Class Wargames Class Class Wargames Ludic Ludic Subversion Against Spectacular Capitalism
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
class wargames Class Wargames ludic Ludic subversion against spectacular capitalism subversion Why should radicals be interested in playing wargames? Surely the Left can have no interest in such militarist fantasies? Yet, Guy Debord – the leader of the Situationist International – placed such importance on his class invention of The Game of War that he described it as the most significant of against his accomplishments. wargames Intrigued by this claim, a multinational group of artists, activists and spectacular academics formed Class Wargames to investigate the political and strategic lessons that could be learnt from playing his ludic experiment. While the ideas of the Situationists continue to be highly influential in the development of subversive art and politics, relatively little attention has been paid to their strategic orientation. Determined to correct this deficiency, Class Wargames is committed to exploring how Debord used the capitalism metaphor of the Napoleonic battlefield to propagate a Situationist analysis of modern society. Inspired by his example, its members have also hacked other military simulations: H.G. Wells’ Little Wars; Chris Peers’ Reds versus Reds and Richard Borg’s Commands & Colors. Playing wargames is not a diversion from politics: it is the training ground of tomorrow’s cybernetic communist insurgents. Fusing together historical research on avant-garde artists, political revolutionaries and military theorists with narratives of five years of public performances, Class Wargames provides a strategic and tactical manual for overthrowing the economic, political and ideological hierarchies of early- 21st century neoliberal capitalism. The knowledge required to create a truly human civilisation is there to be discovered on the game board! richard ludic subversion against barbrook spectacular capitalism Minor Compositions An imprint of Autonomedia Front cover painting: Kimathi Donkor, Toussaint L’Ouverture at Bedourete (2004). Richard Barbrook “In a world become ‘game-ified’ against its will, Class Wargames provides the field manual for the only game that matters – that of history.” – McKenzie Wark, author of The Beach Beneath the Street and Gamer Theory “Richard Barbrook’s approach to the Situationist International is so left field, he leaves virtually every other author addressing the subject looking like a dull academic plodder. Were he still alive, Barbrook’s fellow iconoclast Guy Debord would heartily approve of such unacceptable theory.” – Stewart Home, avant-garde pornographer and Paul Hamlyn Foundation prize winner “Richard Barbrook’s book is a jubilant manifesto for ludic art and revolution – each in service of the other – for a participatory future. By bringing Situationist disciplines into a contemporary context, he shows how thinkers, gamers, artists, hackers and educators can resist assimilation, and their creative endeavours escape perversion, by the deadly, dominating forces of neoliberalism.” – Ruth Catlow, co-founder of Furtherfield and creator of Rethinking Wargames “Like H.G. Wells, Guy Debord saw wargames as a valuable means of ludic subversion of established societal and military hierarchies. In this impressively eclectic and erudite book, Richard Barbrook explains with infectious enthusiasm how he and his group have striven to use ludic ideas to inspire and inform a new generation of radicals.” – Philip Sabin, Professor of Strategic Studies at King’s College London and author of Simulating War class wargames ludic subversion against spectacular capitalism Richard Barbrook classwargames.net dedicated to Elena Mikhailovna Duffield ( née Vorontsova ) Class Wargames: ludic subversion against spectacular capitalism Richard Barbrook 1975–2012 This book is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 licence. If you have any queries about republishing, please contact Minor Comrade, Class Wargamer & Friend Compositions/Autonomedia. ISBN 978-1-57027-293-6 ‘While you live, shine Don’t suffer anything at all; Designed by David S. and Anne L. Blanco Cover image: Toussaint L’Ouverture at Bedourete © Kimathi Donkor (2004) Life exists only a short while www.kimathidonkor.net And time demands its toll.’ – Seikilos Released by Minor Compositions 2014 Wivenhoe / New York / Port Watson Minor Compositions is a series of interventions & provocations drawing from autonomous politics, avant-garde aesthetics, and the revolutions of everyday life. Minor Compositions is an imprint of Autonomedia www.minorcompositions.info | [email protected] Distributed by Autonomedia PO Box 568 Williamsburgh Station Brooklyn, NY 11211 www.autonomedia.org [email protected] respect due Arty Barbrook-Black; Adeline Mannarini; Alan Freeman; Alastair Brotchie; Ale Freire; Alessandro Vincentelli; Alex Auld; Alex Galloway; Alexander Nikolic; Alexandra Poblinkowa; Alexei Blinov; Alexei Monroe; Alexei Tsvetcoff; Ali Tajvidi; Andriy Linik; Andy Cameron; Angelina Davydova; Anna Kolodziejska; Anne Blanco; Andrew Burgin; ‘Spectacular domination’s first priority is to eradi- Anton Lukinskij; Armin Medosch; Ben Carmedy; Ben Vanovitch; Billy cate historical knowledge in general; beginning with Cass; Brian Train; Bridget Cotter; Caterina Carta; Clare Solomon; just about all rational information and commentary Claus Voigtmann; Christian Nold; Clive Adams; Corrado Morgana; about the most recent past. With consummate skill, Dan Judelson; Daniel Hinchcliffe; Dave Douglass; Dave Green; the spectacle organises ignorance of what is about to David Blanco; David Bovill; Dibyesh Anand; Dick Pountain; Djahjah happen and, immediately afterwards, the forgetting Bonorandi; Dmitry Golynko; Dominic Wells; Don Nicholson-Smith; of what has nonetheless been understood. History’s Drica Veloso; Eva Pascoe; Farhang Morady; Frands Pedersen; Frank domain is the memorable, the totality of events Boyd; Fred Turner; Fred Vermorel; Gill Woodward; Harry Pearson; whose consequences will be lastingly apparent. As Helen Barbrook; Henry Hyde; Hicham Khalidi; Hubert Czerepok; Ian thus, inseparably, history is knowledge that should Bone; Inke Arns; Isis Salvaterra; Jacqueline de Jong; James Moulding; endure and aid in understanding, at least in part, Jane Pavitt; Joel Bauman; John Barker; John McDonnell; John Rees; what is to come. In this way, history is the measure John Wyver; Jonathan Duffield; Kateryna Onyiliogwu; Keith Franklin; of genuine novelty.’ Ken Wark; Kimathi Donkor; Lara Blazic; Lewis Sykes; Lisa Devaney; Lisa Vanovitch; Lyubov Bejkatskaya; Malcolm Hopkins; Malcolm – Guy Debord Imrie; Marc Garrett; Marina Koldobskaya; Marta Kubik; Martin Comments on the Society of the Spectacle Housden; Mary Flanagan; Mel Franklin; Michael Kalivoda; Michèle Bernstein; Nik Gorecki; Niki Gomez; Olena Linik; Paolo Gerbaudo; Paul Gilroy; Pat McMath; Patrick Burke; Phil Sabin; Pil & Galia Kollectiv; Radhika Desai; Ray Holiday; Ricardo Blaug; Richard Parry; Richard Thomas; Rob Lucas; Rob McMaster; Robin Halpin; Russell King; Ruth Catlow; Sam Cooper; Simona Lodi; Sofia Korzova; Sophia Drakopoulou; Stevphen Shukaitis; Stewart Home; Suzy Robson; Tara Woodyer; Thiago Novaes; Tom Campbell; Tom Moore; Tom Vague; Tuesday Greenidge; Ursula Huws; Vladimir Rudykh; Wessel van Rensburg; Autonomedia; BOEM; Chto Delat?; Cybersalon; Cyland; End Notes; FleaPit; Firebox; Furtherfield Gallery; Housmans Bookshop; KCC & the Rocking Crew; LRC; Media Ecology Association; Midia Tática Brasil; NCCA; nettime; Pussy Riot; Raylab; Resonance FM; Theory & Practice; Toi-Toi; UCU; and Weekly Worker. contents Illustrations 8 Xenon-Eye by Alex Veness 10 Class Wargames Players 14 Class Wargames on Campaign 15 Games Played on Campaign 20 1.0: The Art of War 28 2.0: The Skilful General 112 3.0: The Workers’ Militia 230 4.0: Bibliography 342 5.0: Index by John Barker 406 illustrations Xenographs by Alex Veness Diagrams Inside Cover: María Mencía with Class Wargames at Cold War Modern 1: Pump House opening positions for Guy Debord’s The Game of War. in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, England, on 31st October Page 110 2008. 2: Rio de Janeiro opening positions for Guy Debord’s The Game of War. Frontispiece: Richard Barbrook and Ilze Black playing The Game of Page 224 War at Alex Veness’ Bankside flat in London, England, on 28th October 2008. 3: 1800 Marengo campaign scenario for Guy Debord’s The Game of War. Page 226 Chapter 1: Richard Barbrook and Malcolm McLaren with Class Wargames at the Wunderbar Festival in the Baltic Centre for Contem- 4: 1918 battle of Kazan scenario for Chris Peers’ Reds versus Reds. Page porary Art, Gateshead, England, on 14th November 2009. 228 Chapter 2: Stefan Lutschinger and Danilo Mandic with Class Wargames 5: 1805 battle of Austerlitz scenario for Guy Debord’s The Game of at What Is To Be Done? The Urgent Need to Struggle in the ICA, London, War. Page 336 England, on 13th October 2010. 6: 1802 battle of Fort Bedourete scenario for Richard Borg’s Com- Chapter 3: Ilze Black, Lucy Blake and Stefan Lutschinger with Class mands & Colors: Napoleonics. Page 338 Wargames at Cold War Modern in the Victoria & Albert Museum, Lon- don, England, on 31st October 2008. 7: Haldon Forest opening positions for H.G. Wells’ Little Wars. Page 340 Bibliography: Fabian Tompsett, Mark Copplestone and Richard Bar- brook with Class Wargames at Cyberfest 2008 in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia, on 27th November 2008. Index: Alex Veness with the Xenon-Eye scanner camera at Occupation Studios, London, England, on 14th March 2014. 8 9 Xenon-Eye by Alex