there was not a single reference to politics in four days. sure, I have been 3 months in an art center in Tokyo with the same -no very much- political feedbak by artists but there a few very political and active in town you can see their work from page 42: http://es.scribd.com/doc/81789987/NuclearPowerPlants-RadicalArt best pablo ___ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre
