sis e th O EXP 2 no

agonistic debate nightmare the om to undo the innocence of participation of innocence the undo to fr up

The Nightmare of Participation – The CrossbenchNightmare of Participation articipation p

the necessity necessity the waking of

Wake up from the Nightmare book presents a platform for the of development of proac- Participation! This tive engagement and aims to fuel an of fields various from practitioners and theorists among positions political and backgrounds cultural knowledge, about the central thesis of Markus publication Miessen’s recent Criticality. Praxis as a Mode of This book does not look for deliberation, approval but or seeks for consensual an agile examination proposed of post-consensual (spatial) a practice, formulat- ing while promoting a conflictual reading of participation as a mode of proactive firstment: a step towards a state of acting and an individual, person singular engage- propositional practice. None of the contributions were content-edited; no con- sensual or editorial constraints were imposed on any of the contributors. Nina Valerie Kolowratnik is an architect educated Graz and Helsinki, who is currently involved in in ‘Critical Curatorial and Conceptual Practices in Architecture’ at Columbia University, New York. Markus Miessen is an architect, researcher and writer, who runs Studio Miessen. He practices and teaches in- ternationally and is now a professor for Critical Spatial Practice at the Städelschule, Frankfurt.

sis e th O EXP 2 no

miessen kus ar M &

owratnik owratnik ol K Valerie ina N

—

P of htmare ig N icipation art

om the the om fr p U aking W

waking up from the nightmare Nina Valerie Kolowratnik

EXPOthesis no2 of participation & Markus miessen

sis e th O EXP 2 no

th O EXP sis e 2 no

ace Expodium sp

public

and

ch resear

art no.1:

the Utrecht Graduate School of Visual Art and Art Visual of School Graduate Utrecht the in

MaHKU, EXPOTHESIS

olitics, Identity and Public Space. Critical Reflections

Mika Hannula, 2009. P in and Through the Practices of Contemporary Art, expothesis ond publication in the series.ond publication in Waking Up Waking from the Nightmare of is Participation the sec- throw light on these issues.throw light on these year Expodium and MaHKU invite a prominent author to edge production in regard to art and public space. Each Design. It investigates the significance of artistic knowl- series of collaboration the of outcome an is Expothesis and

EXP O sis e th 2 no

Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation — Nina Valerie Kolowratnik & Markus miessen Content

6 Expodium Preface

10 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik & Markus Miessen On the protocols of invitation

30 CARSON CHAN EPILOGUE

36 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik SUBJECT: contribution to Markus Miessen’s forthcoming publication Waking Up from the 42 Patricia Reed Eccentric Space: Democracy at All Cost and the Indisciplinary Participant

58 Tirdad Zolghadr

Punk macht dicken Arsch N ightmare of 2 61 Schorsch Kamerun Art Group of Cheering Persians P 64 Akademie c/o articip Akademie c/o's Letter to Berlin's leading political candidates, 2011 ation

70 Maria Fusco Poor it is

75 Liam Gillick Immolation

79 Mika Hannula If you are looking for honey, don’t go off killing all the bees – The Quest for the Common Good and the Participatory Community

89 Phillip Zach 'We will breathe later' CONTENT 138 148 135 160 123 168 163 175 118 111 98 95 Su M J P I Lu P A genero C A TH C T M S E HO OR O K O D D F T Jan Cu O M Jeremy ( n th C u he he ya ed art om ro ri g r ngeli an an ie ril n n n th or icha el ros st W st igi E hail iticality) iticality) l ain ain ter W stina

l erica B t A S anie anie K N E fessional fessional N ling yo u e ten ten icipating politically I ta conom D rt e ING n D ig a F ra s e Utopia of of e Utopia N an el el M as hen hen O

R – u qu nding b , ot participate, or Whatis or ot participate, M ote htmare of htmare T

u oe ta E W en id C l il P

O H on si al L th s ar I om a e S F ee l st of the the of st 'B ir lstraete E u ch ch ie u

Y s from an an s from ik C

ics, and and ics, D u

et rian P o sch l & E ld y of P am EAD m ARTICIPATE r ea v t today? u ode S P i al A u

til ra T F pens ma ni ho ! u el rs P l s xis as a as xis L at T sm, sm, ar ONG ix Vogel ix v P te ra u a D art ion P gh u ticipation is ar nsdisciplinary Work in the in Work nsdisciplinary E I rs t consolate consolate nc

icipation ? t s L ticipation , I I V R O ircled ircled t Wa M E ec u

od T ts u HE rr s iders, iders, e of Q S ing ing S af U oc M EE e od iety* N N T I ntr o ! ig ern World ern P htmare ar u de ticipate rs –

3 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation ht ig N er w g o P on L

acas al A u isions ar D C ec , E D en QU v ITI ical mo sson CR th

il E s ra N u G s ly poralities of ends, u rt ONAL tors Battle, and ep d n ri A TI R em F ra 011 T ist U icipation Uran an i ag u legell ONFLICT o v , 2 ff ts ts rt C M C w

A art O z ch z T F resentation ah ec sch s, P , , mann ortance of NSTIT S h his sight, yet he cannot see denreich v I it b di O ting a gestion in er

ep ep

it r o ei il ks & S R N ubj ai mp j sher I w Y ces and or H to hile on önt i S tay O ng

w er o not participate F v

e l er M ng w M u A pa ubu rticipatory u ft ter to

t Au A P k k k a an an

T S S H kan an PACES a a a TICIPATION F fan fan TES w et ll

S P b li a

L ean ar ar n th ina e le an nd dn sh an an ti te he he he u NO ho M Ev Wolfgang Zinggl Wolfgang Bread and A S J IN S Beyond C A T a M M T D PAR N O H A Hu T Ur in 3 215 221 19 198 262 249 246 189 236 233 254 238 204

4 268 Andrea Phillips A short plan for art institutions post-participation

274 Nikolaus Hirsch, Michel Müller, Cybermohalla Ensemble When something expands, it eats into something else

281 Jan Verwoert NOTES ON COLLABORATIVE PRODUCTION

288 biographies

302 colophon 5 CONTENT Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participationarticipation m u xpodi EFACE E PR

6 expodium Miessen’s work. Especially when and publications the through was It ers, tocrankuptheconversationabouttheirsurroundings. us- city's the stimulates and provokes irritates, surprises, Expodium trenched patternsofthought. en- through breaking for possibilities utilize them help to seeks and artists environment, urban the international in phenomena young, and tendencies current of with groups confronts time, our of atics problem- urban to attention draws Expodium actions, energetic and Expodium intervenes in the city. Through a series of long-term projects of artisticknowledgeproductioninregardtoartandpublicspace. significance the investigates series Expothesis The Design. and Arts Visual of School Graduate Utrecht the MaHKU, and Expodium of tive This book is the second publication in the Expothesis series, an initia- There are multiple levels of participation taking place during that that during being against goes that practice artistic an place for call that layers process, taking participation of levels multiple are There public with space. that of engaging users with dealing and shaped, is it between that way the space, connection inevitable an is There ductive forallpartiesinvolved. shape that conflictual space, and argue that their outcome will be pro- ‘offspring’ of that challenge. We trust in their autonomous capacity to plug’, and to undergo a series of successive conflicts as the ‘spark subsequent that behind force generic the become to artists challenge We plug’ thatseekstostimulatedialogueandthinkingonurbanism. practice in public space, art the an main aim through of constructed which is is to that function equilibrium as a unstable ‘spark an is There strategies? new and innovation for aims instead and compromising, of idea the beyond goes that conflict of place a create you do how And like? look that would What practice. art an in concretized be could practitioner crossbench the of idea the how about arose Questions operation. of mode own our to directly relates it because appealing approach We found this process. aproductive toinstigate order in conflict create could who someone as outsider’ ‘uninvited the criticality, of mode a as praxis’ ‘crossbench of introduction Miessen’s Markus of because particular in attention our attracted Participation of Nightmare The and experiencesExpodium’sownpracticevisions. was in the making, we felt close connections between Miessen’s ideas (2007) that we got interested in in interested got we that (2007) Participation of Violence The (2006), (2006), Participate? Say Someone Did The Nightmare of Participation (2010) (2010)

7 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

The The Nightmare of . Participation It opens up a We We invited Markus to write Expothesis no.2 as a follow-up to We thank Markus Miessen and Nina Valerie Kolowratnik for their educational, invasive and patronising, an artistic practice that instead that practice artistic an patronising, and invasive educational, activates and mobilises people to think about, and be concerned with own habitat. their outsider, the of question the including discussion, of field wider much disciplinarity, democracy, political correctness, institutional critique and more. Expodium Nightmare Nightmare of , Participation elaborating more on the notions of - par ticipation as false nostalgic desire, conflict versuscompromise, con- uninvited as institution artist/art the and passivity collective as sensus outsider. The end result exceeded our expectations. Markus Miessen, together with Nina Valerie Kolowratnik, shaped this publication into a collec- thinking and reflection. tive platform of critical thirty- of amalgam an is Participation of Nightmare the from Up Waking seven contributions that constitute a true space of conflict,- question participatory critical the further taking and endorsing disproving, ing, practice suggested in collaboration, commitment and massive book, and efforts we express our on utmost gratitude to making the contributors who this so generously offered us their thoughts, reactions and creative input. Furthermore we thank CLEVER°FRANKE for being in charge of the design, Don Mader for the English text editing and Ben Ferguson for the German-English translations. And of course, a major thank you to MaHKU, Utrecht Graduate School of Visual co-producing the book with us. Art and Design, for

8 expodium

9 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participationarticipation tnik ra w o ol K essen s mi u k e protocols of e protocols ar ation M it ina Valerie Valerie ina v N & n th in O

10 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik & Markus miessen and you summed up in your last book last your in up summed you and par- hollow ticipation, which is what you have been engaged with for the last years representative, of scenario scripted the in caught been originate? originate? title the does Where it. on work actual the with started even we before mind in clearly had already you which Participation, of Nightmare the book, the of title the was talk initial our in about ing N M N mare Idescribedintheprevioustitle. night- the with grips to getting start to by conversation, a start reaction to others, a provoke to and table the on something throw to idea: participation. con- of potential a practice of temporary rendering alternative my around thesis a velop de- to way proactive time same the issues of those at some and theoretical more with a in terms and to come to try to attempt first my book, some latest for in posed The were Participate. ground that hypotheses atesting and ideas the presented of It Pflugfelder. Ralph titled with Biennial Lyon the for project a was after year the on worked I project Another participation. of problem- atic the around concerns of series a investigate to point entry I my really publication was This Basar. a Shumon co-editor my hand with together other edited the on project and thesis Consortium MA London my the hand at one the on was which anthology Participate, the Say with started all It participation. of sue is- the of aspects different with deal all that publications of series a and in some cases alien fields of knowledge, and are being asked to to asked being are and knowledge, of fields alien cases some in and – tion in presented you thesis the of ground testing a consensus, for need the beyond debate a tion: to contributions Nightmare of Participation their become an example of conflictual participa - and invited authors the sense, this In place. takes platform actually disagreement the proactive where be to is book this then disagree, to start can we terms common understanding and starting point, where in Chantal Mouffe's the of aim the If debate. non-consensual agonistic, an to contribute to fields different from practitioners several inviting by editors, as here, done have we and then – to make the next crucial step – you start to act, which is what ina Valerieina V ark K : So, to wake up in this context means to first realize that you have u the framework of framework the s M iessen: K olo ihmr o Participation ( of Nightmare Over the last six years I have been working on on working been have I years six last the Over w ra . The authors step into an existing situa existing an into step authors The NOP. – and operate from a critical distance, distance, critical a from operate and – NOP tnik: , was was Participation, of Nightmare The One of the first things we were speak- was a very simple simple very a was Up Waking The Nightmare of Participation, of Nightmare The h Voec o Participation of Violence The ) was to prepare a a prepare to was NOP) Waking Up form the the form Up Waking Did Someone Say Say Someone Did Waking Up from from Up Waking Did Someone Someone Did ­

11 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

NOP, which originally was Waking Waking Up from The Nightmare Now, I think you have already mentioned in an interesting way : MM - facilitat the up build to order In thesis. central its upon reflect critically course of we place, take to debate agonistic an such for framework ing policy. editorial and concept book's the into it translate to needed also We We quickly agreed that the contributions should terms not of content, be neither edited should in they be restricted in length of the contribution or in the style of language – no constraints. terms of the We agreed that every contribution would be accepted, even if it deals with the book itself. very critically this level of agonistic reflection. I totallyreally agreethe idea for this with book or publication this.to become This was a platform for exchange, and in this sense I also think or that actually the will reflection should deal more with than the the main book itself part – because of the the main to referring idea or investigating thesis are that is reviews of series a presents certainly simply rather not that it assumed and taken being is idea core of kind a that rather but book, the as a starting point for a series of almost individual discussions to take place: individual further developments, where idea and either develops it further someone or hijacks it in one way or another, takes an corrupts it or does something else with it, where there is a new author relationship with the work, not one that is purely reflective, but one that is intrinsically proactive. So rather than this being a kind of pure reflection, it is really a mode of production. Hopefully, and of course at the moment we don't know this, this is further. what it develop they and at idea an take least they that – some do will contributors of the We treated every contribution as an autonomous, individual ment, as - state part of the debate, and neither placed the contributions in an editorial, content-related structure nor in any kind of hierarchical order that would attempt to string them together tially shared views, for example. One of the triggers for the idea of this based on poten- book was actually Carson Chan's text in treated like an epilogue. piece the of reflection a write to itself, book the within I [NOP], book the invited Carson to reflectin the piece criticallyso to speak, to on include this within the body of the book itself.Similar to the core idea of , Participation of it was based on the someone notion to that contribute, you but would to invite beginning very – that clearly the autonomy of state the piece – would be secured right critically however and by on reflect would contributor all a Whatever means. from the this would be pursued, there wouldn't be an editorial filter in terms of content, criticality, or proposition. So, even if the would utterly condemn the content of the book, it would be invited included. author

12 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik & Markus miessen juxtapose thedifferentpositionsofauthors. directly and compare easily can you keywords, the observe you If glimpse. a at contribution each of proposition central the of parts understand to possibility the reader the giving – triggers as work also will contributions, the of argument core the represent believe we which sentences, keyword or keywords, These contribution. of means non-consensual personal, want you if another, represents us, but authors, the by not chosen are indexes contribution and Keywords date. submission the to according arranged simply are pieces individual The speak. to so project the of point starting the as book, the in it include to consequently and well as invite this deliver to crucial absolutely is it decided we Hence, developed. was content the which from base collective the formed letter invitation This tion. deal with the content of the book. All authors received the same invita- we that way the in this illustrate to trying are we that say would I one. co ers woulddothisanyway. individual contributions – and probably only the most interested read- N MM N terms oftheindividualarguments? propositional. become to in time helpful is book the structure we which in way the that think you the Do really it's me for now years, six last the over participation of issue whole this into inquiry my during to exposed been increasingly have I which frustration the describing Whereas us. before situation the with dealing of way proactive more a acting, of state a towards step next of kind a in say, from The Nightmare of Participation coming from? It is precisely as you of To the call midwife. title this I end is the where – title the what about of question your to the return figure of the towards introduces notion and he, the outsider’ in ‘uninvited on example reflects discussed for interestingly of aspects piece, when specific parts his further, some criticized book took and really the not evaluated but he thesis, analyzed, because the cleverly contribution, very Carson's with receive only happened to originally pleased what very also then was This witnessed? In your last publication, have you nightmare the constitutes What from? up wake to want you that is it what of question the about talk to interesting be would it Up, V V slig h atos Ti i pr o te oks ocp – and – concept book's the of part is This authors. the nsulting K K : : : ...which otherwise would only be possible after having read all all read having after possible be only would otherwise ...which The structure of the book works like an archive, a chronological chronological a archive, an like works book the of structure The xcl. o, fe hvn tle aot h nto of notion the about talked having after Now, Exactly. NOP, you describe your frustration is somehow somehow is NOP . I was was I NOP. Waking Up Up Waking

without Waking

13 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

NOP. So, do you already know the NOP, I wonder: when you invite an outsider to change your In the beginning of this project, when we started working on Because I strongly believe in proactive engagement and : : K V N MM with the topic. What I find particularlyinteresting here is your call to reverse the romanticized, unquestioned and innocent mode of par- ticipation into a new mode of critical spatial practice and conflictual participation. You strip it of its innocence. But you still keep the - no Why?tion of participation. direct involvement. I just think that the rules of the game need to be manipulated. Participation needs to be de-romanticized, innocence, and we loose need to speak its about the fact that often - participa change to want really you case in correct politically not and dirty is tion something. Demanding that everyone should is simply always crackbrained. I have be started to develop included a role, which I call the ‘uninvited outsider’, a practitioner without mandate. This role is conflictual rather than consensual rendering of a based on the notion of participation. of the term and practice authors or someone else to be critical. position I am also you thinking of and the consultancy project Andrea you did for the Dutch organization SKOR, Phillips where adopted you in have been invited the to assist institutional in an reformulating institution and as outsiders. restructuring When linking the notion of the outsider’ ‘invited to the project you management did with consultancy-examples SKOR, while you looking gave world at in the from the would course of you because – way business positive a in institution or company person a invite probably would you – way positive a in it change to want whose work you know and whose previous work you also appreciate. phrase a outcome”, imagined priori a an “facilitate then you Basically, you actually critically stated in outcome, or hope for a turn in Up Waking from the Nightmare of , Participation because you are aware a certain direction, in the case of the of previous work of the contributors you invited – and of course selected the authors accordingly? How can a person invited provoke frame- the up setting is important how And friction? or change critical work – the rules of the game – in order to facilitate a non-consensual debate despite maybe similar minded authors? this book, you were sceptical about ‘inviting’ authors yourself, authors yourself, authors ‘inviting’ about sceptical were you book, this you may know personally, to critically reflect on your work. And there of course, also in general, arises the question whether one can invite

14 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik & Markus miessen and theresultofpro-active,self-initiated practice. mandate without is – default by – which role a to referring am I sider’, in talk, I When process. ongoing an to invited are contributors cases, both In proposing. am I that one the from one different slightly a is book, the fact in or SKOR, in outsider history.its and argument core the to comes it when ers insid- the of role The all not are who people between discussion a enable to say, to is This backgrounds. professional and cultural diverse their the of on basis chosen be also would contributors agenda that start, the clear from right very a was there [www.winterschoolmiddleeast.org], East Middle School Winter the Like promises. false clear.No be must one invite someone to be critical? Yes, I think so. But the Can rules of the game develop. ever will new nothing then conversation the start tion, which assume their own authorship. The problem is, if you don’t polish production, about not is work My about. strongly feel I themes and in produced I work the to specifically react to invited are individuals of work with, but a concrete imagination turning reality, being: that a set to wanted always I people simply or works, great of selection ogy-like productive. The contributions in specific, something towards move a process, the of step next a is here producing are we what that is this to answer My strategy. corporate a your invite you if even that adversary you are incorporating him say or her into your system, similar to to tendency a with is overlap there Today or mine. agree necessarily not do positions those admire. However, I that positions certain to according selected were authors the Yes, change. for blueprint a have to claim don’t I that mention to important is it think I Nevertheless, unproductive. very approach and philosophy McKinsey the example, for find, I why is This happen. will fail. to project others only to blame the change on them, while already knowing what the uses for it as danger, a is also is outcome imagined priori tendency a an Facilitating the beginning the from delivered, right product assumed this get to expect they whom from want, and they what knows already client a If change. for allow to client a of side the on willingness certain a be to needs There client. the on phase must always be positive or successful. I think it depends heavily consulting or project a of outcome the work, her or his for respect you N MM V , following up on an ongoing discussion around the topics topics the around discussion ongoing an on up following NOP, K : : Almost by default this would assume that if you invite someone someone invite you if that assume would this default by Almost Soyouthinkit’s possible. ing, and ­ing, moving on. I like it to trigger other forms of produc- of forms other trigger to it like I on. moving Waking Up are not meant as a anthol- , about the ‘uninvited out- ‘uninvited the about NOP,

15 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

NOP, for example, was quite a NOP and, more precisely, the chapter called Learning Andrea Phillips and I have been invited by SKOR in order to de- In this context, please can you tell me more about the project forproject the about more me tell you can please context, this In Of course it’s problematic if one invites someone to be critical : : : K M V vise an ongoing project through which a kind of rethinking process of the institution over the course of two years would be started executed. This and was, at the time, commissioned by SKOR’s new direc- tor Fulya Erdemci, who invited us on the basis and idea that we would come in as outsiders in order to critically reflect on an ongoing opera- from on reflect or critique to difficult very is usually which system, tive the inside. In that sense – and I also think this is the kind of link you made earlier to m N MM or certain projects one has been dealing same with time together. But I at think the that in even amongst those the who may know book each other. authors I of critical lot think a fact of in are this there exchange – list here us ofof front in is have we that people possible, who have agreed to contribute, who I actually didn’t know personally before we started this project – although quite a lot of them I knew, or at least I have briefly met. This does not necessarilymean though that they agree with me and I agree with them. some of the contributors of the In book think that I am pretty much fact of a I know that bullshitter. What we did is that we were trying to interesting come up list with an of protagonists develop to it, further to hand, at discussion the of terms in and relevant are practitioners who we believe it, to hijack it. So, can one invite someone to be critical? Again, yes, I think so. When one invites, the definitionof the terms of acting, the must and clear be must conduct of codes the and engagement, of rules over button control the hand to go, let to able be to need You stated. be to someone else. Carson Chan’s text in heavy critique of the book, but at the same time I consider productive critique it as a it understands very the idea, but also its flaws, and really was it sense that in So, it. re-contextualizes or further, it develops here, that, impression the under am still and was I it. read to pleasure a somebody really understood what I was trying to do and then really took this opportunity to do something with it. And it’s really my hope that also with the other contributors this will be the case, so that I am only the one who is throwing an idea on the table, and then react on it on their own terms. people when when there is already a personal relationship, which often is friendly also relationship, or a one that at least is based on previous joined professional experiences such as cooperations, collaborations, and with SKOR?

16 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik & Markus miessen Within this project I found myself working as an uninvited outsider outsider uninvited an as again. working myself agenda found political I project the this Within on return of topic possible the bring other to up futures: open and discussions Israel, new contemporary provoke thereby of and landscape transformed the into refugees tabooed and discussion stagnant by offering a a spatial perspective counteract on the return to of Palestinian trying was I where question, refugee Palestinian the of re-reading spatial the on project a to ring refer- am I invited. been have would one if aim its reached have not could – fact in – existing which mine, of project recent an a explain briefly will enters I who so. do to outsider’, asked being without but ‘uninvited intention, precise a with the situation of one the and N odology –isbeingreferredtoasanembeddedapproach. learn can one how and from those processes. This comes closer to what – institution, in consulting meth - the in involved being stuff the and institution the of work-process-approach of internal kind and the the approach, programming both change on can years you program, two through of basically how, period a for working director actually are the We with contextualized. more far is approach the and not you. In our situation at decision, SKOR this is slightly different, the because making them as read be officially will it because staff, your to model, restructured the news’, ‘the communicate they if you for easier be will it that – voice, them invited you why is this as already, this another know through you and – you tell will assumptions They language. another in even possibly your reconfirm to already, it knew you push what you to tell simply to difficult outsiders these get is you So it through. inside the from know but you want, company, you a what restructure exactly to aims who CEO a as example: an give To outsiders. invited the are They invited. being are they why precisely is Which get. to going are you what know you company your experiences. In a sense, their approach is generic. When you previous ask them to come into their to it compare always will they company new a meet to go they whenever So change. for blueprints as archives company own their with work They change. for tailor-made scenarios or supposedly models their and acquisition their both regarding record track on work McKinsey like industry.Companies this in mon work or task as opposed to model based on track-record, which is com- out, which has to do with an individual’s approach to a specific kind of pointed already have you which difference, huge one is there think I time same the At Königswieserfunction. or McKinsey as such models similarities with, the way that conventional or conservative consulting from the Market – one could certainly compare it to, or find some kind of V K : I would like to juxtapose to the model of the ‘invited outsider’, outsider’, ‘invited the of model the to juxtapose to like would I

17 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

How did your status as ‘foreigner’ effect or affect the way you Even though my status as a foreigner on site rendered it even : : K V N MM regarding both Israelis and, at a certain point, Palestinians as well. On well. as Palestinians point, certain a at and, Israelis both regarding one side of the conflict, fears of ademographic earthquake and the questions it casts on the moral legitimacy of the Zionist project have made the topic of return taboo. On the other side of the conflict, it is refugee.the of status temporary the in expressed presence, constant a Political Political realities however often limit how return might be imagined within the Palestinian population, and tend to restrict the theme of demands fundamental by constrained unanimity, projected a to eturn concerned with the symbolic and the legal level. tion from Thus the collective every consensus regarding devia- the debate on return is perceived as a potential threat – fearing to community's undermine the strength refugee and seem social demands fundamental their make return of practicabilities ated homogeneity, or let differenti- too complex to implement. utopian and just far concrete forms of spatial return due to the fear of misrepresentation, it was on the other hand precisely my outsider's role which brought me into the position of asking questions a person directly in involved the conflict which has now been ongoing forover 60simple yearsnot; could due to emotional constraints and the repeated setbacks thein manifested return, of right the of recognition for struggle the in silent the or constraints ideological to due and refugees the of life daily dictate of collective consensus. Thus it was precisely interfering from the transfer to possible it made that distance critical a and outside the topic from a symbolic into a new, practical and propositional level – refram- discussion, current the of deadlock the break to way a offering ing the debate to read the conflict from a fundamentally spatial- per spective and addressing ways in which return might manifest itself. Then, of course not only the notion of the uninvited outsider, but the play into well,comes as outsider disinterested and innocent the of one here. Israeli transit and travel laws do not allow Palestinian refugees to visit the villages their families came from or to consult archive ma- terial in Israel. As a European though I was granted freedom of move- ment, and as a student working in the ‘harmless’ field of architecture and arts I could pursue in-depth research, both in Palestine as percep- and role The questions. any facing without almost Israel, wellin as tion of the arts in Israel is particularly interesting, as it is one of the only fields where criticism against Israeli state politics is tolerated, more difficultto engage the local population in a discussion on were acting within this forcefield? were acting within this

18 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik & Markus miessen So if you look on the maps that were produced during this project, project, this during produced were that maps the on look you if So draw - of relationships. power those that describe to is means a as which notation, and tool, ing architectural an hijacking of idea the as described, for example, in the Politics of Verticality. It is built around space, on effect immediate an has decision-making political how and realities social and political certain describe to attempts It economic. very is outcome and stake between proportionality The economy. an of sense positive most the in means, economic time same the at and relevant most strategically the with forward plot the drive to attention everyone’s catching MacGuffin, a or doll voodoo a like more function they time same the at But territorial. are they that sense the in spatial are They Architecture. Decolonizing with later and B’tselem, zation with Eyal Weizman’s project developed with the human rights organi- example for decade, last the over developed been in have that spatial projects are proposing be might you effect, that is to say physical. This is true also that if you look at some of the things the all not So, the lack of a better word – participation are actually non-architectural. a context from the outside, where the means of engagement, and – for you are describing is that you, as an architect, are actually approaching that model this in interesting quite actually is What architect? an as – proach, but also how one can devise alternative systems to get engaged call a maybe ‘soft practice’, could one that one is deliberately what based on produce a non-physical you ap- do how architecture, back- of the ground from coming are you example, for If, oneself. for develop or define to trying is one that role the with as well as realities political being situated and contextualized. It has to do with both the social and is practice this which in context the is here question important other unex- an- actually but is what this, dilettante said Having manner. productive a and pected in depths, subject’s the in fully oneself to one immerse allows that condition this precisely is It one. perceived consciously a not least at – threat no is she or He structure. complex its of knowledge of lack to due system internal the who threaten not does someone as understood is outsider The model. interesting an becomes role this open, deadlock such break possibly could one how and discussion stagnant a as describing are you what to contribute to order In stakeholder. immediate an not coming is someone who outside, of the role from the of example interesting an is it think I Also, act. possibly could one how for example good really a probably MM taken seriouslybythevastmajorityofIsraeliaudience. not is art of impact or potential socio-political the and general in art Danon, Eyal to according because, precisely or time same the at but : I think this issue of the refugees’ return is super interesting and and interesting super is return refugees’ the of issue this think I

19 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

When acting as an architect within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli-Palestinian the within architect an as acting When : K V N they use an architectural language to describe the political and social realities on the ground, but at the same time they do not come across as a result of an architectural project, or in fact something done by an from more some hear to interested really be actually would I architect. you about how you think one could – as an architect – possibly get engaged in such kind of context, and to which extend the background role of the outsider. be an asset in such could possibly of architecture in my case on the topic of return, which is currently I think the at primary aim must be a to open spaces of standstill, possibility for new ideas and spaces for change, rather than to fix the future through de- sign – which would merely hinder any productive discussion, rather then to enable it. No architect can fully expect to plan, let alone to im- architecture use can however project A reality. political new a plement, hand one the On imaginable. scenario political alternative an make to spatial thinking in combination with the tool of mapping or drawing can lay bare complex political force-fields by abstractingdown to its basic structure, an image and in the case of Israel-Palestine, by de- behindintentions the and reality constructed a landscape, the coding archi- which in way only the be not must this hand, other the on Yet, it. tects can act in a conflict situation like this – and that’s exactly what I learned when working with Decolonizing Architecture in Bethlehem, directed by Sandi Hilal, Alessandro Petti and Eyal Weizman, during the months of the research of my project. In the case of Palestinian the conflict,Israeli- where the political situation limitswhich a thedifferent future way in could be imagined, it is most important become to propositional as an architect; to move from an analytical to a propositional approach to the situation. We might imagine that in a situation of such utter political uncertainty, the creation of a pool new of ideas and the necessary level of abstraction stand in contrast with the architectural scale. Nevertheless, I think this is not the case. Architects work at a scale which allows us – in the midst of a conflict on many levels – to concentrate for a short moment on one single set of questions and, going back to my project on return, to a show simple withsketch what has so far been treated as the final step in any development of strategies for return – the spatial relation to the place of return, and consequently, the practical implementation of return. Furthermore, to introduce the architectural scale in this conflict situ- ation meant daring to design, or put on paper, something which was not imaginable at the moment, a tabooed topic, and thus to provoke the much needed discussion simply by visualizing ready-to-be-implemented scale. The very tool of mapping is here used new ideas in a

20 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik & Markus miessen context then? Those projects are often very well known or have been communicated Those projects areoftenverywellknownor havebeencommunicated these in projects tend to fly in, so involved to speak, from Western Europe or elsewhere. directly are who practitioners the of lot to a that interesting see is it example, for Israel-Palestine, practice in spatial critical projects of related context the In perceived. being is it how more and – result a as communicated, – and whom, to communicated being being is it how is precisely, it how of danger this always is there projects self-initiated of context the in working are you moment MM N MM any more.” ments, and when refugees can return, I don't think we have to be there settle- of reuse the plan to start can people where situation political a Barclay about their spatial practice in Bethlehem, “When there will be Ahmad with interview an in stated Petti Alessandro as And, hand. at remain conflict the of phase this in scale architectural the of purpose only the must limited, become has imagination where new possibilities of out sketching the and moment, the at none are there where well. It is important though to stress that the reopening of discussions as drawings architectural conventional in integrating to accustomed and personal enough to allow for identification – aspects which we are specific time same the at but outlined, story the of development ther fur- the and associations for space leave to enough abstract be must It chosen. carefully be must presentation of way the themselves, gees refu- the by further taken them have to is which of aim the future, the of images producing When past. the of rebuilding simple the mean to return expecting of idea common the on and overwritten, been has sions on the inevitable individual alterations of memory of a place that discus- crucial the initiate to order in place, the of memories their of images the map to case their in so, do to interviewees my asked I also myself, maps producing to addition In discussion. for trigger a as helping devise ways to jump scales of negotiation, an intermediate intermediate step –aninitialtrigger. an negotiation, of scales jump to ways devise helping of kind a as project the describe could You side. their from return for struggle the within tool a as used be can then which – return to they want way the about thinking start to people trigger to and level tical the means of architecture in order to bring discussion on a more prac- with working – point starting a involved, directly people the for tool a V K : : : The worry that I often face with my own projects is that the the that is projects own my with face often I that worry The The aim of spatial practice is to become a tool in the conflict, conflict, the in tool a become to is practice spatial of aim The So, to be very precise, what is the role of spatial practice in this this in practice spatial of role the is what precise, very be to So,

21 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation quite quite a lot in Europe and the United States, and for example also in biennials in urban centres around the globe. However, they are often not to well known in the areas, territories and geographies that they are actually dealing with. So we also need to address the question of how it could also be misunderstood, or be read, as a kind of colonial mostly but others, towards critique a at not is this And itself. in gesture a self-reflection, or critical comment on my own workwhen it comes, for example, to the Winter School in Kuwait. Returning to the notion productive,absolutely be can it although – that think I outsider, the of one when think I and problematic, highly be also can it – is it often and needs really one models, such proposes or this, like context a in works to be aware of this danger: how is it being read and how does action one’s fuel this potential misreading. To use the example again, of our invitation SKOR so to speak had a very clearly defined agenda. As an outsider on the one hand you try to contribute to this agenda, but agenda, this to contribute to try you hand one the on outsider an As with tools and means that the people directly involved in this context would otherwise not even consider, because they just weren't aware that this could be an option to of needs outsider the of structural role The inside. the from change, contribution or ment content develop- be strategically considered in terms of how and where to get engaged, because this can have an enormous effect or influence on the way it is perceived, and also in the way that it can stimulate change. There is an emerging aesthetic around the issue of conflicts and war zones, which I find quite worrying. A lot of artists and architects are now as- involved. very not otherwise are they although aesthetics, such suming To a certain extent it has become almost like an approach more to that do with has the phenomenon than the deeper implications of it, but at the same time I would say in the case of Eyal Weizman, for ex- ample, looking at the way in which he was dealing with B’tselem and the way that he set his entire inquiry up over a long term, it's actually very interesting and highly relevant to showcase how, as an architect, you can also deal with a very specific audience, in his case that of an NGO and a general public. Of course the ones who really talk about it are architects and the art world. With projects that are self-initiated, I think one of the really important questions is not only ‘who are you yourof terms in addressing immediately you are ‘who or with’ dealing inquiry or propositional mode of acting’, but also then beyond those who are immediately involved, ‘what is the audience for such of pro- jects’? If one talks about architecture as a tool, who is the audience, and who can also understand that tool that you are using? I wonder, you did how tool, a as drawing use you that said you when example, for communicate this? I know your book for example, which I find quite

22 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik & Markus miessen N widely distributedin,let’ssay,Israel-Palestine, right? is which something not probably is book this again but interesting, thus are not wrong in themselves. Very sadly though, as you already already you as though, sadly Very themselves. in wrong not are thus effective tools an most architect or artist can the apply to create awareness probably – and are exhibiting and publishing that acknowledge must one questionable, is venues art renowned in touring excessive projects’ some of scope the if even also, And sides. various from again agenda political the on discussion the push to helping – well as level international an on awareness create to important is it time same the think I Israel-Palestine,at concerning projects about talking But when especially well. as Diaspora the in case this in or site, on involved, directly people the activate and address to important incredibly is it workshop the organized recently and planners spatial with working continued also they tion, addi- In happy. really me makes which material, workshop as and – Israel in projects school their in tool educational an as project my ing us- now is material, research gather to me helped kindly which and Israel, in Arabic] in [‘catastrophe’ Nabka Palestinian ongoing the of awareness create to is aim main whose Zochrot, organization Israeli way appropriating it or incorporating it in certain their agenda. a In my in case, the it, on working continue case, ideal an as and, effectively more much idea the communicate furthermore can forums propriate ap- or institutions Local change. inseminate or instigate and people the people in the reach of an NGO, where you could effectively activate like audience an – afterwards address to audience immediate an have didn’t I that meant also It moment. the at work at machines sensus con- the in caught be to not order in project my for essential been has public, Israeli the and community refugee Palestinian the as widely very audience my defining population. and unasked, local mandate, the without Working be also course of must audience primary the population, local the within ideas new for point starting a trigger, a as do so. This leads me to your notion of audience. If you use architecture bilities of the future could be imagined, using architecture as a tool to possi- different where space a up open to instead but scale, smaller a products or to work as solutions, either on the level of the conflict or on end be to meant not were they strategies, concrete on worked have we though Even solutions. proposing about not is it scale, detailed more a on projects on worked have Architecture, Decolonizing also and I, if even But question. this face genuinely to has one theory, or re- search to work one’s limit not does and way propositional a in acts one if Precisely future. the colonizing merely are sort this of approaches V K : It is an appropriate and crucial question, whether outsider outsider whether question, crucial and appropriate an is It . In the end I think think I end the In Return. Counter-Mapping

23 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

You You also told me that you want to build a platform for critical Correct. In a way one could argue that this kind of ‘taking over’ is happen- is over’ ‘taking of kind this that argue could one way a In I only know that the Winter School contributed to the Sharjah : : : : K K V V knowledge production, which can then be by claimed locals or in taken order to over develop it further independently. Is this the reason why, as far as I know, the Winter School’s outputs, the work you work the outputs, School’s Winter the know, I as far as why, reason internation- widely, not were sessions, workshop the during produced ally published? There have not been, for example, any books so far, and no frequent touring in exhibitions. ing already now in Kuwait. Zahra, my co-director in Kuwait, is already using parts of it in order to develop new initiatives now that it people started to get interested in such work. in other directions, starting Yes, you are right, it was never my aim to develop this into a content- production machine for distribution. This is supposed to be the about local, and not necessarily about its international or even global distribution. The questions we are raising are very specificwork andwe are the developing is much more about educating the assump- tion of a different role, enabling producing material that can be circulated. young practitioners, rather than N MM N MM mentioned, mentioned, many of these projects are by now well known within the European academic art and architecture audience, but barely known by the people concerned – even though it is precisely an architectural or spatial project that can easily switch between these two audiences. In fact, I would like to ask Winter School you Middle East, and about what you your are attempting ongoing to achieve. project at You the have, in the past, described the use of self-initiation in projects as a means to insert external discourses and, together with partners certain a transport which initiatives new develop to collaborators, and critical discourse with the intention of mobilizing local potentials. In other words: to mobilize local potentials through setting up a criti- cal platform in places where such a dialogue barely exists, or does not exist yet. If I understand correctly, the this in goals setting main the of one is – momentum certain up a reaching – itself of the institution during workshops and activities, which happen project, including the existence.and around its temporary Biennial this year. Is this because what was published is the on theory a conflictual, propositional practice – and this is what should be spread? The starting point – not the implementation – or one project

24 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik & Markus miessen ics, and for them to trigger certain responses on the one hand, and on together, people who are genuinely interested in discussing these top - people bringing in interested am I zones. contact generate to simple: very it put To abroad. from practitioners with together them bring to protagonists, super-regional and regional local, for platform a as act been to establish an institution, a very informal one in nature, that can up of an operative structure, that can be taken over. The goal has always setting the in interested simply is that but way, any in product nicable was never thought of as one that beginning establishes or develops a kind of commu- the from right which one is it because Architecture, Decolonizing example, for from, project of species different pletely com- a is it sense this in think I change. for platforms as institutions informal up setting and education of means alternative about really is It products. out churns that body a or itself in product a either into School Winter the turning in interested not personally am come.I to years the sense to regards in the bodies funding new in to talking now successful are we that was it that seems it and – end the in go not its work. That is why we were there – in fact Zahra was there, as I could of mediation the in example for interested being than rather project, the of part operative of kind a like really was presentation the sense this In place. take to them for funding, future receive possibly to tant, impor- more and hand, other the on but discussed, be can they hand, one be the on where, platform a themselves get to East Middle the in basically an opportunity for small or emerging institutions or projects the called mini-conference of kind a at tion, presenta- a of format the in contribution a was it but exhibition, the itself, Biennial the to contribution based project or visual a of sense the in representative, is that one all at not actually is contribution The biennial. this to contribution our and year this Biennial Sharjah the mention You School. Winter the of context the in least at in, terested in- all at not am I that something is world, art the in circulation heavy of approach, of kind this but – discourse of production critical the in interested definitely most and obviously also are they Architecture, – of adiscourse Decolonizing with example for that say course production of would I acritical where and and reflection on but all, at representation on based is that one not is institution an of idea this that is important really is What ourselves. celebrate to means related MM situation? tioners on conflictual practice, or the general public about the conflict practi- spatial other educate to order in exhibitions in hang to needs which product final a work, art an such, of example ideal an as shown : hra ws n bouey rgai, ahr hn content- a than rather pragmatic, absolutely an was Sharjah , which is is which Meetings, March

25 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Finally, how do you see the relation between your work at Studio It is absolutely crucial that the two entities are separated, : : K V MM N the other further projects that can be developed on the basis of those subjects subjects involved, with the help of the platform that has been estab - lished. This is actually a really important aspect, point because of view from the outcome of my each workshop is of minor importance Of only. course we end up with interesting content, and also some in- to had example, for year this which, – objects even or projects, teresting physical more much was which ‘Diwaniya’, of topic specific the with do at But Camp’. ‘Labour as such topics annual previous the of some than interested not are We outcome. secondary a only is this time, same the kind the rather but outcome, haptic or specific a of idea the in much so of process, both in terms of the students dealing with specific topics, build to means it what of processes the also but setting, particular a in this platform of exchange. What does this mean socially and cultur- ally, in a place where such civic, non-profit institutions as soft bodies of knowledge production don’t exist? At the same time also literally, What this? like institution an up built to mean it does what physically: for it to bepresence, also potential physical a of does it mean in terms taken seriously by some more formal, local protagonists, be they po- as institution an of notion this Interestingly, social? or cultural, litical, a trigger did not work at all in Dubai. Almost immediately there were questions coming in from the outside about how one could possibly deal with this in the future, if it was a profit-making institution. Now in Kuwait – we started in October 2010 – already there is the first pro- involved directly not actually am I which this, of out coming is that ject in. It’s called Madrasa, which is a new school or mini-institution, also self-initiated, spearheaded by Zahra Ali Baba. It is set up on a much more frequent basis – lectures, panel discussions, small exhibitions. This is now starting to produce a very proactive discourse or displays that didn’t exist as such in Kuwait before. I am ducing interested international in protagonists intro- and practitioners to the with region up teamed are then people those that intention – clear the with but locals, and together develop projects. I think. Not because I would not trust it to work if we were different require all tasks different because but projects, same the on ing work- approaches. On the one hand there is an interest in a set of diverse Miessen and nOffice –are you trying to transfer or integrate the ideas nOfficepractice architectural your into Miessen Studio in develop you as well? Would this be the ideal? Why are these two offices separated then?

26 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik & Markus miessen aim to combine, to be involved in both? aim tocombine,beinvolvedinboth? components of the architecture discipline – or somehow, if it’s not the economic life, or of do you believe fact that it’s possible a to combine those simply two it Is architecture? physical with dealing still you are Why work. publishing and curatorial, conceptual, or theoretical pure of realm the in career a or career academic an towards turned mostly the kind of commissions that would lead to a carefree life. Then of of Then life. carefree a to lead would that commissions of kind have the don’t we – moment the at least at this – in because decision-making, involved factor economic an not certainly is there this decision: of repercussions economic the about question your answer To tasks. different perform can that machines or bodies different duce clearly to able pro- to also to and means different through doing is one what identify be to good is it Sometimes other. each complement students. my with I don’t trip find this distinction between these study practices problematic. They documentary a or radio-show a times or physical structure, sometimes an exhibition or a publication, some- building actual an for need the really is there sometimes But vention. inter- physical a favours problematic every Not sensitivities. and tools different with realities different those for cater to is this for structure ready-made answers or solutions – and the only way to possibly offer a any be not should There other. each support they that is – in School Winter the count you if three fact in or – entities two these with works it that way the and tools, different needs one tasks different for that think simply I surplus. content-related a produces it two: these bine MM N interested in. am I what is This disabling. strategically sometimes or – enabling of means and format, form, certain a just – end the in – present all they projects, consulting or institutions, for frameworks operative of up setting the buildings, installations, physical educational, curatorial, architect can offer. Those different species of projects, be they textual, an that tools certain to responding all are they and here, layers ferent dif- are There frameworks. scale architectural up setting and veloping de- in Pflugfelder, Ralf and Nilsson Magnus partners two my with er Spatial Practice. At the same time, there is an absolute interest, togeth- to understand precisely the different dimensions and facets of Critical newly a launched professorship at through the Städelschule in Frankfurt, develop which will I try to that trying onwards, and October with, from now, dealing am is Miessen Studio that something is This Practice. Spatial Critical call would I which involvements, and topics V K : : Of course I do believe it is possible and in fact interesting to com- Most critical spatial practitioners gave up actually building, and and building, actually up gave practitioners spatial critical Most

27 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

... creating, developing, and setting up as well the physical bases Exactly. How do you create a spatial, architectural framework : : K V MM N course, course, with nOffice, there are these overlaps sometimeswhere we are developing spaces in which then we are also heavily involved the programming, in like for example the space we just opened for 0047 in Oslo, the Hub we built the for project we Performa did Biennial for in Manifesta 8 New in York, sometimes Murcia, or Spain. there But is then a also very clear-cut architectural and projects that clear we distinction are dealing between with, I that thing and one think I individuals. as in interested are other we that themes issues or architectural the in in interested very all are we that is say certainly can toward sensitivity of kind a is on, concentrate to trying are and practice, the question of congregation and social spaces in which individuals an obviously is there So produce. or discuss to order in together, come private interests. overlap in my personal, for content-related activities and programming to take place, and for those also to potentially take on a political dimension? How can you, through spatial and architectural implementation, tions, produce which almost by situa- default produce conflicts? This is, for our in- terpretation and us at least, the moment where the political emerges. - design not are we situation, particular a engineer to trying not are We ing in order to move everyone towards a certain behaviour, but we are interested in design that can become an enabler, and also sometimes interest- not are we but – something produces conflict This disabler. a ed in dictating what it produces. We are just interested in ‘it’ – doing something. So it’s a very soft form of architecture, how do you devise a structure that can enable these forms of exchange, or follow-ups of forms can of exchange to take place, for enablepossible projects to grow out of this? Whether we are involved in these forms which come out of this, is totally irrelevant. or frameworks that produce non consensual shared spaces? or frameworks that

28 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik & Markus miessen

29 Carson Chan

Epilogue

[Epilogue to The Nightmare of ParticipatioN] Waking Up from the N ightmare of 30 P articip ation CARSON CHAN lct ise’ itne delivery intended Miessen’s elicit Miessen’s Markus of cost. hypothesis: all at a read, This sentiment stayed with me after going through a we outline preliminary draft what to of skeptical attempts remain you must we of Sometimes, front in book little The a service organ of the financial elite financial the of organ service a profession design the of dynamics the redirect inevitably will givens fixed than rather challenged be to conditions systems. of set preexisting a as within project each change Framing of seeds plant to them allows status outsider whose animals’ ‘oppositional are architects sultants, con- like designer; or architect the for model role viable a as seen be to is interlocutor, external or consultant, management the that told chapter the In provoke. to expressly value of the text. In fact, several of Miessen’s proposals seem designed dissertation PhD non- proclaimed The a as archives.” submitted also was which – book a writing to approach academic and libraries in weeks endless of material, “the that result the not is publication this in states collated knowledge and research, preemptively introduction the Indeed, on the reader as he or she becomes skeptical of the author’s methods. off rubs sleeve his on wears Miessen that hierarchies and institutions existing for skepticism The doubt. of sense a instilling by ophatically, ap- us, engages actively that one this only perhaps is it participation, with dealing titles of series a in third the As eyebrows. raise that ideas than fervor more with reading and reading, us gets Nothing cut? first Miessen’s interpret to how So School MiddleEast,EastCoastEurope). (Winter projects past own his to reader the refers Miessen practices, spatial of forms alternate As elsewhere. published Miessen by texts or tries. At key moments, footnotes lead us to other chapters of the book, coun- European in xenophobia relative of survey a from statistic a for ‘relational aesthetics’, yet in chapter three, no date or source was given book, 1998 Bourriaud’s Nicolas of ofintellectual citation a provided index needlessly Miessen two, an chapter In as becoming. than rather platitudes self-affirming as theoretical of means presented often too are citations and quotes external of form the in validation though held, are positions laid, are particular way of arguing that is more insistent than rhetorical. Claims a self. the employs in Miessen confidence bullish a with paired ments establish- in distrust active of sense epiphenomenal poignant, more systems agonistic into praxis architectural – an industry that has transformed rather sorrowfully into into sorrowfully rather transformed has that industry an – will surely challenge scholars as to the discursive discursive the to as scholars challenge surely will . For the text did not not did text the For Participation. of Nightmare ? Where do we make the the make we do Where Nightmare? , for the words words the for Aesthetics, Relational – that of a whole-cloth revamp of of revamp whole-cloth a of that , we’re we’re Market, the from Learning – but imitating the methods of of methods the imitating but – but delivered a stronger, stronger, a delivered but

31 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

but 2 Mouffe has – By coming to terms with the along with all its problems. 1 – agonism advocates the continued expres- – namely the value of consensus – if not consensus – one that, Mouffe argues, can find no reconciliation.For my taste, Mouffe has addressed the paradox namely of its limits modern to popular liberal sovereignty in the democracy, name of liberty; sion of adversarial passions so as to recognize modern democracy’s plurality of values. the financial market’s players, of those who haveworked tomake the Questions like the one above resonate particularly because Miessen’s critique of consensus is construction largely of adopted agonistic relations from Chantal Mouffe’s - situ ‘desolate The deluded. seems commodity, a into work architect’s - eco never-ending of idea the with ‘love the and profession’ the of ation nomic opportunities to build’ harbored by many architects, I would contend, is born from the very logic that Miessen is suggesting as a of viable path to disciplinary renewal. In opportunistic intervention any case, both McKinsey and Königswiesser already hire architecture out of school.students straight Consensus breeds stasis, yes, but to the extent that consensus is ever met. But when is consensus ever achieved? The agonistic model was one dominant the to framework alternate an offer to primarily devised model deliberative the of critique a is It theory. political democratic in of democracy as proposed by philosophers and John which, Rawls, by upholding modern democracy as a like tool for Jürgen Habermas rational consensus, ignores the plurality of – contemporary politics the difference between agonistic pluralism and deliberative democ- racy is one of emphasis, of dialect. They are both critiques of the so- called aggregate model of democracy, which addresses the need for parties to represent collective desires; they both celebrate the vidual, indi- though the deliberative model through morals, the agonistic one through rights; and they both insist and deliberative the between on difference obvious the stating before But the plurality of values. the agonistic models Habermas’s and Rawls’s to objection first her that times several stated attempts is their neglect of the central role emotions and play passions in the decision-making process. she has less directly addressed the apparent paradox in agonistic role of power, as constituted through passions rather than rationality,than rather passions through constituted as power, of role enemies. not adversaries, between conflict a as agonism posits Mouffe to matter a much so not is confrontation agonistic that claims also She be implemented, but is already a preexisting condition of democracy. As opposed to deliberative democracy, which aims to reach an - agree ment

32 CARSON CHAN observes that the author is in fact most interested in theorizing his his theorizing in interested most fact in is author Mouffe the action, that observes non-partisan independent, for model a as Lords of with interview House British the Miessen’s of crossbencher the evoked Miessen When Mouffe. of end the at comes book the of crux The actualizes thebookasaplace ofagonisticrelations. and endorses fact in oppose and confront, criticize, I That otherwise. oppositional be to impossible already be categorically would is it oppositional, quo status the if words, other In critique. for needed tive perspec- the eradicating to tantamount is concord of irrelevance the suggesting that say to venture can One work. at politics agonistic for argument standard double this of servant ob- critics to consternating is It disagreement. the of powers on generative treatise a than consensus-making in exercise an of more be agreement mutual in be to ironically, appear, interviewee and interviewer the where Mouffe, with interview the in support of wealth a by Buttressed venues). exhibition’s the of one design to colleagues design his and Miessen hired who 8 Manifesta inspiration) of curators (two Baroni El Bassam and Beaudry Jeremy and (Miessen’s Mouffe Chantal advisor), thesis (Miessen’s Weizman Eyal board), sounding and friend (Miessen’s Obrist Ulrich differences, play to their agendas out plural for venue a fostering from Far opposite. the suggest to seem book the in voices contributing the knowledge, ing generat- of forms non-consensual celebrate to is point Miessen’s If transformed as a result of agonistic struggle,” monic systems constantly at play in society can be “disarticulated and hege- various the how unclear is it perspective, this With pluralities. contesting of definition its by recuperated not is agonism funda- of ments the with disagreeing or rejecting Unfortunately, actualized. be to it for support in univocally be must relations agonistic sponsor that players or institutions The consensus. over confrontation able irreconcil- of productivity the recognize to adversaries participating its all compels Agonism itself. to equally applies stasis consensus systematizes that critique agonism’s wit, To consensus. than less ing quires more than a collective agreement to disagree re- interaction dissensual for environment an nurturing democracy: of previoushegemonicpractices.” social grounding on which power is perceived, “is always the outcome the place,” take interventions hegemonic which in terrain “the that racy is itself one of the hegemonic systems. Mouffe has acknowledged – that any dissenting voice can be neutralized as validation validation as neutralized be can voice dissenting any that includes contributions from Hans Hans from contributions includes Nightmare – 4 and the true beauty of Miessen’s Miessen’s of beauty true the and

3 when agonistic democ- – the book proves to to proves book the – it requires noth- – particularly particularly

33 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

House members – armed with ‘serious – as an agent analogous to himself – an area restricted to the Western world. an area restricted to the Western Nightmare at face value, it goes without saying that his gloomy appraisal of the current state of affairs within materials and its social economy is of primary interest – ­cracy, to who is readily assailable on any project from health care infra- – professional architecture, to his call for self-initiated forced interven- tion upon existing social institutions, Miessen’s persistent distrust in establishments sponsor the reader’s own distrust of ing. Miessen’s As writ- previously mentioned, the non-academic approach ing about to his argument bring- presents challenges to the thoughtful reader. The air of doubt thickly circulates between the author and the reader, but this seems, surreptitiously so, exactly how Miessen wants it. For For Miessen, the role of the individual agent, glorified inthe text as a self-propelled, self-motivated juggernaut interest’, ‘healthy curiosity’, and an ‘intuitive but deep - understand ing’ structure to education to architecture and design, has worked for him as well a professional modus operandi. But how exactly does this translate for the rest of us ‘spatial practitioners’? method Could work Miessen’s for everyone will architects practicing Furthermore, else? values? collective with imbued Can a society of in which post-Marxism, Mouffe’s of critique Milklitsch’s Robert share individuals be theorizing the political, evacuates the materiality of the institutions of culture to architects who intend to build, rather than discuss Alas, architecture. most architecture students still enroll into architecture school with the intention of designing buildings when they graduate. Even if we were to take the recommendations supplied by agonistic democ- racy outlined in seen is democracy where world the of parts the in operable only they’re as a legitimate polity – Skepticism is the dominant opening sentence of mode his introduction, which asks in us to cast Miessen’s doubt on demo book. From the How are claims verified? Whatdoes Miessen mean by “critical”? Freely citing both Nazi apologist Carl Schmitt and Jewish literary Holocaust critic survivor and Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Miessen assembles a - com plexly befuddling world-view that, outstripping his thesis in distinctive- ness, ultimately stands as the key identity, the protagonist of the book. who sit squarely between the Left and the Right, both physically and politically within the parliament reveals the underlying dependency, regardless of one’s self-perceived independence, on established systems. As it was rightly noted in the manifest only within freedom as such is the crossbencher’s interview, the consensually established confines of the British legislature. own position. That Miessen sees the crossbencher

34 CARSON CHAN 4 3 2 1 but Sage, doubt the of thoughts parallel the of image the proxy by and Stoics, the evokes Miessen nine, chapter In outsider.” “individual his into us makes he short, In our questions for Miessen shape us into active participants of the text. Like a cartoon thought bubble that reveals a parallel stream of thought, vention. Thus, inter and dialogue for venues locating actively through knowledge produced Socrates curiosity,” “healthy a and interest” “serious with tion of the uninvited outsider, the non-expert interlocutor armed only characteriza- Miessen’s Like others. in forth it bringing through edge knowl- produce to able nonetheless but barren, intellectually is that one is midwife Socratic the Miessen, Pace ideas. of birthing the with help could he babies, birth help to midwives employ labor in women as just that him to explained Socrates question, his by confused boy was the When knowledge. of definition simple a for him asked and Theaetetus orphan young the approached Socrates Theaetetus. and Socrates between dialogue a of recounting Plato’s in introduced wife, reminds me of an earlier figure in ancient philosophy: that of the mid-

NAi Publishers2008)9 (Rotterdam: 14 Number Public, a as Art Open: in Space,” Public in  2000) Studies Advanced for Institute (Vienna: 72 Series Science Political Ibid., 9-10 C., Mouffe, Mouffe, C.,TheDemocraticParadox (London:V Chantal, Mouffe, ENDN O T ES

our pangs of doubts are simply intellectual labor pains. “Art and Democracy: Art as an Agonistic Intervention Intervention Agonistic an as Art Democracy: and “Art Deliberative Democracy or Agonistic Pluralism, Pluralism, Agonistic or Democracy Deliberative – the third text activated in the reader the in activated text third the erso 2005)4 – ­

35 February 28, 2011, 12:11 PM

From: Nina Valerie Kolowratnik Subject: contribution to Markus Miessen’s forthcoming publication To: * Waking Up from the Cc: Markus Miessen N ightmare of 36 P articip ation Dear *,

I am currently working as an assistant editor with Markus Miessen on the forthcoming book Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation (Expothesis, published by Expodium, Utrecht).

The book’s aim is to fuel a critical debate amongst practitioners from different fields of knowledge, cultural background and political po- sitions about the central thesis of Miessen’s recent publication The Nightmare of Participation – Crossbench Praxis as a Mode of Criticality. This book does not look for approval or consensus, but seeks for a critical examination of the proposed post-consensual (spatial) prac- tice, formulating a necessity to undo the innocence of participation while promoting a conflictual reading of participation as a mode of pro-active first person singular practice.

As a result, Expodium invited Markus Miessen to run a workshop and develop a book with them, which can perform the before-mentioned undertaking. In this context, we would like to invite you to contrib- tnik

ra ute. Since we believe in your work and practice as one which is not w only crucial, but also relates productively to the problematic that olo

K The Nightmare of Participation has outlined, we would like you to be- come an active agent within this debate.

Within this framework your contribution can take on whichever ina Valerie ina Valerie N format or species of text (or other) you feel most comfortable with (i.e. essay, review, conversation, academic text etc.), as well as a length of your choosing (if you decide you need 200 words, that is fine – if you need 8’000 words to make your argument, this is OK as well). The only given is that your contribution should somehow address the central theme of The Nightmare of Participation and either try to develop it further, corrupt it, productively criticise it or simply take it elsewhere and do something with it, which was the intention of the book in the first place. We also welcome the use of images, as an addition to your argument, or even as the prior medium to make your argument. In either case, images should be understood as contentual statements.

We would like to stress that your text will not be edited in terms of content before being published (even if it deals very critically with the book itself); texts will only be copy- and proof-edited. Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

- - e H tead itap, itap, ns K I s ti e M rticipation trilogy a ag, ag, P The Nightmare of rl e ality) V

ssen argues for urgentan e ssen’s ssen’s ie ie . ritic rv M e M C ks nd result of these rituals only can M n , s of oo he e B T

es de atio he last decade, the term 'participation' e r o P M ver t

s chiv O rg rg r e a articip A b s P

n d r n e of raxi e P monistan! pets, enact drained of joy, all outdated hollow rituals y St ar up ch ch H b M orial, a orial, en ed b it h s ss ed li

Nightmar o ssen candidly reflects on the limits traps an of its real motivations. essen has looked at current modes of form creation, and found them found and creation, form modes of current at essen looked has i e r ie pr ub h M ees the early twenty-first century design process as one in which cynical C inversionof participation, modela beyond modes of consensus. hasbecome increasingly overused. When everyone has been turned into a participant, the often uncritical, innocent, and romantic use of the term has become frightening. Supported by a repeatedly nostalgic veneerof worthiness, phony solidarity, and political correctness, partici pation has become the default of politicians withdrawing from respon sibility. Similar to the notion of independent an politician dissociated from a specific party, this third part of an practitioner', 'crossbench the calls he what of role the encourages 'uninterestedoutsider' and 'uncalled participator' who is not limited to existing protocols, and who enters the arena with nothing but creative intellect and the will to generatechange. Welcome to ( P d T of reading participation as the charitable savior of political struggle, s be designs and structures that embody, at best, the stale aesthetics of “ globalized M in a near-Sovietfrozen style political ice age of pseudo-participation. groundedunquestionedin capitalism, zombie-style political correctness and poll-driven mock democracy. Best regards, Kolowratnik Nina Valerie In the attachment you will find the PDF of to hearing from you! I am looking forward We We are very much looking forward to receiving your response. If you decide to participate, we would be very pleased to receive your contri- April 15. bution before . Participation If you prefer to read the printed version to you. send a copy happy to we are of course of the book,

38 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik www — Konrad N 10 100906_N 85 100906_cov 2 attachments— Stu As N -- relevance. its lost has community architectural the and sinking is ship the that izing real not commissions, architectural their for waiting are still men old the while generation, apost-architecture spearheading is he collaborators, front. political foremost the at intounderexposed issues central operative locating questions, them mobilize to inorder delight and curiosity uses “...the impressively book — Douglas complexity.” its of nuance every earned correct. and futuristic both feels Way considered well profoundly intelligent, a strikingly instead is athesis of minefield acareer-trashing been have could What consensus. reflexive of one is mode design default whose aworld culture, today’s of texture stillborn the despising conflict, out seek actively who outsiders’ ‘uninvited practitioners, ideas. and spaces new unexpected and alien generate willfully invited—to necessarily isn’t one inwhere butting of universe intrusions—a cross-disciplinary change, productive and critical creating of goal the with and escape, of ameans as but here, cism O smartness’. equals ‘majority that believe unflinchingly inhabitants whose realm calls cheekily he space and place accommodation—a technician of projects and activities. activities. and projects of technician ne in V 26K 26K K s K Vie d i might quickly sense a potential whiff of of whiff a potential sense quickly might a Valerie s Vie io w t . a s w

D OP tu n M o

F D t E T .p e C re w i o d r. his i his es d ou nl y w iomi p f d d sen nl pland oad i D f s all tor K o oa olo w es D nl H C sen e edr oad allattachments w advocates individuals to become crossbench crossbench to become individuals advocates ra ic ic .c P om tnik ri ce territory.” M I t’ ie M s not a simple read, but this book has has book this but read, a simple s not ssen could be described as a pyro as described be could ssen ie ssen instead advocates vigorous vigorous advocates instead ssen I n a literally limitless network of of network limitless literally A yn yn R an d or crypto-fas d or H ar F or monistan—a monistan—a ward that that ward - - -

39 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation Zahra Ali Baba, Can Altay, Negar Azimi, Marius Babias, Markus * Bader, Bader, Shumon Basar, Bjoern Bicker, Claire Bishop, Sabine Bitter, Monica Bonvincini, Arno Brandlhuber, Adam Bueti, Budak, Federica Angelique Campens, Douglas Tony Coupland, Eyal Danon, Tina Chakar, Di Carlo, Keller Easterling, Beatriz Marianne Colomina, Eigenheer, Ewald Engelen, Hu Fang, Luigi Fassi, Jesko Fezer, Mark Fisher, Maria Gillick, Fusco, Heiner Goebbels, Rainald Goetz, Timothy Søren Grammel, Joseph Garton Ash, Grima, Liam Mika Hannula, Edwin Heathcote, Michael Hirsch, Stefan Nikolaus Heidenreich, Hirsch, Tom Schorsch Holert, Kamerun, Nina Bonnie Köller, Laura Kurgan, Honig, Zak Kyes, Maria Lind, Armin Linke, Martinez, Suhail Margit Malik, Mayer, Florian Moritz, Metahaven, Chantal Mouffe, Malzacher, Vanessa Nina Joan Mueller, Chus Jan Möntmann, Nauta, Reza Palmesino, John Olfers, von Sophie O’Brian, Melanie Negarestani, Julia Raad, Walid Podesva, Lee Kristina Phillips, Andrea Perjovschi, Dan Adam Ramadan, Patricia Reed, Peter Richter, Dieter Roelstraete, Christoph Schäfer, Mark von Florian Schneider, Felicity Schlegell, D. Scott, Ashkan Katharina Sepahvand, Michael Schlieben, Shamiyeh, Ismael Sheikh Hassan, Eyal Sivan, Marten Spangberg, Markus Steinweg, Jeremy Till, Roemer van Toorn, Eva Tuerks Magnus & Nilsson, Jan Verwoert, Felix Vogel, What Whom, How Adnan Yildiz, and Phillip for Zach, Michael Zinganel, Wolfgang Zinggl, Tirdad Zolghadr;

40 Nina Valerie Kolowratnik

41 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

est ality; ely r rr erts;

sing A qu aiv eady E entric xp rde as icipant, cipant ure N E lr O P cc P t and tment of A E y; art s s I icipation as P I m of la os arti nac s P htmare; htmare; P C E art xio lity ig P A tion of tion of ledge of N ll ll sonance; sonance; emo cipation’ cipation’ tor; tor; rit of of rit qua A is D c E D ce: A pi d now ited sciplinary S ation; ière’s ière’s he man K roduc ee M pa T E P nv lus cal cal A I qu S R rication withrication an ndi E I anc R ogi urp n the mb I L S I isciplinary ernance; ernance; s an s an cracy; I s; s; sen’s sen’s ntial; t ov ugh ce; ce; I eal nd en; en; ellectual ocracy at ocracy at I thorship; thorship; G entric ies iv emo u atricia atricia ev eno ote pa nt et hro I S A X T P R G of Question the ‘ M D Y P em arch 7, 2011, 11:45 11:45 2011, arch 7, cc E M the D

42 PATRICIA REED included within the juridical order as arresting movement (as in a a citation). in violation (as traffic movement arresting as order juridical the within included fromthe Latin root Latin fromthe originates Citation word. the double of a resonance includes etymological but (both/and) quotable, is which that simply not is notes, and proximal reference? knowledge of territory production, reverberatingasitwereitscontentsthroughquotational given a within validity discursive its ducing merely are repro- agreement, in or we disagreement in flows mean its resonate to invited that does But participation. constitutes that nightmare the voices, of plurality a through citable render to is does book this what Thus stage. or framework rhetorical given a of lation articu- the contest and debate to ground common a on convene We contours. very its provoke to Miessen, by initiated framework the in invited nightmare. We invited authors brutally impose ourselves with- read as a nightmare squared – the intrusion of an intrusion. Yet,be it could is an publication post-production this then intrusion, realized a nightmare, a of description the is monograph original Miessen’s If realized dream:itiscalledanightmare.” a for name nice a have We outside. the from you on imposed brutally is “One of the most disgusting things is when what you secretly dream about figure uponthedisciplineofphilosophy: commences it with a quote from Slavoj Žižek, the very embodiment of a nightmarish that telling is It participation. agonistic of spirit a to book, latest Miessen’s Markus trap on the right and the left concerning the hatred of democracy? democracy? of hatred the concerning left the the into and falling right the risk on not trap ‘democracy’ of chastising the Does all? at provocation critical a really statement this is But cost.” be all at avoided to has inclusive-democracy “all sometimes that thought: of line confrontational a with introduced is Participation of Nightmare The nightmarish protagonistparexcellence , theuninvitedoutsider. Miessen’s of figuration expanded an impli- through discussion the participation in cated of agents the of trajectories augmented other, participation already set in motion, and second, to put into movement It is therefore my intention to arrest and diverge participation. the ‘realized dream’ surrounding of dialogue of labyrinth this through paths criss-crossing other and interruption of points down lays that origins, conceptual its from divergence of trajectory a as excurses, an as text Part I–DemocracyAtAllCost , to set in movement, yet is simultaneously is yet movement, in set to citare, 1 Quite possibly. Yet citation, as Samuel Weber 2 As such, it seems only apt to qualify this this qualify to apt only seems it such, As , attests attests Participation, of Nightmare The

43 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

3 The Nightmare of are already given (consensus is whole), that their that whole), is (consensus given already are demos the Harmonistan is Miessen’s tongue-in-cheek name for this anything is regime reading, upon chuckle a eliciting although and of consensus, but harmonious. What is at work in the regime of consensus is the totalization of various peoples, places and functions into a unity of a single space indistinguishable with the population and its distribu- tion, to the exclusion of any Consensus remainder. has nothing to do with a common agreement of policies of an expert government, yet permeates and petrifies the normative symbolic order or, to the vio- lent segregation of that which is supernumerary, to that which is oth- erwise possible. The stultifying presupposition of consensus is that people, the communities are established, and their modes of speech are concord- are speech of modes their and established, are communities ant with their roles, functions and disputes. Within the normative It is true that the very word democracy has seen better days and is In order to unpack this inverted equation between non-consensual participation and democracy, it is worthwhile to take a brief detour through the particular socio-political constellation to which Miessen responds. The regime of consensus against which perhaps perhaps worse for the wear, but when laying out methods of - conflict ual participation it is also necessary to contest the very reading of the The struggle word of itself. politics is a struggle for sensibility, includ- ing meaning in language, so it is here where I would arrest Miessen’s equation between the avoidance of democracy and non-consensual participation. The equation, rather, needs to be verted fundamentally and in- read as a beckoning democracy. call precisely for participation as Participation is set has been identified as depoliticization, the social turn of politics and the post-democratic across the fields of political theory and In philosophy. the most rudimentary sense, the regime of consensus concerns the ‘victory’ of a liberal-democratic apparatus for - embod communism, of ‘defeat’ the after organization political/social ying the oft-repeated slogan from Margaret Thatcher, where there is for commanding utterly so was ‘victory’ perceived This alternative’. ‘no history’; to ‘end infamous an declare to Fukuyama Francis theorist the not that there would no longer be any events per se, but that the his- toric struggle for political structures was finally over. The alternative- politics. of stripped politics of form a to amounts politics of plight less In this regard, politics has been reduced to a management tool of the social, doing away with future scenarios and other modalities of (co) embrac- and ship the steering of art “the to reduced politics existence, movement of growth.” ing the waves, in the natural, peaceful

44 PATRICIA REED n the and the of surveyable) the accountable, wholeness, (the population the between congruency this of reifies totality, of democracy’ presupposition negligent ‘all-inclusive violently with consensus conflate To what of fusing the is consensus Badiou, Alain of words the in have; we what have can only we that is resolution this of condition the yet structures, political over fight the to regards in resolution attained have we that vision: myopic symbolic order, what the regime of consensus sets up is an impotently love libertyand respectforrights,butnotdemocracy.” ly an aristocrat, in the sense that I contemn and fear the crowd. I dearly intellectual rationale for democratic institutions, but I am instinctive - the accept “I 1853: from Tocqueville quoting when acutely quite racy the people. Daniel Bensaïd captured these doubts projected at democ- of power potential universal a as democracy of subordination the to regions, geographical certain designates even and management, of democ- protocols guidance, expert instances law, of systems to these identical becomes racy In ‘democracies’. as simply known states certain with synonymous governance of form a and imposed), ciously vi- (even instituted be can that governance of form a governance, of order an with democracy of imbrication an is democracy on critiques of sides both on to reduced are we What novelty. or change stantial sub- propel to unable procedures, bureaucratic with riddled ernance gov- of form a as explained is quo, status the of reproduction the and passivity, individualism, mass with coupled majority populism rampant solutions, rule, down watered mediocrity, with associated that as democracy of notion up beaten The left. and right the both from opinion held commonly a is forth), so and pedagogy policy-making, interactions, people, art, architecture, (of appearance of modes other instigate to order in book, avoid- the through to suggested alluded democracy of ance The innocuous. not are Words unquestioned. be cannot project a such in involved rhetoric of stakes the yet vention, inter- uninvited of intrusion the through consensus, of regime a such combat to strategies admirable and necessary seeks Participation of s opeey bet rm omn esblt, rm the from sensibility, common communis. from absent completely is supernumerary a of delineation the result, a as view; totalizing its in division of processes the of nor exclusion, of barrier representable a of conceive even cannot consensus of regime The structuring. mative nor - the in part no has that part the of excluded, is which that of tion subjectifica- political the prohibits so do to for practice, in and theory in both gesture, dangerous a is consensus totalizing this of violence Nw n ares te eea tn of tone general the fairness, in Now demos. 5 can be. can what with is 4 To downplay the inherent inherent the downplay To 6 The Nightmare Nightmare The

sensus sensus

45 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Nightmare of other conditions of - possibil This is not merely a linguistic issue, 7

The hatred of democracy is a doubly directed one; directed doubly a is democracy of hatred The 9 8 grounded power. but the very limiting of the limitless, which strips democracy political thrust and is conceived of as a structure to itscontain the implicit excess of wills and drives of the people. The hatred of democracy thus is that a ‘good’ democracy is one stabilize, that subdue and repress the can inherently unstable and excessively successfully contain, demos. demanding on the one hand it is directed at the increased instantiation of limits by government (totalitarianism), and on the other hand, the hatred is directed at popular participation in public affairs itself, which is por- and consumer driven (medioc- trayed as irresponsible, individualistic racy, media driven). Tocqueville’s Tocqueville’s statement is emblematic of an ongoing hatred or deep mistrust of democracy (from Plato to Churchill and beyond) that has been duly traced by Rancière, who resuscitates nothing is crowd the of Fear governance. ordered of shackles the this from bloodied term new, for the crowd is inherently unbounded, and it is here where we demands and wills limitless the that democracy: of critique Plato’s see of the people (the excess drives of the demos) must be contained to conform to the wills of an expert government, of those who know better, of those who are privy to knowledge. By equating democracy with a system of expertly delineated limits, what is at stake is a funda- mental shift from the very unsettling force implied in the ‘-cracy’ of democracy, to an ‘-archy’ (of oligarchy, monarchy) that is some form of legitimated, Participation reveals an accord with the hatred of democracy And itself. herein lies a central proceeding on this point excurses. What needs that to be avoided demands at all cost arrestation is not before democracy, but its very equation as cohabitational, a structural limitation totalizing and instrument popular mediocracy. of For it is in the hatred of this particular apprehension of democracy where politics disappears, being usurped into the category of a given order- ing, the disappearance of which is the specificwhich critical axis around Miessen’s ‘agonistic’ stance revolves. on If participation participatory is intervention called and protocols upon of operation, instigating to unsettle given ity, this modes commendable portrayal of participation can go by no other name than the enactment of democracy, assuming the vital force of rela- agonistic in capacity augmentative its of all in (kratos) ‘-cracy’ the tion to the settlement of the ‘-archy’ (arkhe), or that which rules and distributes a given order. The call to avoid an ‘all-inclusive democracy’ in the

46 PATRICIA REED obey it. And to do that, you must already be the equal of the person person who isorderingyou.” the of equal the be already must you that, do to And it. obey must you that understand must you and order the understand must obey, but in order to obey an order at least two things are required: you others and command people some because society in order is “There that canbesuccinctlyformulatedassuch: equality paradoxical a by upheld is ‘-archy’ the of structuring inequal inherently Yetthis when. and whom by where, sense makes what and sayable seeable, is what on is it as contingent nature, in aesthetic is sion is sion expres- the French (in imperceptible is which that of exclusion the to perceptibility, certain a through operate co-existing and of being living, ways wherein sensible the of distribution the through sustained is ‘-archy’ The parts. its and population the to proper functions and operations places, of administration the with coupled community, a as bodies of organization given a by constituted is ‘-archy’ This normative a simply is it structure; in the sense, parlance of Rancière this goes by any the name of ‘police’. in pejorative not is here, of ing speak- are we ‘-archy’ The (demos). people the of (-cracy) impetus the by constituted doing, a happening, a rather is it ‘-archy’), grounded, (a longer figured as a legitimate state of a parliamentary or social system calling this un- is What and no is democracy If here? to alluding are we that costs all at democracy democracy? augmentation of of enactment gesture an participatory settlement this is why Now in that distribution. that in the normal, the of topology the or common, the delineate that operation of modes and temporality spaces, of allocation particular a on based is roles and parts of allotment The divided). is which that and shared equality through which the inequal distribution of the sensible sensible the of distribution inequal the which through contingent the out equality test and re-assert part no have who those when a as lated reformu- is here Politics ‘-archy’. the buttressing equality of tingency con- this of out testing very the in happens, politics where equality of (-cracy) potency potential this is It operations. social of sphere given a delineate that conditions aesthetic of imbroglio the sustaining ity capac- shared utter, the is it potential; pure is Equality co-existence. human of constellations all a of core the at axiom an butrather universal, a truth, goal, (Harmonistan-like) hierarchical flattened of sort This equality at the root of all ‘-archy’ is not to suggest equality is some , and the ways in which individuals may par-take par-take may individuals which in ways the and communis, sensus , with sensible, de partage , a doing, rather than a thing or structure – it happens happens it – structure or thing a than rather force 10 11 The ‘-archy’ of the distribution of the sensible sensible the of distribution the of ‘-archy’ The

denoting that which is both both is which that denoting partage part-of for

47 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

12 par excellence is sketched as an Part II – The Indisciplinary Participant II – The Indisciplinary Part The Violence of , Participation Miessen’s second part of the trilogy By arresting the call to avoid democracy in the discussion of partici- pation, inverting its course as it were, towards a beckoning call for its In on the subject, Tirdad Zolghadr raised an important point in fram- ing these participatory discussions, especially in relation to politics. If Miessen’s participatory agent ‘uninvited outsider’, (s)he is the very embodiment of this supplemen- tary appearance, for it is in that which does not quite belong, the part- place. take can reconfiguration and unsettlement where with-no-part, This taking place of politics in relation to the ‘-archy’ is so by way of a supernumerary impetus, the force of ‘-cracy’, that is identical with the doing of democracy. uninvit- the of excurses an on proceed to worthwhile is it enaction, very specu- out carve to order in protagonist, central Miessen’s outsider, ed lative paths as to how this character comes to deploy impulse. This a excurses is democraticby no means exhaustive, but meant to out- line exploratory modes of participating, with certain figurations that may be useful in describing the characterization of participatory ges- tures, their attitudes and positioning. The acknowledgement that he made, when we frame the capacity of think- for spaces new or novelty, produce to interventions spatial or art ing and doing, thereby redistributing sensibility of the ‘-archy’, is rarity to a say the least. This statement is entirely accurate and infuses the discussion with a much needed humility, but politics, or democ- racy itself is also an exceptional and fleeting event, contingent as it is not only on the participants themselves, but also the network of re- lational, contextual and historical conditions within which an thetical situation aes- is instigated, not to mention the role of chance. It is extremely difficult, in theory and/or in praxis to produce affects of should we said That discussing. been have we sort the of unsettlement not merely give up at its penstance potential or ephemeral production, as it as may be, in grandiose, the words hap- of Beckett, to try operates. Politics, as such, is instigated by that which is supplementary is which that by instigated is such, as Politics, operates. (the demos), by that which doesn’t quite fit, nor is common-sensically is nor fit, quite doesn’t which that by demos), (the understood in the normal configurationof the community (the popu- lation). Politics shifts the symbolic ordering of the ‘-archy’, whereby the population and its parts are confronted with a supplement to its very structure, with “what had no business being seen, and [making] heard a discourse where once there was only place for noise.”

48 PATRICIA REED ing that he knows nothing,” but rather bringing others’ beliefs and and beliefs others’ bringing rather but nothing,” knows he that ing “know- himself mid-wife, philosophical a as himself fancied Socrates to epilogue Chan’s Carson in out ed point- as and sense, this In thoughts. people’s of givenness the to tion never was a written philosophy, dialectics but always a performative one instigated in rela- Socratic as known become has What not. or it liked they whether interlocutors, with enquiry – philosophical living one a theatrical and in relational wholly inconsistencies a was revealing answers, of respondent’s method particular his Athenians, prominent question (uninvitedly) to agora the to taking In mastery. (perceived) of that not and wonder, of sense a with begins Knowledge one which that and opinions question intensively to order in ignorance, of presupposition a with begins wisdom), (or knowledge all that felt but did nothing, knew course actually of he that he mean not nothing,” know I that know “I Socrates’ statement famous With Jacotot. Joseph and Bohemia of Elizabeth Socrates, nary participant, particularly in the guise of three historical characters: The plight of the ignorant comes to mind when figuring our indiscipli- nary conventions. discipli- transforming, and twisting whilst knowledge, of categories neglects willfully who (s)he as participant, indisciplinary an of that to shall prefer to position these following characterizations as belonging I outsider, uninvited the of overtones Romantic the Without plinary. as described be better could which figure a up calling actually is he them, through traversing rather or circles, professional certain beyond disciplines, beyond skills of sets for calling By outsider. vited unin- the of figure this of connotation word) (his Romantic less a for so on. Miessen’s defense of this position is quite interesting, and calls and presentation of modes actors, of networks articulation, of modes gram- particular conventions, rhetorical with familiar discuss, to a how to as set matical inside wholly are we but building, a than rather platform pedagogical a on working architect an be occasionally may We anything. of outside fact in not are term), better a of lack (for tion produc- cultural of realm the within implicated fully actors, we that out pointing rightly think I again, outsider’, ‘uninvited the of notion in passage further a In perceptibility. of relations up opening thus, and ential, experi- rendered be can ‘-archy’ the reinforcing contingencies those which in ways the rather but ‘-archy’, the within policy justice-making again, fail again, fail better. What is at stake here is not the rewriting of The IgnorantParticipant , Zolghadr challenges the the challenges Zolghadr Participation, of Nightmare The The Nightmare of Participation , of Nightmare The one knows. knows. one thinks indisci-

49 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

In conventional 13 practice, that is, in consonance. By asking polite As René Descarte’s correspondent Elizabeth of Bohemia, for a curious aristocrat, followed seven the progress of years the theories (until of the separation of 1640), mind and body, Cartesianseeking as known day, the an of thought advanced most the under- of standing mathematicalto unbound was who non-expert, curious a As Dualism. logic, she provoked questions (and gaping holes) in Descartes theory based on the actual experience of living itself: If the mind another? and one with interact and body relate they do how separate, indeed are epistemology epistemology to the fore, challenging them and seeking to reveal logi- cal dissonance. It is in this regard where blind spots within discipli - nary knowledge(s) can be confronted and intervened upon, opening up questions from other perspectives, revealing specific limit- condi tions in thinking and approaches to situations of knowledge. We can thus deduce two rules for our Indisciplinary the Participant, example of Socrates: assume followingthat one does not know; and deliver questions. through unprovoked from spaces and people knowledge The ignorant schoolmaster, Joseph Jacotot, who has most served as influential the figure upon ized the thoughtconventions of pedagogy while of Rancière,in exile revolution- during the Restoration. If these two entities can be logically separated, in theory that is, how are we to mediate this with our experience which is continuous – with the mind and body seemingly acting in concert in our everyday lives? Her questions, embedded in humble, perhaps guage, are still very much alive overly today, known as embodiment studies, modest lan- mind- of experiences these precisely examines which field ongoing an body interaction in and simple questions of the expert intellectual, Elizabeth of Bohemia expe- concrete, for asking by earth to down theories lofty these brought this from infer can we lesson The rhetoric. abstract to answers riential master/lay-woman correspondence in regards to the Indisciplinary of experts, even naively so. Question the knowledge Participant: His method, known as ‘Intellectual firmed that illiterate Emancipation’, parents could teach tangibly their children how to con- read, and, in the process, demonstrated that knowledge is not necessary to teaching, nor is explication necessary to learning. pedagogy, the schoolmaster’s task is to reduce the gap of knowledge to order in paradoxically, yet, pupil, a of that and self him/her between achieve this goal, a gap of ignorance must always be recreated, estab- lishing new instances of ignorance. Within such a model, the pupil is not simply the one who does not yet know what the schoolmaster knows; the pupil is also the one who does not know what he does not

50 PATRICIA REED l o is manifestations.” its of all in intelligence of self-equality the but intelligence, of manifestations all of value “…equal the invoke not does statement a Such intellect. of equality the of authentification the by goes which equality, of axiom of recon figuration a of way by comes stultification of out playing endless the to counter-position The stultification. of name the by goes inequality of that origin: out playing the of of force looping The point intelligence. of inequality the own of its reinforces above outlined activity cal pedagogi- of form ordered The not. does who one and ignorance, of contents the of knowledge pedagogical the possesses who progressive one is a there that logic: such of lesson ultimate the is this – gap the re-instating and ahead jumping schoolmaster the of practice ing unend- the by sustained is positions knowledge of interaction the in rget o ifrain bt a but information, of of amalgamation fragments an not is knowledge the that is knowledge, of ignorance opposite that lesson constant the is entails, knowledge) in separation expanding and contracting (of mouse and cat of game cal pedagogi- never-ending this What it. know to come to how or know, concept of ‘xenos’. The meaning of the Greek word Greek the of meaning The ‘xenos’. of concept that which is foreign, from the Greek origination contained within the as aparticipatory of etymology fruitful the from draw can we where here is foreigner.It an ‘outsider’ actor, we are unavoidably entering upon of the discursive territory on the figurations discussing When contrast and compare dialogue, these knowledgefragments. and con - questions and for translating self-instruction; tinue capacity for capacity equal the our the assume to assume for intelligence; to lessons are: Jacotot’s Participant emancipation. Indisciplinary intellectual of formulates core which the transliteration, of labor formulated imaginative poetic, is a as knowledge rather but the from schoolmaster-to-ignoramus, transmission of equal- logic stultifying the the position through Through expert maintained of type them. a longer to no is convey knowledge intelligence, of to intel- ity trying other are what beings digesting while ligent the their all transmit trajectories, and convey intellectual to order in examples and comparisons by proceeding signs, other into signs translating by operate both eses hypoth- develop who scientist the and ‘ignorant’ the tongue, mother signification, which is often obscured in our English variant of variant English our in obscured foreigner, that canbeoutlinedassuch: is often which signification, The Participant asXenos ‘intellectual emancipation’ passing through Rancière’s through passing emancipation’ ‘intellectual 15 Just as in the process of learning one’s one’s learning of process the in as Just position. 14 The distance played out out played distance The has a triple triple a has xenos ­

51 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

16 he came from the outside. the from came he if as as a guest friendship (as opposed to Philos, the root of philosophy, referring to local or known friends) referring to local philosophy, Xenos Xenos  Xenos of course does refer to a foreigner, but is someone outside a outside someone is but foreigner, a to refer does course of Xenos relationship; defined no clearly with community, particular Enemy/Stranger; as an Xenos Of Hospitality, Jacques Derrida reflects on xenos, as, in particu-

What Derrida is suggesting is that the self can only come to identify itself from that which is other, from that which is strange; the self can unconditionalthis translate we When xenos. through itself know only lar, one who questions, and asks about others; as a result xenos can In simultaneously. simultaneously. Xenos can only be properly understood in the con- text of ‘Xenia’, the Ancient Greek protocol for obligatory hospitality, illustrated through several myths where Gods (Mercury and Jupiter) making appearances as humans test enactment a of given xenia, by community seeking in refuge their as strangers. who enact xenia Those are rewarded by the mortals Gods (the old couple, Philemon and Baucis), and that majority who did not, are punished for reject- ing the quasi-religious duty to enter into a relationship of reciprocity with those who are unknown. disturb the reign of normativity through a world that is strange and condition- calls Derrida (what hospitality, conventional In unfamiliar. al hospitality) when xenos knocks at the door and enters the home, they do so under the unspoken rules of the host, in this way xenos is laws, the respect not does xenos If host. the of laws the to hostage held then the reciprocal relationship subtended by the laws of conditional hospitality will be breached and the relation severed. In his - descrip invitation, no with hospitality is that hospitality, unconditional of tion with no condition to adapt to the rules dynamic of finds itself the in host, an inverse the power guest/host arrangement to that found in conditional hospitality. where the Through guest becomes a host and this a host becomes a guest, hierarchical a of type conceptual violence emerges, inversion, in that the self is interrupted, from he nonetheless but home, at is house the of master the “… outside: the outside. from comes guest—who the through home his enter to comes inside the from enters thus master The He enters his home thanks to the visitor, by the grace of the visitor.” What this triple signification of xenos signifies,certainty or is an inherent ambiguity un- as to the status of an being the quintessential unknown characterization of a person, both/and relationship, this seeing as xenos can be neutral, threatening or friendly, perhaps even a b c

52 PATRICIA REED life which can be succinctly summarized as an ongoing search for search ongoing an as summarized succinctly be can which trajectory, ethical an of pursuant is (s)he requirements, moral rigid fulfilling with case the is as assignment, or function a role, accomplish delineated to bound not what is (s)he precisely one: ethical are an actor fulfill our to makes imperatives or tasks of ambiguity The demand. of surplus in of always is terms (s)he relations; the economic normative under hosted indisci- not The sense, this candidate. in is, fitting participant most plinary the to solution, or outsourced the service, and defined, (implicit or is need or arrangements task precise a contractual where explicit) conventional of thrust is (s)he outside uninvited, always is participant indisciplinary the If defined, thatwhichisnotknowninadvance? does ethics been yet not of has which that or sort strangeness to relation in enact What xenos host. the with reciprocity which engages by xenos ‘rules’ unwritten the by complicated further description, speculative a arguably and portrait, complex a is xenos as participant re-formulate indisciplinary help The economics? of ‘self-hood’ xenos the of identification the as example, for ofstrangeness? architect, the would on relations How based causing re-identification, disciplines, of of ‘self-hood’ processes the interrupt also participant not indisciplinary xenos, the as of figure the can discourses, plinary disci- namely knowledge, of ‘houses’ of realm the within hospitality that which perpetuates and gives birth to the to birth gives and perpetuates which that as (eudaimonia) life’ ‘good and born, are human-animals which into can unsettle given coordinates and functioning of normativity. This This normativity. of functioning and coordinates given unsettle process, can the in and experience, for possibilities enlarged articulate and experiment to invitation) (without him/her-self authorizes one who is participant indisciplinary The language. in sense-making or bility or orientation; a poem may multiply the possibilities of meaning sensi- spatial of experience certain a intensify example, for may, tion interven- authored architecturally An context. or form given a expand – those are acts that multiply, amplify, intensify, increase, enhance, or augmentation of root gestures in rooted authority, the and author the is auctor, self-authorization, of act the within Contained fashion. self-authorizing in responds participant a which indisciplinary to intuition prospective or instinct feeling, a as arrive can it as logical, entirely be not may demand That heard. be first must that demand a demand, a of perceptibility the to relation in self-authorization of for quest indefinite this within work at is What 17 The Participant asSurplusActor – keeping in mind Aristotle’s differentiation between ‘bare-life’ ‘bare-life’ between differentiation Aristotle’s mind in keeping – , and thus, politics. politics. thus, and polis, a good life is a process process a is life good a good good

53 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

18 The Participant as Producer of Eccentric Space as Producer of Eccentric The Participant What is this territory of novel perceptibility (occasionally) produced The ‘-archy’ can be considered peoples, as protocols, a functions, system roles, within temporalities, places which and terials diverse revolve ma- around a normative gravitational core (with a various then the indisciplinary participant must also inhabit the space of de- the speaking, Ethically authorship. of act the through produced mand attentive demand, the for listening always is participant indisciplinary to its whispers, and responsive to its reverberations as an echo, reso- nance or feedback. con- topological new these are What participant? indisciplinary the by ditions that have been affectively produced in the re-coordination of the given, of the normative? degrees of affinity) called an attractor. The attractor, aroundthe which normative inclines, is not a thing, nor an (as object, in but the is distribution sensed of the within contained and ‘-archy’ social given sensible); a by (mapped) outlined both furthermore, attractors are self-authorizing self-authorizing process is not without great risk, for as an unwanted mustwe society, of side the in thorn proverbial and potential that gift, direction which in appearance, an makes thorn that how ourselves ask is it thrust and upon which soft spots does it scratch and make itself has compounded felt. the Jan notion Verwoert of authorizing, beyond The ethical call implied by ‘following through’ denotes a fidelityone’s to actions and the affects of one’s authorial gestures. ity in Not the fidel- dogmatic sense of originary fixedness, but a fidelity to the metaphorical inhabitation of one’s intervention, the capacity to both alter and be altered. The indisciplinary participant enables a space/ that of merely instigating a novel space, by including frameworks aesthetic and/or discursive the the of inhabiting and through following - reali concrete the of coordinates the within dwell to – making one’s of born.ties of what has been situation of relationality (textually, pictorially, spatially, rhetorically, etc), that is, the author produces affect, what I like to nating imagination. call To enact authorship is contami- thus to initiate an ethical relation in a double sense: it is to self-authorize in perception of a response demand, and it to is to dwell the within the substantial and conceptual coordinates of one’s making, including the postulates, Critchley unforeseen Simon as If, interactions. interpretive of network demand, perceived a of fidelity the to response a as come acts ethical

54 PATRICIA REED s snoily embedded. (sensorially) role is or person function, of place, sphere object, the the of which within neglecting operations a is there play Through it. negating or it, abolishing simply without normality, steadfast a from humanity distract and free can that act an (re)use; inappropriate entirely of act an as ‘play’ describes Agamben other. completely something into it transforms and use official normalized, disregards such as child the transforms the function of a legal contract into a flyingwho paper airplane; child a of example the cites Agamben Giorgio twistable. philosopher or The malleable, wholly and contingent rendered are use of structures reified potential, rendered are etc. bodies, spaces, things, intona- of rational uses other play, of spirit rather the In play. of drive and a in up caught serious is tion a in above outlined although The production of eccentric space, the decentering of normative orbits, in relationtoagiven‘-archy’. operations and orientations normative one’s decenters which sphere affective the ec- of moment) (rare that of as conceived be can space production centric The participant. indisciplinary the by instigated relationality to normative time, space, language and the other bodies, ushered of in and aesthetically perceptibility novel the to descriptor this deploy aptly can one – de-centered as well as rhythms), temporal other generating therefore (and motion inclined in off-beat, sically whim- – eccentricity of attributes key three these With in. fit quite not does which that and strange slightly the whimsy, with do to more has eccentricity today, use common in and above, portrayed notion tered decen- the to astronomy, Ptolemaic in orbit centered non-earth a ing denot- first at heavens, the in origins its from fallen has Eccentricity a as process ofdecenteringoreccentricity(ekkentros). envisioned be can pull normative this re-incline or destabilize that perturbations Affective affectivity. absorbing and emitting both seen, said,thinkableanddoable.Attractorsaredynamicmutable an ‘-archy’, delineating a particular boundary condition of what can be them. It is through play, a practice of neglectful mis-use mis-use neglectful of practice a play, through is It them. appropriates not does one play, merely through re-appropriate normative conditions, but more importantly quotidian; the of choreography the of appropriating cultural codes, incorporating them in our performance of one is experience lived everyday our that Considering them. with interactions our and things of operations normal the transforming The PlayfulParticipant 19 To play is to make a new use possible, possible, use new a make to is play To in-

55 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

and Infinite Democracy in Democracy in Thought: Truth and the Return to Philosophy. Thought: Truth and the Return On the Shores of . Politics trans. Liz Heron, Disagreement: Politics and . Philosophy Trans. ermanent Scandal in Democracy in What State? Finite Theatricality as Medium. New York: Fordam Cambridge: MIT Press, 2008, 117 ower. P Infinite Jacques,

Jacques, Samuel, ES T O Art , Power Boris Groys has argued that a positive or negative space. The indisciplinary participant is eccentric, is participant indisciplinary The space. inappropriating n New York: Columbia University Press, 2011, 16-43 New York: Columbia University Press, 2011, 65. What State? New York: Julie Rose. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 1999, 116. Minnesota: Julie Rose.  New York: Verso, 2007 (original French, 1992), 5-6. Verso, New York:  Bensaïd, Daniel, Nancy, Jean-Luc,  Rancière, Badiou, Alain, Trans. Oliver Feltham and Justin Clemens. London: Continuum, 2005, 56 review of the work of the artist/author is irrelevant. What matters is matters What irrelevant. is artist/author the of work the of review that attention is given (where and how lengthy the discussion are commen- or critic a of part the on decision the qualifiers), only the tator to write at all on an artist/author and their works is already a mode of validating the practice of an artist/author. Rancière,  Rancière, Weber,  Weber, University Press, 2004, 45 Groys, Boris, Art P I ENDN

7 6 4 5 2 3 1 Our incomplete portrait of the indisciplinary be participant combined can into now a brief character sketch. ticipant The is a indisciplinary self-assumed ignorant par- who asks unprovoked questions, that the whimsy, and decentering capacity of eccentric space can be articulated. challenging challenging expert thought, contrasting knowledge, assuming an equal capacity whilst for intelligence. constantly The indisciplinary comparing participant and is cal a stranger, who friendly, shows up threatening, at your whimsi- house unconditionally, self-re-identification causing fromthe perspective of that whichThe is outside. indisciplinary participant does authorizes him/herself not with fidelity to a whispered require demand to create master skill, an affective yet space in which common sense is unsettled, dwelling in partici- indisciplinary The reterritorialization. novel this of echoes the pant poetically twists the grammar of shared sense, hosting a multi- - play image, and language time, space, of functions potential of plicity fully to say the least.

56 TIRDAD ZOLGHADR 17 16 13 8 19 18 15 14 12 11 10 9

Agamben, Giorgio, Agamben, Simon, Critchley, P Virno, Stanford UniversityPress,2000. Jacques, Derrida, Rancière, Jacques, Rancière, Ross, Julie Rose. Minnesota:UniversityofMinnesotaPress,1999,29. Rancière,  Rancière, Rancière, Rancière, Jacques, Rancière, Jeff Fort. NewYork: ZoneBooks,2007,73-92  Politics ofResistance. NewYork: Verso, 2007  21 (Fall 2005),Cambridge:MITPress,2005,26-37 Joseph, translated responses by Alessia Ricciardi in Grey Room No.    Elliot. London:Verso, 2009,9  Ross. Stanford:StanfordUniversityPress,1991,vii-xxiii in Intellectual Emancipation. By Jacques Rancière, trans. By Kristin   Julie Rose. Minnesota:UniversityofMinnesotaPress,1999,16. London: Continuum,2004,12 Columbia York: University Press,2011,77 New Hazan. Eric with Interview State? What in New York: Verso, 2006,8 Kristin, aolo, Jacques, Jacques, Jacques, Jacques, Jacques, Introduction. The Ignorant Schoolmaster: Five Lessons , interview by Branden W. Branden by interview Virno, Paolo with Interview Of The Politics of Aesthetics. trans. Gabriel Rockhill. The EmancipatedSpectator,10 . Trans. Trans. Profanations . in Profanation of Praise In Hatred Infinitely Democracies Against Democracy in Democracy Democracy in Democracy Against Democracies . Trans. Trans. Philosophy. and Politics Disagreement: . Trans Trans Philosophy. and Politics Disagreement: . Trans. Gregory Gregory Trans. Spectator. Emancipated The . Trans. Rachel Bowlby. Stanford: Stanford: Bowlby. Rachel Trans. Hospitality. . Trans. Steven Corcoran. Corcoran. Steven Trans. Democracy. of Demanding: Ethics of Commitment, Commitment, of Ethics Demanding:

57 March 13, 2011, 9:37 AM

Tirdad Zolghadr

Punk macht dicken Arsch

As Threatening as Visiting a Gym Drunk; Curating from Airplanes; Epistemic Bonus Miles; Disciplinary Waking Up from the Philandering; They Can Relax and Shine and Let Their Hair Down; But the Favor Is Rarely Returned; The N ightmare of

58 Price for All the Surfing; Do the Arty Mystery Thing; P articip ation TIRDAD ZOLGHADR since the eighties or before: seeing as philosophy has retreated into retreated has philosophy as seeing before: or eighties least the since at arts visual the colonizing been have people that explained Modern Art in the Common Culture (1996), art historian Thomas Crow parative literature in the late nineties. It’s nothing new. In the terrific of this migratory flow, having flocked to the arts from the field of com- example modest a am myself I that concede usually I point which At speaking. methodologically down, hair their let and shine and relax can they where post- room, green professional or of antechamber, academic kind some as place, first the in them to flock intellectuals makes what is unchecked systematically being of privilege arts’ the that out pointed usually it’s public, in case of kind this make I When cal claimsdoesattimesspeakforitselfsurely. politi- sweeping inflationary, more ever of economy visibility the may, it as that Be Perhaps. damaging? similarly is that deterritorialization of type a in partakes philandering disciplinary the Maybe somewhere? here connection a be there Might inconsequential). forever remain it determines that contract a be, that powers the with pact historical a of you, mind (borne, tradition artistic the of autonomy freewheeling the of mark a virtue, a but lack a not se per semi-knowledge is Why part? their for miles, bonus epistemic the of what So antics. colonial sheer sally self-same entity, and the lack of rooting, grounding, is deplored as traditional bourgeois impression that ‘audience’ is the an abstract, univer- to leads placelessness the of goes, consideration terms ethical the In travel, airplanes? from curating of accusation the Remember matters? geocultural in light-heartedness similar a to comes it when critiqued heftily is se per surfing epistemic and wanton disciplinary to comes it when applauded is what that example, for striking, it Isn’t hand is,well,dareIsay,PROBLEMATIC. at criteria of lack the that suggest but help cannot I term, long the in more, What’s afraid. I’m ends it where much pretty is that But cacious. effi- so being are others when moments at especially around, tottering of poetics suggestive the about say to much indeed there’s And drunk. gym a visiting as threatening as about inefficacy individualized of type cycle of free association is of course pretty harmless in the short term, a spin the for about, nothing to close know they things other and Street Wall biochemistry, Badiou, talk colleagues my to listening enjoy do I ungrateful one, but here goes. To begin with a caveat: make no mistake, he position puts me in - the grouch, the party pooper, the call to order – is a slightly the say must I and before, invitation this extended He’s arts. the in common now is that interdisciplinarity easy of brand lar particu- the about grumble to me invited kindly has Miessen Markus

59 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

It seems the role of the proto-disciplinary grump does lastbefit the “Over magazine: mefrieze in following some- the put once I that given how; mi- Arab architects, London on elaborate to asked been I’ve months, few histo- early the and Europe, of expansion eastward the Leninism, grants, The ry term of philosophy. ‘unqualified’Western is not an issue. Just do the arty mystery thing.” Funny how the stark arrogance of youth shines through in things you’ve published only years or mere months ago. I Two years is equally the average time it takes to learn a language.Two years is equally the average time it went on to describe “some carte blanche we share, some faux-waterfall of the post-medium, post-disciplinary condition. muddled sense of proxemics.” I’d be Some exaggerating only slightly if I said desperately faux- this of any in partake to invited been not have I then, since ever that religiously. frieze read people that say to only not is Which stuff. waterfall Nor to complain about a lack of invites. It is also to demonstrate that, although curators complain about ato symposia, symposium very these in jesters court as framed they’re that complain tourism, and artists author- our define proactively and actively can actually we degree certain ity as speakers, and as such we cannot be absolved of responsibility. At least not fully. If, by and large, your typical arts professional is not only allowed but ex- ofminimum a with knowledge of expanses vast through skim to pected rules and references, checks and balances – then this surely raises the following question: is the reason why this is not institutionalized else- tweed,in fogies old by peopled being academia of result simple a where mumbling ancient Greek in the candlelight? While the arts happen to be more progressive and xenoepistemic quite simply? Or is it because the price for all the surfing is higher than commonly expected? Strong, theto time, and - time takes research circumspect ethically sustainable, that, fact the of light the In commodity. precious most one the is tribe, art bit a it’s years, extra few a but hours, extra few a mean not do I time, with of a situation we have here. A new topical flavor can easily require a year start- and reconsidering and probing rereading, and reading in more, or ing all over again. Two years often seems reasonable. Mass-statistically speaking, two years is apparently the space of time that works best in a relationship, before things fall apart. Two product years warranty – is and the also average life the span of typical most electric gadgets. “technical “technical exchanges between academic professionals”, he argues, “artistic practice in the Duchampian tradition has come to provide the most important venue in which demanding philosophical issues asks, he yet, And 183) (p. public.” lay substantial a before aired be can can it be a mere coincidence that we’re so eager to have those guest is rarely returned? us, but the favor scholars among

60 Schorsch Kamerun C A M arch 18, 2011, 18, arch 5:08 h rt rt S ki I S S A N Blood;

ome T eering eering chorsch chorsch t pp ik ssed ssed hink u G o d lause from from lause ro I times Wetimes Wear s ents I G R

K u b ead oo now t y hi p of P d P er M y; L K e sians s ame O he

I monade; ns A ur H ide; Wait!; But D S er B r ale N K u d; eo

n M s D

S n P ra u ubs it C ni ch; gon’s ar idies; idies; ch digans; M

uch

61 Over the disappearance of instruments I tip my refreshments Sometimes I feel like an alpha animal Because I think I know the herd Quick as a flash and constantly weary Or in purest attitude I say, at first, nothing Maybe Shirin will show something big And outside a chorus of very old teachers sings Very quietly. In the wind: Today fashion is in the shadow of method Today method is in the shadow of diode Today art is in the shadow of cruel favour Today ambition is written on your forehead All at once dragon’s blood spurts from a wound That’s how we’re on everyone’s lips: art group of cheering Persians Jump up or just get right out

Sometimes I watch telly Sometimes I enjoy watching you

Because I’ve fallen back into a state of innocence I also can’t make good lemonade Wow! That doesn’t look at all like you did it! My wealth are the most beautiful words Curves, mountains and walls abandoned In the city the millions In the garden subsidies Niko is ready to re-compose his pictures He hit the ground running and conquered the stages in one go You walk like chests of drawers, creep according to rules, that no one else adheres to Sometimes I watch telly, sometimes I watch liquid soap The bowl has slowly filled with washing-up liquid You just don't have a proper foam dispenser! We cry “CHEERING PERSIANS”! That’s our sales pitch Then we met Herder / He was older

Sometimes I watch telly Sometimes I enjoy watching you

We are now on our way to our new wardrobe Celebrated, loved and needed. With much applause from inside. Recently I became really classic to myself Now we’re auctioning off the first row of seats in the galleries Sex, power and delicacies Loud pictures are barely audible anymore But wait! At some point the double bind comes There should be places where love is on the lookout Oh yes, I want to keep quoting Warhol! I’m sorry? What’s going on? Everything’s already working Mate, you can wait a long time for a better now, innit, One more prophesy: You lot’ll never manage it, even though you can do it all By the way: We’re also threatening Bertelsmann!! Our pictures are over-the-top comedies / Down the host’s staircase comes a grinning clown / He holds up a flashing sign / With our suc- cess on it!! / Sometimes we wear neon cardigans / In mobile phones / facebooks / Shopping malls / Bookshops / In private views and in sec- ondary schools / The swamp snake bites down hard into the queen’s neck

Sometimes I watch telly Sometimes I enjoy watching you

Sometimes I watch telly Sometimes I enjoy watching you Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

, er ub

d s, er sion; sion; wne uss; O inkelplatz bb eci isc tement; e D D ch ta icly G S ter to S no Brandlh r m et ubl A thofen) L A oting P nd to to nd ure of Berlin; Berlin; ure of st a ina f ut n, os F nte I P M eque heir V heir P ale o ale T R inde S athar L

C uctural he rty; We rty; We T tr y We y We an elp in in elp ; S

na- ristian v H ." demie c/o's n h kademie( c/o il rope G he oda o . "Baugesellschaft T S C A I P T T A ka arch 21, 2011, 7:10 7:10 2011, arch 21, candidates, 2011 Berlin's leading political A M

64 AKADEMIE C/o The Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben along with the the with along which Mitte, Berlin in seven government, the by for owned mainly land, of process plots Immobilienaufgaben tendering a up opened für Berlin Liegenschaftsfonds Bundesanstalt The example ofSchinkelPlatzinBerlin-Mitte: concrete the on and realm public the in property for process tendering the on you from statement a request we today vote, our about decision a make to this use can we that so and development, urban of terms in objectives political future your understand better may we that order In are or available publicly extremely difficulttoaccess. made not are property of awarding the in involved aims political and processes decision-making The politics. its in spot blind a is property city’s the of handling the that believe we Berlin, of future structural the in theoretically and practically volved in- are who academics cultural and architectural builders, planners, urban architects, As Germany. reunified in environment built the of planning the in involved been has c/o Akademie the years the three For last politics. in theme central a be must environment built Our Dear LeadingCandidatesforElectiontotheBerlinerAbgeordnetenhaus, planned, futuretenderingprocessforpropertyinpublicownership. your victory, election your of event the in and, Platz Schinkel totheredevelop- of ment inrelation plans political your of clarification the To help in their voting decision, the members of Akademie c/o request C B And H F K T R o: ra lau en e hri ar r li n a al r s s n t k e to Wo e

d , 1 a H Kü Wo s ph enke 0

B we n Fe au M a lf, Di b r s l e m, ruary 2011 , t, e y C it

e B P r D e , S ü ira

, U L nd P F i

n D L D t a ke P en n L n

a L i

s des a L par n 90 a n des n des v /Di t des e e O v r i Z e v e f ba B

v i r fic e G e e e r ba g r n rü r ba li e e po d ba ww n : l n

nen n s B B d n s tr d ib e

t@ B w d r lioth aSS e

li .a B B r a n e e li k k r r e n a a T li li 2 : 01 d d ek E Ak n n , 10117 e e sw mi mi a 71 867 84 60 d e e oh -c -c mi o.org o.org B n e e u c/ rl n i o g n

65 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

1

surface area will be created on four (instead 2 According to the highest bidder in the context of the current Yes would thisIf ‘yes’, then in what way and to what extent support be carried out Reduced Suspended No Accelerated same extent Continued in the same way and to the

should take place, in your opinion: a A decision on the awarding of the property ‘Am Schinkelplatz’ A decision on the awarding of the property ‘Am part of your political programme: a b c d construction isDirect or indirect public support of residential a b c In the future the sale of publicly owned property and land inIn the future the sale of publicly owned Berlin will be:

At the expiration of “Baugesellschaft Am Schinkelplatz i.G.” the – a “consortium of [38] inter- deadline for the ested members of the public, who […] would like to tendering take up residence process the on Schinkel Platz” – had made their offer public - (www.am-schinkel platz.de). This offer differs in many ways from the construction plan and framework that underlined the tendering process: freestanding villas (instead of interlocking buildings surrounding the square) with an expanded 5,000 m “We have gone out to tender for the land internationally and anticipate rich anticipate and internationally land the for tender to out gone have “We Liegenschaftsfonds. (46), Director of the said Holger Lippmann Russians,” are, according to the construction plan of 2006, to be filled with build- ings oriented on the historical layout of the city. By the closing date for been made. had apparently many bids 2011 on 14 January entries 3

2

1 In this context questions: we would request an answer to the following of seven) plots; furthermore the rebuilding of the Bauakademie will be realised with funds from the ‘Baugesellschaft’. estimated market value of the additional area clearly In goes over the set doing so the budget for the construction of the Bauakademie. According to what can be gleaned from publicly available information, a Bauakademie constructed according to the text of the offer would subsequently find itself under the ownership of the ‘Baugesellschaft’.

66 AKADEMIE C/o We 1 The membersofAkademiec/o Yours sincerely, them help might it come toadecisiononwhereplacetheirvote. that order in response your about public the of members interested 20,000 of public wider a and c/o Akademie the of members registered 500 over just the inform to and c/o Akademie the We intend to discuss your plans in the context of an event organised by mation aboutyourpoliticalintentions.

itn T Kittan, ENDN c b Zeitung, 30September2010  request an answer by 20 February 2011. We expect concrete infor- concrete expect We 2011. February 20 by answer an request

remain inpublichands:towhatpurpose? the propertyremaininginpublichands.Ifshould Through thecessationoftenderingprocessresultingin In favourofthe‘BaugesellschaftAmSchinkelplatz’ tendering process O T ES omas Berliner Berliner Meadow, Expensive Most its Sells Berlin

67 Planned develop- ment by ‘Berliner Baugesellschaft Am Schinkelplatz mbH i. G.’, architects (from left to right): Bernd Albers, Petra and Paul Kahlfeldt, Jan Kleihues, Antje Freiesleben and Johannes Modersohn. Image Martin Eberle ‘Avatarurbanismus’, 2010. March 28, 2011, 7:14 PM

MARIA FUSCO

POOR IT IS

Our; Waver; Richer; Poor It Is; Except; Ink; Waking Up from the N ightmare of 70 P articip ation It’s our You see me here When I was Plucked me from It’s our He will waver when the time The one who will She almost Suffice to say, their work had already been They’re richer Softening his jaw We shouldn’t have slipped Five of them. Yes, compressed Poor it is: this mass, Poor it is: this horizon, Poor it is: this bustle, Poor it is: this plunge, Poor it is: this devotion, Poor it is. Reveille. Every morning, except this one. As a spillage of ink on something precious March 28, 2011, 10:05 PM

Liam Gillick

Immolation

In a Desperate Search for Balance; Reverse Production; A Near Complete Dismantling; New Standards Had Emerged; Reassuring Pattern; A True Illusion of Important Work; A Small Group of People Grew Restless; Weight Increased; GILLICK

The Work Was Nearly Complete; 75 LIAM Some decided to leave. Others decided to stay. Within weeks the factory fell silent and closed. At first people were drawn to the factory out of boredom. And a degree of frustration that an incomplete project has been abandoned so soon. Initially people would function in paral- lel to each other. Many merely choosing this place as a location to pass the time. Calculation became the common language. Sharing notes and speculative models. The decision had been made, to avoid anecdotal play. Instead to move focus away from people and onto objects. A desire to account for everything. A need to create a series of equations that could provide a new balance. A desire to quantify rela- tionships. Great lists of materials were created. Routes and modes of transportation discussed. Everything was tied to everything else in a desperate search for balance.

People found a way to amuse and occupy each other with this global Waking Up from the accounting. It drew them all together and transcended all difference. Some mornings, new people would arrive and marvel at the incredible quantity of work that had taken place. An inverse productivity. Over many years the work continued. It initially brought curious outsiders to the former factory. After a while the visitors stopped coming, and

left the main group to continue their work. The machinery by this N ightmare of 76 point was unrecognizable. All of it had been broken back down into its component parts. One part of the group now specialized in turning these parts back into elements. Not reprocessing for the production

of new things, but the complete breakdown of former parts. The effort P put into this reverse production was as extreme as the early dynamic articip of capitalism. ation

The core group worked hard on their project at times when they were not involved in refining their calculations. There was an increasing sense that a moment was being reached. A certain level of resolution being achieved. The borders of the building were now completely porous. Gardens extended inside the building. And piles of material were now stacked just outside the factory walls. Some children were born. Some people left. Some people died. A few were maimed in acci- dents. The old worked alongside the young. There was no obligation to do anything. The texts and calculations formed an enormous archive. A massive log of all potential exchanges. An exhausted but happy group. With a perfect exchange tool. The basis of it derived from expe- rience. A near complete dismantling.

Over time the building no longer resembled a factory. It had been absorbed into the landscape. The rigor of the original structure had LIAM GILLICK of this place. Gardening stopped, leading to severe malnourishment. malnourishment. severe to leading stopped, Gardening place. this of working the reverse in explain, to order in And exposed writing up. of layers cleaned was space factory The research. comparing spent now were nights Many stopped. were work at attempts languid most the even Forwhile community.here. a improvised from an way long A of part been had too They familiar. extremely experiences their and enough, real sounded story Their still claim. nobody their verify And could who place. lived similar a place. from taken come recently have to had claimed people They three the of arrival The grew restless. people of group small a cold, grew weather the as winter, One important work. of illusion true a offered That created. been had parallel true A vise. impro- to obligation the and production of constraints the from Free was barely maintained. Yet there was a sense that this was a better way. that even And gardening. into went mainly place the of effort true The was nowboundtofail. to work this ability of reading objective the an provide to to attempt any Yet Connected resolve. emerged. had standards New completely mirrorsabsent. And hunched. was Posture unknown. Podiatry off.taken never had Dentistry worse. even appearance and health cial superfi- Their poor. was population factory the of health general The everything. for rela- accounting great and structures resolving down still Breaking tionships. were they minds their in But ground. the on lying or slowly moving people silent nearly shy, of group A sense. to impossible almost was place taking work of level The capitalism. of dynamic the to used someone to nothing almost like look would factory former the in work hard like felt What things. strange some notice would by, pass to bothered still they had visitor, casual Yetany accounted for. things were working out. A that sense that all relationships feeling in the world general had been the was There for. accounted been had food and Alcohol resolved. been had fuels and ores when Moments place. the of history the in markers Celebrating time. over developed had days Special for. been had work this what remembered longer that they provided a reassuring pattern. Even though some calculations people no with marked heavily so were walls remaining few The floor.the above suspended platforms on Or space. main the in slept offices. former they weather good In structure. the of basement the in located Safely the in slept people night At places. in missing roof was The bent. and dented was surface remaining Every lost. been

77 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Until Until one of the newcomers offered to take over, introducing an It was necessary to show slowly the how visitors the everything. Reveal resolution of all material relationships had been achieved. Layers of text were carefully cleaned from the walls, each removal revealing a hidden layer beneath. Papers were stacked and archived. constructed Carefully indexes were produced. Everyone was open and gener- ous. The visitors would sometime be found searching shadows. Initially through this was of the no concern. But one or two were suspi- three or two After concerns. their for focus any find couldn’t Yet cious. welding computer-controlled a reconstructing on began work months machine. This now joined the paint shop that had been completed a few weeks earlier. One complete wall of the former factory effort The recreated. had been had facade the alsoeffort great At restored. been This text was part Perspectives and of a Short Liam Scenario” Gillick’s at Kunsthalle Zurich and Museum Witte of retrospective Contemporary Art de in Chicago, 2008- With project in “Three Rotterdam, 2010 (film part, second half). ‘efficient’ newtechnique. Killing animals had never occurredto the floor the from many lifted meat cooked for taste a But dwellers. factory and they too eagerly joined in the process of explanation. Some parts of the former walls were now restored. And a small generator coaxed life.back into took its toll. And people died Others prematurely. were weak. But the collective desire to show the work achieved led A to new renewed simple efforts. high fat and high carbohydrate Leaving diet the workers was happy for a introduced. while. Weight increased. And so did the pace of reconstruction. People were now encouraged to account for their work. Complex relationships now had a rational aim. Death were was increasingly common. The rate of forgotten. Everything reconstruction increased. The archive was lost in a fire. The process of explanation abandoned. The work was nearly complete. The three surveyed the work. work- original the of last The evening. last the on They Early clear. and Clean were happy with do... to what knowing longer no And smelter. the by up lined Were ers. the reinstated plant. Slipped into the melted ore.

78 MIKA HANNULA A P I the the all the honey, go killing off don’t f yo pril 7,pril 2011, 11:03 arti I R A A T n MIKA S of S G S But if We if WantBut O I t; s he el iz low iv rg not ov nl R T S e C al Versions;al f- y ument; We ea he pe u erning the the erning C om cipatory O her Wayher of F ly, P onditions of the of the onditions a it

rg lly lly ed, Volume and os M HAN s b S re looking for for looking re anization; anization; mon mon A ode o ode sible on the on the sible low ee C ll A ar M s – M ly; ing?; U ode f a F C I G T P LA T t t ac C om he C art he Q he T oo on l; om C ake H e a T mons; op icipatory icipatory O op A ra textualizing the the textualizing

d and the the d and M pp L s s C dition; dition; y- m C e u o P ic ond P av L osite of osite ving ving es I u ri la ro ro e s ce; C nit ft; ft; alcade of A ce Within ce Within t for t for itions; itions; olle L lw e I S C P S ll y vels; har ays ays ra on low usion usion ctive ctive O ctice; flict; flict; ing ing ne- ly,

79 Participation, we have now learned and acknowledged, is a raw deal. It is a rough ride between expectations and experiences of what, where, how and when – and all this before someone from the lovely, oh-so- solid group tends to disappear and laugh all the way to the bank, to the bank. And you, and we, we are left with sore hands and vile thoughts. We participated and we lost. We gave all we had, but got nothing back. But why is it so? And, well, what could we do about it?

Markus Miessen’s The Nightmare of Participation (Crossbench Praxis as a Mode of Criticality) certainly puts the finger where it belongs and where it hurts. We get an insight into the mess of the contemporary practices of knowledge production, which are by their character participatory. As an argument, Miessen’s endeavor is both entertain- ing and stimulating. Without a doubt, it is an important attempt to

address the inherent problems of participatory practices in contem- Waking Up from the porary social and political climate.

The main difficulty of the argument is not what it says, or howit does it. These parts are pushed through and brought to the core effectively within the network of circulating discourses embodied into

the hub of the book. The problem is the conditions of the conditions N ightmare of 80 within which the argument is taking place. Within its chosen context, presuppositions and premises, the diagnosis is valid.

However, this is not the only possible way the game can be played. P Read: what if the premises of the argument are false? What if there articip exists another way of contextualizing the argument, one that allows participatory practices be and become more, much more than ation just shadows of self-negating doubt and horrible variations of nightmares?

What follows is not an argument against Miessen’s propositions and descriptions. Instead, I will try to argue for an alternative way of con- ceptualizing and imagining the chances and challenges of participa- tory practice. This is then nothing more and nothing less than an idea of participatory practice-based community. To articulate this, I will begin with a short description of how things are, then continue with a vision of how the context and content of participation can be alter- natively imagined, and then finish off with the ethical implication of this alternative way. MIKA HANNULA moral concepts”. moral embodied “socially different of collision a creating versions, rival cavalcade of a face and have We game. the playing of ways co-existing various the underline to and out point to is This notion. crucial other an- on based is imagine to disability our argument, my goes so But, Judt, “ourdisabilityisdiscursive”. while We have forgotten how to imagine an alternative. In the words of Tony happy violently consumers. hysterical being to citizens potential ourselves, from ourselves demoting to it doing are We theory. conspiracy or swindle great a amidst not are we no, But values. of gle trian- mentioned above the of one-dimensionality the into to max reduced the for and time colonialized and being space are little life-worlds very Our leaves alternatives. that land the of lay a have we no such thing as a society” (branded in late ‘80s by Margaret Thatcher), and volume price. When speed, adding to maxims: these assets three of values following the old the slogan “there to is reduced is the-world being-in- our where circumstances psychological and economic cal, live, We blue. truly politi- social, are in OECD-countries, the of variations limited the conditions among current our of conditions The ences. It is to put a specific price tag on all forms and parts of our lives. experi- hating and loving living, our of parts all game, conquer to is this aim the Within so. stays And mine. is mine, what’s and mine, is of this system follows that great self-congratulatory motto: what’s yours logic inherent The it. hear even can We too. it, feel and sense see, We ism the rules of the game are that the winner takes it all. We know this. capital- globalized driven market of version footloose current the In practice canmeanandconvey. what and participation what on consequences has It consequences. direct has placement this And in. within place takes it setting, this of criticism without or with But conditions. our of conditions these of affirmative solely is argument Miessen’s that say to not is This ism. capital- globalized driven market called is participation of nightmare the of horrors the painting is Miessen where game the of name The context tothenext. one from abused and used are they how and from come they where mean, words what of incompatibility grave a face we Thus, B. site and set another in sense make or function necessarily not does A, context I 2 This is to say that what works and makes sense in in sense makes and works what that say to is This 1

81 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Thus, 2 , within which we are in 3 only follow this logic and II we have the social and collective element that is there not just to servewe have the social and collective element as an opportunistic playing field, butdefines that the way directly constructsthe game and is played. What from else the we idea have of is the move the result of knowledge production as domain into the understanding of a these results as taking place copyrightin the mode of a copy-left. borrowing borrowing the classical description of the Ulrich Beck modern and Elisabeth dilemma Beck-Gernsheim from the rules of this type of a game, it will end in tears. It is a setting, To To call this logic totalitarian is an understatement. By now, it ought be crystal clear that for most of us, if we This is the logic where one reason, one choice and one logic fits it all. anytime. and everywhere anything, everything, hear me?: Did you And sure, there it is, the key word: practices. But this time, these are practices that are constructed, maintained and developed within a The alternative premises for the different conditions of our conditions our of conditions different the for premises alternative The are not science fiction. They are not utopias, and they are not outside of our life-worlds. This alternative is dominant the outside Not potentiality practices. our in and lives daily our in here, found and there – model, because we are all part of it, but next to it, actively seeking a place next to and alongside it. But to label all efforts of arguing for another way, for an alternative a pretty bad jam: we keep searching systematic contractions. for And biographical yes, solutions within to this dilemma and determined its rules, winning pre- or breaking even is not among the avail- able options. way of imagining the premises of the concept of participation practice as naive, and anti-capitalist, or just plain silly is nothing but lazy. It is also intellectually dishonest. Because there is more to daily life, more to experience, more to expectations of love and hate, and more to imagination of things that hurt and heal, than just speed, volume and price. market vulgar of one-dimensionality the than premises of set different driven globalized capitalism. This is then a version of a open-ended, self-critical practice that believes that thinking must be for done oneself in always connection and collaboration with others.

82 MIKA HANNULA result and deliveries, but it does construct a potentiality of “shared “shared participation indeliberation”. of potentiality a construct does it but deliveries, and result ticipants. It is a setup that will not and cannot promise any immediate par- the of reach the within are that conditions of conditions shared the conflict, loving a called is that something about but consensus, process, not nostalgic longing back or a mystical vision. It is not about way. the along defined give-and-take and a described is is It which but starts, action the before there not is that good common a of idea an action that is small and face-to-face. It is a site that argues for and with inter- of scale the at remain conflicts, and sites local the to Wereturn is practice a of sense alternative something thatisbasedontheoppositeofone-size-fits-all model. an with after is MacIntyre What external pressures,ofapractice. the by around jerked being not challenges, and changes internal develop the to and closer get to is It slowly. slowly, slowly, things doing and going of difficult extreme the and potentiality inherent the hend compre- to is It price. and volume speed, of illusion omnipotent the a is what of sensibility from us distance to is This practice. andparticipatory is what and practice sense the but streets, the not reclaim, must we that is means differently thinking of legacy long this What power.” state of depredations the and capitalism of effects corrosive the from themselves protect to need therefore that and community tice-based prac- participatory of form independent and self-sufficient relatively some achieve to aspire that societies local those all for self-defense of politics a is needed urgently most is what situation this “In quote: To tion ofourconditions. condi- the of malaise current the of aware is certainly who someone – MacIntyre Alasdair mentioned, already I’ve philosopher the by lated articu- actively most times contemporary in then is and 1274), – (1225 Aquinas Thomas called man another of hearts and hands the at stop named Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC), but a train that makes a significant ‘Thomist called is man that to back us takes that thought of premises train a is It Aristotelianism’. the of version rival this philosophy In collective action. This is then no longer the domain of Aristotelian Aristotelian of domain the longer no of then form is self-governing This action. and collective self-organizing a called is it site, other this In context. a of scope another and name, another has also tion participa- of version this books, philosophy old dusty the to next But 2 2

83 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

4 has come to identify 4 arrangements allow most resource appropriators resource most allow arrangements 4 to participate in the decision-making process Effective monitoring Rules regarding the appropriation and provision of commonRules regarding the appropriation and resources are adapted to local conditions choice Collective Clearly defined boundaries

1 seven principles that guide and define collectiveThese are: self-organization. 4 3 2 Through the decades of very hands-on studies that collected all kinds of economic, behavioral and other data, Ostrom The interesting issue with Ostrom is that she focuses solely on small- scale units of CPRs that range from only These 50 involve inshore up fisheries, groundwater to basins 15,000 and communal persons. forest, as examples. Ostrom focuses on the these of use make to how is question The Resources. of Pool Common organic situation that resources she so that the benefits are greatest, while assuring the renewal calls a units. resource the of flow CPR: the calls she what is This resources. these of One of the leading figures of conceptualization of this type of collective of type this of conceptualization of figures leading the of One philosophy, but the very pragmatically oriented world of governing the governing of world oriented pragmatically very the but philosophy, institutionalism. of new the label has gained that commons One of Ostrom’s main interests has been the study of sites and situ- ations in which collective action can lead to results that avoid both participation participation is Elinor Ostrom, a political economist who, as the first woman ever, was awarded the Nobel Prize for economics in 2009 for these issues.her work on excessive consumption and high studies take administrative her, for example, costs. to the issues Her of how fishing to case stock deal with the in a certain area. In these circumstances,form of a collective organization is faced with collective action, which are, besides the obvious the ones of the potential inherent dilemmas of any free-loaders and the breaking of commitments, the such as stress, weakness and failure. human conditions extra cases of

84 MIKA HANNULA the currentmodes ofparticipatorypractice thenightmarethatitis. What Ostrom’s 7 6 5 mandate, but proactively seeking engagement: a freelancer with a a with conscience.” freelancer a engagement: seeking proactively but mandate, “Crossbench Lords. the defined clearly a without acting as precisely described be could praxis of House British the institution: peculiar rather a from fetched is call jargon to new accustomed This practice. are inter-disciplinary we that something covers that concept a is porary profile of an agent who is called a crossbench practitioner. This ticipation, in his book Markus Miessen proposes the idea of a contem- par- failing of circle negative the of version nightmare the of Instead an integrityandagravityinopen-endedongoingprocess. It is a slowness as in how to do things so that they create and maintain acts. the of quality the about but quantity, yes, about of not is that type slowness And a and else. commitment situated something locally a of is else but something that price, and volume speed, of definitely is not follow must it logic the that is action self-organization collective a of type any for imply cases specific highly Ostrom’s What of continuousreportingandreassembling. spans attention short the by shaped planning of sense a with patible com- not is that longevity a require they and establishment, political and social the and participants the by both commitments structural local strong require that efforts are They are. enterprises such fragile and examples Ostrom’s analyses convincingly prove is how complicated, time consuming and what slogans, catchy providing of Instead not at all applicable to the domain of design and product placements. fit to into a fast argument and furious the hype of and a twitter aim message. And, the well, perhaps condense it is to hard very is It evident. self- not is it and easy, not is self-organization collective long-term a vne n responsibility. and evance rel- attitude, involving character of strength a needs it participation

higher-level authorities The self-determinationofthecommunityisrecognizedby Mechanisms ofconflictresolutionarecheapandeasytoaccess late communityrules A scaleofgraduatedsanctionsforresourceappropriatorswhovio III 5 For this promise to be meaningful, for its proactive proactive its for meaningful, be to promise this For long and complicated list makes clear is that enduring 5 These are the missing links that make make that links missing the are These

85 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

the premises of the alternative the of premises the 5 6 We We should not waste too much time by dreaming or envisioning we will always lose. We participate, but never ever in any other mode (excuse the expression) than seeking to climb up the ass tree up. with We our sweat, and we suffer, there and is no use moaning fall and complaining about it, because on it is truly our heads. But, well, inevitable. a site and situation outside the current macro sentational level democracy) and system its (repre- internal paradoxes (we do not less need or more, but better government, that really pretending governs to be instead doing ofcommerce). The hope that is to be achieved, created and kept on keeping on, that hope is always only possible As I’ve argued all along, if we remain and stay only within the premises the within only stay and remain we if along, all argued I’ve As and the internal logic of capitalistic system of winner takes it all, So, if not a crossbench praxis, which haunted is by its inevitably own demons and and relentlessly the past and the present class of society that a it glorifies,rigid what is the alternative, then? Where are the pockets of hope to be found, so to speak, where is the snorkel for sanity? Or to put yet another intentionally cruel twist to it: how can we is really caring? convince others and ourselves that sharing context, one milieu or political project, political or milieu one context, Whereas Miessen sees a major danger in us getting stuck in one When When comparing the strategies displayed by Miessen with the - exam ples provided by MacIntyre and Ostrom, the interesting point is that both sides share a very similar description of sides two the how is difference, the is however What problems. its the and current situation analysis. proceed from the a difference, and want to make This situatedness does not mean being closed-up. On the contrary, the practice-based activity is dependent on both internal and external clashes and collisions. There must be interaction, comparisons and conflicts, but for these to be meaningful, they need the continuity of con- a tradition, a constitutes What tradition. called is what process, a text, and a practice are the give-and-take acts of conflicts, views and visions that stay, and do not run away. imagined and defined by MacIntyre and Ostrom claim the diametri- cally opposite. The internal and self-critical logic of a practice based participatory community is by its inherent values a site and situation that has to be small, local and embedded. And slow, so slow it hurts our souls. and burns traces into

86 MIKA HANNULA as the acts of a politics of small gestures. small of politics a of acts the as addressed and articulated have I what is It together. things bringing Youhere. is it and but apart things pulling not – gravity of pull the feel there, is it but fragile, amazingly is it temporal, is It local. – be to has and – is that game a is it that certain positively and absolutely is What how muchwecanmodify,alterandeffectthem. and – why and play, fact in do we games of kind what to down comes issue whole the but part, take and play, must We level. micro the on 3 1 2 and treatingothersasobjects.Itisaquestionofends,not ofmeans. our reach and in in our power in our daily is realities to avoid being treated, that everything doing of acts term long committed and nected me let inter-con- not, the is way alternative The desired. be are to not are that repeat, that objects away throw and play, buy, into us of all turn values one-directional these otherwise because well, – Because ished, beside,beneathandbeyond. acted acknowledged, cher- and respected be to need They inside. further brought and upon be to need They them. within clearly very but life-worlds, our of outside not are that acts are These accountability. tially embedded in it, we need checks, and we poten- need balances. We need goods internal the and practice, participatory want we if But business asusual,andthatisjustveryfineso. is that enough, Obviously price. and volume speed, of logic the into everything and anything flatten to and simplify to refuse to is native alter- the short, In pleasures. inherent of accumulation slow their supported by are acts the where and tag, price a of the logic deterministic defy actions and acts the where somewhere else, somewhere is It follow. we that spectacles shiny and it loud and the in drink, up we wrapped not water is the in not is it breathe, we air the in not is It to staywithitandgetintotheactsofreallyplayingpart. or it, for up dress to just ready in and satisfied are localized we whether choosing is that difference a is It spectator. a and actor an being

Cambridge University Press2006.  Sage, 2002,xxii. Beck, Ulrich& Beck-Gernsheim, Elisabeth, Individualization Alasdair, MacIntyre, Judt, Tony, IllFares theLand , Penguin Press2010, 34. ENDN O T ES

Ethics n Pltc, eetd sas o. II, vol. Essays Selected Politics, and 7 It is the difference between between difference the is It ,

87 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

(Crossbench (Crossbench , the Evolution of , the Evolution s articipation Tasks of Philosophy, Selected Essays, vol. I, of Philosophy, Tasks olitics of Small Gestures, Chances and Gestures, Chances olitics of Small The , art-ist, Istanbul, 2006 Art, art-ist, Istanbul, for Contemporary Challenges MacIntyre, MacIntyre,  Alasdair, 111 University Press 2006a, Cambridge Mika, The P Hannula, Governing the Common Governing Elinor, Ostrom, 1990 Press University Action , Cambridge Collective for Institutions  of P The Nightmare Markus, Miessen, Press 2010 Sternberg Mode of Criticality), Praxis as a

7 4 5 6

88 April 11, 2011, 6:26 PM

Phillip Zach

WE WILL BREATHE LATER

"In Sleep, the Subconscious Shows You Something that Your Waking Mind Cannot Elaborate On; It Cannot Construct a More Difficult, Horrific Icon. […] You Become Trapped in an Endless Cycle. To Wake Up from a Nightmare Is to Reach the Threshold ACH Z

of Realizing that You Are in Fact 89

PHILLIP Dreaming. You Cannot Escape the Nightmare from Within the Logic of the Dream Itself; You Must Exit the Dream World. Crossing the Threshold of Realization, You Begin to Understand that You Are a Character Performing a Role Within a Staged Play — The Dream — That You Are Watching."¹

¹ Jeremy Beaudry and Bassam El Baroni, in: Markus Miessen, The Nightmare of Participation. Crossbench Praxis as Mode of Criticality, Berlin, New York: Sternberg Press, 2010, p. 253. ‘We will breathe later,’

eaten up by societal consensus when dying, he is, for the first time, in a state of truth. the reinvention of what it means to be responsible one might call “smart weirdness,” how she likes the movement of her ass trapped in an endless cycle forcefully or willingly saying that such protocols as somewhat symptomatic are dropped like a hot potato reinventing oneself, initiated and eventually directed through its reputation,

A split within the governance has been rendered ad absurdum

What else is in the making?

…

“surrogate-democratic participation,”

We have a literature rapidly blowing itself to pieces the Slacktivism of Facebook, a “critical proximity,” trapped in an endless cycle copy-paste establishment—trading on the past interviewees at the Marathon the likelihood of success Otherwise, we would be trees. a holistic approach acknowledges the disease is viewed as the occasion a veneer of worthiness;

“A cemetery grows, but does not develop.” this is actually pretty simple.

‘We will breathe later,’

eaten up by societal consensus when dying, he is, for the first time, in a state of truth. the reinvention of what it means to be responsible one might call “smart weirdness,” how she likes the movement of her ass trapped in an endless cycle forcefully or willingly saying that such protocols as somewhat symptomatic are dropped like a hot potato reinventing oneself, initiated and eventually directed through its reputation,

A split within the governance has been rendered ad absurdum

What else is in the making?

…

“surrogate-democratic participation,”

We have a literature rapidly blowing itself to pieces the Slacktivism of Facebook, a “critical proximity,” trapped in an endless cycle copy-paste establishment—trading on the past interviewees at the Marathon the likelihood of success Otherwise, we would be trees. a holistic approach acknowledges the disease is viewed as the occasion a veneer of worthiness;

“A cemetery grows, but does not develop.” this is actually pretty simple.

Far behind the curtain, a voice:

…

Here often the answer is brutal.

(if you’re inside, you’re part of an existing discourse that is to be agreed upon and fostered),

It can be tamed, as the author of a language that tries to speak the truth to power, Why is nice bad? this work promotes a conflictual the necessary friction to both residents could build their own dwellings, In contrast to the majority cooperation of the people they need no vision or idea themselves. the reinvention of what it means to be responsible producing a scandal is allowed, where practice cocoons itself in banalities

Did Someone Say Participate?

… saying no is not too far from saying yes. a post-nostalgic practice, so fashionable in some left-wing circles. hyper-faceted networks of commonality, one might call “smart weirdness,” trapped in an endless cycle the most complex set of knowledge is useless. referred to as “ambidexterity.” the ability “to do” things, embodies a plea from a—or the—norm allowing processing to fail, the less we give a damn.

“You can teach, if you can fund” What else is in the making?

Several monkeys are placed in a cage with a banana hanging over a ladder.

… a sixtysomething-year-old man walks his dog along a remote lake. the disease is viewed as the occasion a veneer of worthiness;

Far behind the curtain, a voice:

…

Here often the answer is brutal.

(if you’re inside, you’re part of an existing discourse that is to be agreed upon and fostered),

It can be tamed, as the author of a language that tries to speak the truth to power, Why is nice bad? this work promotes a conflictual the necessary friction to both residents could build their own dwellings, In contrast to the majority cooperation of the people they need no vision or idea themselves. the reinvention of what it means to be responsible producing a scandal is allowed, where practice cocoons itself in banalities

Did Someone Say Participate?

… saying no is not too far from saying yes. a post-nostalgic practice, so fashionable in some left-wing circles. hyper-faceted networks of commonality, one might call “smart weirdness,” trapped in an endless cycle the most complex set of knowledge is useless. referred to as “ambidexterity.” the ability “to do” things, embodies a plea from a—or the—norm allowing processing to fail, the less we give a damn.

“You can teach, if you can fund” What else is in the making?

Several monkeys are placed in a cage with a banana hanging over a ladder.

… a sixtysomething-year-old man walks his dog along a remote lake. the disease is viewed as the occasion a veneer of worthiness;

“critical proximity,” as self-affirming platitudes Consider your role! Right now,

“critical proximity,” an opportunistic endeavor, as self -affirming platitudes the monster who is not Consider real, your role! Right now, scripting is the answer, what was the question?” actually pretty simple. an opportunistic endeavor, from healthcare infrastructure the tomonster education who is not real, romantic notions scripting of negotiation, is the answer, what was the question?” written or commissioned actually pretty simple. fromthe above healthcare-mentioned infrastructure planets to education as self - affirming romantic platitudes notions of negotiation, written or commissioned themes such as democratization, the above-mentioned planets … as self-affirming platitudes themesMany contemporary such as democratization, architects

…

Many contemporary architects

(start over)

(start over)

Phillip Zach, 2011

Phillip Zach, 2011

ANGELIQUE CAMPENS A C is genero is pril 14, 2011,pril 12:29 an an the the When A F P P P A Begin orms art art ubl rt B rt ngeli I T icipation; icipation; for the icipation ic Becomes the the ic Becomes n er ecomes an of P L m ' m ot participate, What or oos oliticians oliticians qu R P el u ing their their ing art P M e s ar ational ational icipation'; icipation'; C M amp ov I ns S t today? ta ed ed trument; trument; C A C rt to to rt S ens ri om e P ake ticality; ticality; sthetics; as I missioner; missioner; ns F t Varioust of of li titutions titutions rt with with rt T he he A s s

95 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Lights in the and the city’s historic Copula. Every time a home- ­less shelters (1999).In Montreal, Jaar made a project connecting different It is alarming when politicians start to flirt with the term ‘participa- tion’ and institutions begin losing their criticality because of oppor- opportunism? there is when and critique there is When ideas. tunistic When is there activism and when is there simply taking commissions? money The for rules get framed by those in power, and artists The pre-existing groups who are part of the project posed of are people often from com- the neighbourhood who want to be involved, illuminate the Copula with red light. Jaar for thus created making a visible structure those who often feel this project came invisible from Jaar’s own in intervention, it would society. have been a While totally different case had the city itself invited the artist to work with a homeless community. The latter instance would have provided top-down a solution, which is becoming more often ies, politicians the and institutions are case taking on roles as even greater than cit- mere commissioner. an instrument.become instrumentalized as art becomes but they are just as likely to be target groups, ranging from people liv- ing in retirement homes to prisoners. Sometimes composed groups com- the becomes public the so and artist, the choose even sort this of missioner (and may even get involved in artistic decisions). Markus Miessen points out the problem succinctly when he states, “Frankly speaking, not everyone should always be asked or invited cluded in decision making process.” to Two questions arise: what is be the in- necessity of practices of this sort, and what will be the value for art? less person arrived in one of the shelters, she could (if make she wanted) herself visible by pushing a button that would immediately home City Numerous Numerous studies have shown that participation in an art project has a positive impact on the individual and that it brings people together. something becomes space public in art works, gallery than often More The idea of participatory art practice, where participatory. the process since way long a come has work, final the then important more often is the sixties, and there remain ongoing discussions about aesthetics and relational other trends in art practice. But how far can we really “Prescribed happiness looks exactly what it is; to have a part in it (...)” a part in is; to have what it exactly looks happiness “Prescribed – Adorno An exemplary piece in this regard is Alfredo Jaar’s go with participation in public space in relation to art? go with participation

96 ANGELIQUE CAMPENS ahr te ae xlcty lyn wt ies f hs ot Cyprien sort. this of ideas Gaillard’s with playing explicitly are they Rather, generation. younger and newer the with more any seen not are pate which partici- to in invited is audience the Tiravanija) and central is Rirkrit gift a of concept or the Gonzalez-Torres Felix of as For (such work practices aesthetics. the art relational take-away and of generous of forms sort various example,the past moved have We fic- tional elementsaswell. incorporating by documentation mere past moves also discussions, it these while of transcripts verbatim from departure and them of its point with takes wrote she script film sessions resulting The reading discussions. organized did screenings, film organized Gibson months, five For stimulation. of need in thus and dementia, of stage early an in were who Camden in homes care in people elderly and Hackney the with work to started Beatrice She film. a make to wanted she knew Gibson, artists, the Westminster, of One work. new in create to London people in Camden older with collaborating now are artists These population. ageing the asked were and housing explore to architects and artists five where Gallery Serpentine the example, for Consider, institutions. tive reflec- with conjunction in or artist, the from start they if important, most and, directed and thought-out well are they when succeed only projects these of Most practices. public for was art’ of sake the for ‘art as art to inimical as is participation’ of sake the for ‘Participation are. stakes its what and done gets this how re-think and pause to need we that claim simple a in rather, begins, It done. be shouldn’t space lic pub- in art in participation that stating by begin not does answer My institution/curator merely support, mediate and make their vision vision the possible? their and make space and public mediate the support, in merely work institution/curator to desire a from start artist the shouldn’t all, today.After practices art to it adapt and space public in participation of possibilities the question constantly to necessary is It than withmeregenerositytothepublic. and image the and destruction of ruin, ideas the with more deals work the a thus making in rather but away, taking simply by not pating partici- was public the doing, so In consume. which to invited Efes were visitors beer Turkish the of bottles 72,000 of pyramid a created artist The project. take-away another just like sight first at looks only at KW Berlin 2011, for example, example, for 2011, Berlin KW at Discovery of Recovery The , a project of of project a Exchange, Skills

97 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

n te; te; ; heir ta T mon S ticipant ing gai t rk'; I ame A ; ar munist om t lism; pa rr X N P truction of C S u om es gh tituting this C essarily dea s a D ec I tics the of I u ns R icipant 1; icipant 1; ec I t I cipate cipate hose ' oli lic s a solves the icipant N I P ho is art t ts ub T I I P ot ot D art

ses; ses; ouazizi by P retical he P

N arti

u an W an T as A ik P s I o ent; ent; M M sm, heo Y M al o o ss ric; ric; T med Bouazizi a P ests ?; now B now T he te that ni A

M K T u ta rot ene e oha S P hen m G ymous afe r M mon mon ement Because icipant 0; icipant -1; – icipant -1; icipant ±1; S ute the hail erest; htmare emocracy' ov the ne; ne; om non om ef art art art hat W st W nt D as as R O O A T M P C P P I Was in the ' Su C ig u pril 1:0020, 2011, N J – A W

98 SUHAIL MALIK h Nw ok Times, York New The the from groaner headline the here matching speech, of figure fitting all-too- this in is Badiou jokey or clumsy deliberately how exactly clear not is it (and himself also but uprising popular of ‘field’ the just not alight set ‘spark’ whose man the name not does Badiou moment, a in return will we which to humility, declared of point this to get to Eager State operations.Itisinfactamovementofcommunism. through never movements, mass such by happens – possibilities’ ed and emancipation – ‘an absolute change of existence, of unprecedent- freedom that and mobilization, counter-Statist or overthrow the only interest, their necessarily not is ‘democracy’ that movements, these from learn only can West the in those that understands Badiou, he, do, they what in ‘democratic’ is what protesters the tell to deign who Westernintellectuals or French those unlike that emphatic is Badiou ers flee.” rul- powerful the and square far-away a in joy their cry people of lions mil- until weeks, days, within expands gesture This world. this in real is what understand him make to him slapping woman-officer a with and banned, be to threatened is survive to him allows that commerce miserable whose redundant, made been has who man a through of suicide burning the with starts all It fire. on field a set can spark “A in theArab-speakingcountriesbutalsofurtherafield: as a popular movement, it acts as a beacon for political action not just instigated the what first, eventually successful, protests in Tunisia of and how, account standard the the as rehashed known Badiou Alain be Spring’, to ‘Arab come has what on complexions political all of intellectuals public by written urgently commentaries of rush the In which he made his living selling fruit and vegetables on the street. street. the on vegetables and fruit selling living his made he which the allegedassault), confiscatedhisweighing scalesandthecartfrom for trial and detention subsequent her from 2011 April in acquitted who, being Hamdi herself, officer the by slapped fact in was he that certain officer police the Hamdi, un- is (it earlier Faidahours two than less him assaulted had aides, her with against protest his hear to declared his intention to set himself alight unless the governor agreed and himself over thinner) paint 2010. perhaps (or December petrol 17 poured he on There earlier weeks half a and two some Tunisia, Central Bouzid, Sidi of town home his in office governor’s the at place took self-immolation Bouazizi’s 2011. January 4 on burns of died who Basboosa), as known locally Bouazizi, Muhammad al-TayyibTarek ly, In fact, the ‘spark’ was lit by 26 year old Mohamed Bouazizi (or, more ful- 1 o a ige ac Cn gie Revolution). a Ignite Can Match Single a How 2

99 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation Bouazizi Bouazizi had been working since he was about 10 years old, following health, poor step-father’s his and life his in early father his of death the knowledge Local family. his support to month per $140 about earning has it that Bouazizi continued to be harried by the local cops because he was unable or unwilling to pay the bribes to allow him to continue vending, the harassment taking place under the pretext that he had required. not is permit a such though even wares, his sell to license no Reports suggest that the ‘spark’ of Bouazizi’s perhaps self-immolation not was wholly decisively made, his cigarette open during his lighter protest against the jamming functionaries’ refusal to hear his demands for justice or, what is the same thing, only to go about his daily business without harassment. Aftermath: Bouazizi was taken to a number of increasingly well-equipped hospitals for treatment of his severe burns, with gathering local, then international press and pub- lic attention in his case. At his last place of treatment in the Burn and Trauma Centre at Ben Arous, he was visited by Zine El Abidine Ali, Ben the then President of Tunisia who, according to Bouazizi’s fam- ily, promised to send him to France for further treatment, a transfer chants with mourners, 5000 drew funeral The materialized. never that against the authorities who had led Bouazizi to his protest. And, return to to Badiou’s call to arms, the growth of protests in Tunisia fol- lowing the funeral led to the Ben Ali’s fleeing Tunisia on 14 January 2011, after 23 years in power and only ten days after Bouazizi’s death. In these protests, riots and eventual overthrow – these according to cries Badiou - of Bouazizi’s name, joy, the name of a street-seller in a minor provincial town in Tunisia, became at least equal greater than to the if president’s not (meaning of course the State apparatus been since has Bouazizi him). around itself and him consolidated that commemorated by having the central avenue in Sidi Bouzid named a name to unanimously voted also Council City Parisian the him; after Place in the city after him. And Bouazizi has been recognized not only by the popular movements in Tunisia and statist sanctioning: there have been several further cases of men against self-immolating harassment or quotidian in persecution by protest officials, including: Lahseen Naji, who electrocuted himself by grasping electrical trans- mission cables in Sidi Bouzid on 22 December 2010 after declaring “No for No misery. for unemployment”; in Algeria, the 37-year-old fa- being also after 2011 January 13 on died Bouterfif Mohsen ther-of-two refused a group hearing with the mayor of Boukhadra over housing and employment concerns, the official challenging Bouterfif to prove his courage of complaint by emulating Bouazizi; Maamir Lotfi, also in Algeria, self-immolated on 17 January 2011 over similar refusal of an official audience, dying on 12February; Abdelhafid Boudechicha,

100 SUHAIL MALIK – the protestsagainstTunisianstate? in participant a Bouazizi Mohamed was lucidity: cold-blooded a with asked be to has which question, following the is essays of collection which we will later return. What is more pressing in the context of this to communism of configuration the in questions significant all – tory trajec- political a mark to important be to come will names which of question the or so, do they how and movements, political designate to matter names whether of importance the of question a just not a is This avows. he communism the of manifestation the Badiou for are veyed, amplified, of course, through the mass popular movements that as index of the established Tunisian State but rather how they are con- notjust is it that is Bouazizi’s name or actions on their hispoint own that are equal But to the President region. the through wildfire’ like ‘spread self-immolation it, put might rhetoric teen-diary Badiou’s As – harassment fromlocalofficials. continual against protest in self-inflicted also 2011, February 11 on burns from goods, street of vendor Moroccan a Adnane, Noureddine of death the Sicily, in and, 2011; January 21 on Arabia Saudi in lation self-immo- to due death unidentified one Parliament; national his of front in himself Abdel- to fire setting after Abdou burns his of died Egyptian Jaafar Moneim employment; and housing about over also protests 2011, January 28 on self-immolation his after day a dying

 Bouazizi as perhaps a pre-participant in the popular uprising against of sense some without (ii) and movements; popular region’s the to ‘expands’ it, puts Badiou as which, power state of face the in eration immis- common to return to refusal a democracies), putative as be against authoritarian state power (however thinly disguised they may defiance and frustration rage, broader the encapsulated officials cal Yes, in Tunisiaandelsewhere. protest in the configuration of the popular anti-Ben Ali movements Bouazizi’s neglect to late too already is it because least not do, not will we This concerns. individual own his beyond significance any having as protest Bouazizi’s of refusal governor’s the level another day misery without political ambition. To say as much is to repeat at every- an individual’s an of seemed story a then autocracy, bureaucratic immobile what of face the in frustration private a of that only is act defiant despairing Bouazizi’s then But in. ‘participate’ ment No, inthathisactionswerenotpartofapoliticalorpopularmove- in that (i) his protest against the intimidation and bullying by lo - to get rid of a regime and there was nothing for him yet to to yet him for nothing was there and regime a of rid get to 3

101 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

­ - If collaboration is participation 5 in this case the possibility endowed by the 4 sign in the formula of a Participant -1 is clearly not how what is important for a truth in the making by political the Tunisian state, his actions are detached from the very protests in protests very the from detached are actions his state, Tunisian the which his name and the memory of his protest Tunisian circulates, the in declared turning was it as or, sacrifice noble a into suicide his protests, ‘martyrdom’. Bouazizi is then, to generalize, Participant 1 the Arab Spring. movements of in the popular to be taken as indicating trary that Bouazizi’s to participation the is con- popular states in movements the Arab-Gulf against region; it oligarchic-autocratic indicates only the ontology of The negative

This nightmare-retraction is the other extreme the one of identified by EyalWeizman participation in a precursor to to the current vol- ume: collaboration with the state. Idea of communism. But if Bouazizi is Participant 1 in the Tunisian uprising, he is popular so because of the distressing act of his death and what led up to it, his fury and assment rage taken against to low-level an extreme, state the har- annihilating refusal nightmare A suicide. of flagrant senses) all (in all his by state the further to relations there was one. of participation if ever militancy is participation in the mediation of an Idea, the exception to exception the Idea, an of mediation the in participation is militancy ordinary life under the state that “shows … a possibility that everyone suicide to be the ‘spark’ of a political conflagration, speaking else can share from now on”, This is what Badiou effectively proposes by proposing Bouazizi’s where of Two remarks on such a formulation: a to the point of assent or collusion with State power or the enemy, the extreme of participation heralded by Bouazizi as Participant 1 in the ‘communism’ of the Arab Spring could rather be participation called or, to a deploy negativeanother Badiouxian term, a participation by subtraction. Bouazizi is then better in identifiedthe Arab Spring, asa formulation Participantthat signals how -1 he was a pre-par- ticipant in the popular movements in which his name has less become central as they themselves became more common, transferring to Egypt (where Mohammed Said the by police in Alexandria on 6 June 2010 is no less im- arbitrary detention portant as a and key referent for the uprisings in February 2011), Bahrain, killing of Yemen, Syria, Khaled Libya…. For all its mock-algebraic formality, speaking of Bouazizi as -1 Participant captures equally well the way in which he posthumously ‘took part’ in a precursor. which he was a retroactively comprehended series of political mobilizations to

102 SUHAIL MALIK b indifference, are the malpractices of politics under the heading of of heading the under politics of malpractices the are indifference, of corrosion encroaching their with us kill first not will they if death here, to put be to need that zombies the that clear is zombie-movie it then Romero’s series, resemble series this in install- titles latest the (If the ment. is volume current the which of books, Miessen’s Markus in critique of object familiar bet- now by is the is that that agree) norm to ter the least (not norms institutional or hegemonic ideological, of basis the on consensus agreeable an of building the is latter The participation. ‘positive’ inherently an of sense con- any to be trary itself must it preclusion), or annihilation ontological (non-)manifestation an as its require thinking identitarian contradiction under logical would (which terms in contradiction immediate an not is it if participation, negative a as thing such any be can there If

is nolesstheir‘cause’. which and insurrections these by deposed be to power the of tion pant is only a metonym for an entire systemic and structural condi- in the popular movements. Such a formula for the counter-partici- participating ‘anyone’ the designates X where X’, Participant ‘- by movements, which is what these President Ben Ali was in of Tunisia, is better designated tendency the to negative ‘participant’ The orientation. or tendency its not extrication, an participation, the is a participant or not, is inside or outside of the subsequent subsequent the of precursor. outside as claimed is he or or she which in inside action political ‘fully’ is not, or participant a is mination proposes an oscillation as to whether the pre-participant deter- double or prevarication This etc. series, a of term initial the is integral to what follows from it as instigation for further protest, it can have no cogency in their terms when it takes place; yet the act of actions subsequent to it since these have not yet taken place, and him as Participant 1. Their act does not belong to the development or her marks what is itself beyond meaning sense, force, a it give and it upon call that occasions and movements the of cause) (not The vated (or, more likely, in some mixing of the two). vated (or,morelikely,insomemixingofthetwo). moti- privately or socially minor, or grand flagrant, however tion, manifesta- his or her positivizes subsequently that configuration political a into -1 Participant of integration the is that varication pre- smeared a of over covering the rather origin, single or simple a not is this But etc. Zero, Ground Zero, Patient YearZero, as such beginnings or origins other of way the in Participant0, origin: tary uni- a be to ±1 Participant designating by suspended be can however identification political of prevarication chrono-logical This retroactive determination of Participant -1 as the instigation instigation the as -1 Participant of determination 6 7

103 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

triumph of the popular action, illegal by nature, will be for- “this ever victorious. That a revolt against state power can be absolutely indi- always victory This available. universally lesson a is victorious cates the horizon where all collective action, subtracted from the authority of the law, stands out. […] The popular uprising we are talking about is manifestly without a party, without be always should any It leader. recognised a without organisation, hegem- onic weakness. a or strength a is characteristic this whether determined doubt a without form, pure a in have, it makes what case any in is It consensus consensus and its demand for indifferent assent). Moreover, negative participation no less repudiates the formulation of politics as a - com mon space of agonism or even antagonism that has been the central contention in Miessen’s series, since the retraction from all relations to the State that it enacts is no less the refutation of any common ba- sis for the political struggle organized according to smaller or larger sometimes only are (which norms collective to counter-identifications given State formulations). Negative participation is rather the implo- claim a or struggle a which by conditions the of acceptance the of sion (its space common given a of destruction the is It negotiated. be could through negativity). its Yet retroactive significance it is an (eventually) What then does Participant -1 participate in? With Badiou, it was for Bouazizi the eternal or universal of communism manifested through the North African and Gulf uprisings: public destruction (its participating cal nonetheless). notion of a public This destruction of common paradoxi- assent could be - read ily captured by the kinds of formulations put forward by, say, Giorgio Agamben’s ‘community with nothing Nancy’s ‘being-with’ in of an common’, ‘inoperative’ or or Jacques Rancière’s ‘redistribution of the sensible’, and ‘shattered’ others no less Jean-Luc community, clichéd in contemporary art for legitimizing through philosophical approbation art’s prevalent shadow politics. Such formulations char- acteristically maintain the prevarication of Participant termination, as a ±1 perpetually stalled Participant without 0 whose politics are forever in emergence, aporia or other indefinition, socially-oriented yet dis-identificatory, always in an originary complexitysubstantially yet without determined consequence, etc. ‘Participant 0’ concisely captures a range of such positions: non-participation, participating in nothing, neutral (i.e., non-committed) tion without participation, participation, passive participation, originary - participa participa- tion, non-identifiedor indeterminate participation, be and clear: so Participant on. To -1 negates such (pre-subjective) participation. modalities of

104 SUHAIL MALIK substantially, with regard to what participation in those movements movements those in participation what to regard with substantially, more and Second intellectuals. French between prima- rivalry of point a is rily overdetermination ‘democratic’ its of condemnation his and own theorization, his words of confirmation other opportunistic in an less is no insurrections popular the of praise Badiou’s be, these from really learn is movements we what Badiou, to According truths. political as manifestations its and Idea qua it theorized already having anyway, – themselves about knows he that communism a of triumph the but are they that is uprisings the as much as himself including pay – should to heed everyone that insists he what are, they democratic how movements these telling for arrogance’ ‘colonial Western a chastises he though Badiou: to regard with trivially, and first comments: Two with or organizes itself in terms of State formations. State of terms in itself organizes or with colludes that left the from distinct as understood be to is movement this And movement. communist a of horizon the within place taking as protest own Bouazizi’s identify case any in elsewhere so) do to ing The mass movements overthrowing the Tunisian state and then (seek- for TunisiaitselfandtheArabworld,butalsoentire world”. Tunisian the to support people whose and accomplishment was something extraordinary, not only affection the admiration, “was Bouazizi of Mohamed expression after site a name to vote unanimous council’s city the that uprisings region Arab the on article Badiou’s of publication the before week a press the told Paris,who of Party Mayor words, Badiou seconds that man of the left Bertrand Delanoë, Socialist generic) but also in its actuality. its in is also (it but claim generic) its in just not universal and common is it if communist is movement popular a is, That police. and mediate to claim state’s the otherwise is it that – capital the in living those and province the in living people between Copts, and Muslims between poor, and rich intellectuals and manual workers, between men and women, between of that are here examples Badiou’s – differentiation social of dictions’ contra- great the ‘overcomes it (ii) and all), for and all by participation entirety’, its in humanity such place that all sides and voices can one be heard (the dream of full in unbridled ‘representing generic, (i) is between themselves. More exactly, this commonality and this ‘people’ largely (over-)determined by the State but a common made by a people common given the not – one common a is it because movement nist means: commoncreationofacollectivedestiny.” here ‘Communism’ movement. as communism a about talk to us for traits necessary the all Paris, of Commune the since purest the that Badiou is right. Whatever else it may may it else Whatever right. is Badiou that only 10 In this and with almost the same same the almost with and this In 8 9 It is a commu- a is It 11

105 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

These names symbolize 13 - imme the to riposte the is Such 12 do each have their own names: those of ‘an individual, has to be: the horizon for participation is communism as the generic, universal commonality of all people. This true participation is alone politics with Badiou. It is not the formation of a consensus ‘militant’ but practice theof the truth of the Idea. And because it is generic the essentially is politics “emancipatory communism’s universal, and politics of the anonymous masses... of those who are held in a state of State.” the by insignificance colossal Not that communism is without any names anonymous at masses all. Along that with are the the universality, proper in which expression Bouazizi takes of his place, its communism is generic “distinguished alsoall along the way by proper names which define it his- torically,” a “glorious Pantheon of revolutionary heroes” (the suspects, usual from Spartacus to Che Guvera). necessary anonymity in the horizon of communism. This anonymity is the political truth of his act. It is otherwise just the unhappy story of a frustrated individual with only private consequence. Bouazizi’s deadly protest is here not so much positivized (-1 to +1) as rated as a pure participation (±1 incorpo- to X) into the body of truth that is/are these communist movement(s), purified of its horrific and thankfully uncommon particularity. diately preceding point: since Badiou’s own communist prescription is that of the masses themselves, there is no ‘colonial arrogance’ on his part. More important, it is also why his elision of Bouazizi’s name is entirely appropriate: the Tunisian’s self-immolation was indeed an act of participation in the communist overthrow of that State, and in its communist truth it is right that Bouazizi’s name is forgotten, his act anonymized, that he disappears into the emancipation from mass the State that he too brings may have the wanted. Bouazizi was then only ever a Participant X in the uprisings, the X marking his With such individuality’, own her or his of mediation names the as individuals distinctive ‘the ordinary a individual gathering point discovers of identification glorious, formillions of the militants, ‘anonymous rebels, actions fighters’communist the throughanonymous, of themselves are whichthey Though one. as theycount come to masses then a pure singularity of body and thought’ by which they act in each case whoones the 1, Participants true the of those are names These one. as identify the mass movements to be the each time historical particular, variant local, of eternal communism, that give the masses anonymous an identity and a political integrity; through which generic the ‘rare and precious network of ephemeral sequences of politics’.

106 SUHAIL MALIK power of the State’ and thus leads to the withering away of the State. the of away withering the to leads thus and State’ the of power the current one, this other State being one that is ’subtracted from the but also what Badiou calls the ‘real of a politics’ as ‘another State’ than State the from retraction or destruction the just not is – project – act communism’s en- to and think they what name because participation anonymous otherwise give individuals these that is important is a what Monde), Le such in article the of bid the be is (such opportunity great a to aspiration provide uprisings Arab manifest the fulfillment career which for 1, Participant Badiou’s past again Looking ‘discovering’ theirown(transversal)individuality. themselves), (to anonymity their overcome participants universal and of its ‘participation’, then Participant -1 ought to have a more ‘glorious’ to be identified as communist or if communism is indeed the horizon are uprisings these If eschatology). an is Spring Arab the communism in a provincial Tunisian government office (signaling that if it is to bea Communism is then peremptorily realized by a individual. man’s self-immolation identifying its or communism of of State auto-immune (inter-)mediation the the without communism of terminus the is -1 Participant such, As movement). the of singularity ideological the is who 1 Participant the to now distinct 1, Participant precursory a (as determination retroactive X’s Participant by -1 Participant on loaded over- or to restored manner a in are relations Those Statism. to tions rela- all from retraction and demise the here however is Participant-1 be) namedbytheirParticipant 1. (to communism a of unification the in result will that ‘spark’ the but nothing means individual named as Bouazizi Badiou, With truth. of subordinated to the generic universality of the masses that are its body be rather must but communism Pantheon’of ‘glorious the in be should - not – cannot name Tunisian’s the Badiou, with why, is this part Bouazizi’s on – State – the of ‘thinking’ destruction the any of theorizing of a meaning absence the with Together ambitions. such no had Bouazizi State the to relations all from withdrawal horrific his In power, communism’sParticipant 1isbutarivaltotheState. State on heaped opprobrium the all For State. the dissolves that State other this instituting and formulating by power State rivals who one the is Participant1 communism’s terms, general In thinking. his and Mao with unity and name collective their in less no and individually themselves ‘discovered’ who masses anonymous the through and of’ and sustained so that State organization could be undone seized ‘in the was name power State Chinese regard: this in hero Badiou’s is Mao 14

107 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

too much name to take his In more general terms, Participant -1 refutes the communism of Put otherwise: as Participant -1 Bouazizi is not of the anonymous mass anonymous the of not is Bouazizi -1 Participant as otherwise: Put nor the Pantheon of communist greats and as these are movements of a generic such universality acting as one. They are, disproves that move- public popular, non-Statist, anti-autocratic, still 2011, April of as toyet otherwise politics their is only Not State. the to relation in ments that will constitute them. be determined, so are the number of names generic universality as the horizon onstrates of that total participation. non-participation It in also the peremptory State, - dem equivalent total to participation a in communism its now, self-destructive can ontological only annihilation. be Waking ‘nightmare of participation’ up and the recursive, from worse dream of the non- universal- generic communism, of rejection the requires participation ity and its subordination to the one name of Participant 1. This is not to avow or affirm democracy either, but only to dispense with univer- sality, communism and anti-Statism as conditions for what participa- tion It amounts is to: rather political the reality. public determination of Participant -1 that generates a participation without for completion the latter’s negative participation or retraction from it. ‘Without That we know Bouazizi by Participant -1 in the uprisings, name, is enough to refute the theoretical ide- that he can alism, be to prove identified that the Arab asuprisings are a not communist (at not least,the communism of a generic universality as Badiou proposes it). dutiful place in the generic masses (Participant X) and yet is also not the Participant 1 that is the singularity of body and thought of a great the either point: this at itself presents option An communism. of name theory is followed, in which case the uprisings are determined to be communist movement and Bouazizi does not belong to it; organized in terms of a Participant X identified only via aParticipant 1, his hor- that movements those in participation of dimension no has death rific Tunisian the to salient is Bouazizi Or own. their of one as him claimed and subsequent uprisings, in which case the persistence of his name and memory marks them to be distinct to communism as the politics of a generic universality. Yet Yet Bouazizi’s horrific act gives his name an importancein the upris- ings, and in this non-anonymity he has name name than any in its Pantheon of Participants 1. But, as the of truth political noted, the is communism registered: so be this cannot name anonymous mass identified and acting as onethrough the name of a is not. which Bouazizi of body and thought singularity

108 SUHAIL MALIK 3 2 1 with asurfeitofnameswhichMohamedBouazizi’swillbebutone. and publicly, multifariously, but name one in participating by not so of movement do they popular then State, the the against act masses by which with X, Participants – seized – claimed is name whose -1 Participantis it if And against. and for names many lent course of has communism which to anonymity, their of/into ex-termination the of lie the through movements these of 1 Participant a be Conversely, only can 1. there Participant was never but -1 be will who one the or X an either is participates Who side. either by advance in guaranteed be by such be to taken cannot that movements the of origin an rather result Participantsa X, or proposed retroactively her only to but such himself as or known be cannot -1 Participant since completion’, 5 4 6

 epciey Chamseddine respectively, and Tunisia structural-historical The Miessen, ed. Badiou, weekinreview/ 23worth.html?src=twrhp). Worth, balaie-l’arrogance-de-l’occident). blogs/394-alain-badiou-tunisie,-egypte-quand-un-vent-d’est- (www.versobooks.com/ Petru-Stefanescu Cristiana by English translation balaie-l-arrogance-de-l-occident_1481712_3232.html); idees/article/2011/02/18/tunisie-egypte-quand-un-vent-d-est- , Monde Le in l’Occident, de Badiou, Alain ENDN  Corcoran, Verso, 2010[Frenchpublication:2009],p253-54.    Press, 2010,p9. This paragraph world/2011/apr/23/fedia-hamdi-slap-revolution-tunisia). (http://www.guardian.co.uk/ 2011 April 23 guardian.co.uk, pen”, Day, Elizabeth ian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/dec/28/tunisia-ben-ali); (www.guard2010 - December 28 guardian.co.uk, Tunisia, in rising and Brian Whitaker, (www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6ed028a2-21a2-11e0-9e3b-00144feab49a.html), 2011 January 16 Times, Financial uprising, an off set that source references are given, as well as Eileen Byrne, full where (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Bouazizi), O ei Hmis lp hc sakd rvlto “int hap- “didn’t revolution a sparked which slap Hamdi’s Fedia T oet 2 Jnay 01 (www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/ 2011 January 23 Robert, ES The Communist The Tunisie, Markus Egypt are effectively summarized in articles by, by, articles in summarized effectively are Egypt drawn mostly from the Wikipedia page on Bouazizi How a man setting fire to himself sparked an up- Egypte : quand un vent d’est balaie l’arrogance , Sternberg Sternberg Participation, of Nightmare The , trans. David Macey and Steve Steve and Macey David trans. Hypothesis, 8 eray 01 (www.lemonde.fr/ 2011 February 18 odtos o te piig in uprisings the for conditions Mnasri and Philip Marfleet in Marfleet Philip and Mnasri Death of a street seller

109 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Paris Paris to have either a Rue or Ethiopian Review, 9 February 2011

130, April 2011 (www.isj.org.uk/index. TUNISIA: of a retroactively identified precursor that could not be time of the writings on communism in the 2000s, Badiou logic New Foundations for , Psychoanalysis trans. David Macey, identified as such at the time of if its occurrence bears compari- son with that of Jean Laplanche’s theory of a complex ‘originary repression in its primary establishing the unconscious seduction’ The ( Blackwell, 1989 [1987]). The analogy is made not in order to iden- tify the political dimension discussed in the main text here with truth the locating theorizes, Laplanche processes intra-psychic the of one in/or the other (for neither needs the instanc- both in interferes logic common other), maybe their that remark but only to es with the very possibility of establishing either a known - univer sal determinant for their subsequent ‘events’ for their respective inceptions. or unique and identifiable (human) developments, Place Mohammad , Bouazizi (www.ethiopianreview.com/news/201002/?p=20451).  Communist Hypothesis, 250. Communist Hypothesis, 248. Communist Hypothesis, 249-50.  Bourzou Daragi, prefers the term ‘eternal’ to ‘universal’ as a way to mark that what- ever historical specificity communism has – theParis Commune of 1871, Russian Bolshevism in May from 1902-1917, ’68, Paris the Chinese Cultural Revolution of 1965-68 – its truth is not historical but that of the Idea, a ‘transtemporal availability’ of these histori- , 232-33). cal moments to one another (Communist Hypothesis , 198-99. Communist Hypothesis By the ‘Tunisie, Egypte’. International International Socialism, php4?s=contents&issue=130).

12 13 14 11 10 9 7 8

110 Michael Hirsch Work in the the Work in Ou Utopia of A P pril 21,pril 2011, 9:12 ro I P S M I P Uninvited of U R I but but ns nha ns aveguarding of an aveguarding os ow ule topian ts ichael ichael H titutional titutional titutional titutional fessional fessional ition; ition; C os er; iders, iders, biting an ‘ biting H han ting ting as as N I ew I ged; dea N ns I A nt S H ot T M titutionalization of of titutionalization ys I r C S D ruder?; ruder?; ir nt ; et O ri ansdisciplinary ansdisciplinary Cu efi tem; Who T O sch tique; Weird nl ting in ting he r A ut nitions of nitions lt y u ma side’ I de T u nv o Be o Be D A ra te ention of a ention is rs – rs mbi C ciplinary ciplinary P u ult l I nv os C rs guous guous F ure; N hal ites the the ites ition ition ie O or K , , ind ld n th lenged, lenged, mality; mality; T he he I

s a s a N ew e e

111 1

“Waking up from the Nightmare of Participation” – but who has ever dreamt the dream of participation that has turned out to be a nightmare? Did Markus Miessen himself dream this dream? And was the participa- tion in the dream of participatory and relational forms of aesthetics and cultural work false, misunderstood, or is it just outdated by now?

Miessen’s book seeks to avoid the answer to these simple questions. Why is this so? The safeguarding of an ambiguous position seems to be at the very centre of all kinds of ‘progressive’ practices and discourses in the various cultural fields of art, architecture, design, and science. I would propose to enlighten this ambiguity, this lack of clarity. Miessen’s overall proposition, the idea of an emphatic outsider or ‘uninvited

intruder’, is a proposition I feel sympathetic to. It is a very specifically, Waking Up from the even ‘classical’ avant-garde idea. The question is whether Miessen’s formulations and suggestions are able to give us helpful instruments for this purpose. In my eyes, the overall question concerns role models for intellectual practice. In the last instance, the question that we have to ask, and to answer here is: How do we want to live and work? N ightmare of 112 First, I would like to express a certain irritation as to Miessen’s use of the concept of participation. Does he mean by this term political and cultural (more or less ideological) self-descriptions of all kinds

of practices in urban planning, architecture, work in the cultural P field? Or does he refer to democratic procedures of the consentment articip of citizens to collectively binding decisions? At some points in his book Miessen explicitly criticizes participation and democracy as ation naive and potentially unenlightened procedures of decision-making. This is quite a classical conservative position, and I am wondering if the author is really serious with it. Does he really want to state that we, in the neo-liberal post-democratic societies in the West, have suffered, are still suffering from too much democratic political par- ticipation? Does he really want to say that the technocratic regimes of “Authoritarian Statism” (Nicos Poulantzas) of the last two decades have sought too much democratic consent via popular participation in government decisions on the various (regional, national, inter-, supra-, and transnational) levels?

I can not believe this. So why is Miessen unhappy with ‘participation’? At one point in his book Markus Miessen constructs an opposition between the concept of participation and that of ‘responsibility’. He suggests that participation is a largely misunderstood technique MICHAEL HIRSCH and symbolic placements of those forms inside the field where it is is it where field the inside forms those of placements symbolic and manoeuvre inside their specific field). The problem is the declarations of those practices on the side of the professionals of the art system as a announcement of those forms as the latest new thing (the specific use the is it Rather ‘art’). of institution the of umbrella the under spaces, art of roof the under kinds all of researching debates, performances, activities, (hosting such as practices those much so not is eyes my in forms and encounters apparently impossible elsewhere. The problem cultural various for asylum of kind a as system: hosting of kind weird a as functioned has instance for art contemporary of porosity or ness right in many regards. But it also has to be seen that the specific open- is conversations and discourses endless of spreading a of practices, ‘interdisciplinary’ and ‘participatory’ of kinds all of critique The tion. situa- this with discontent growing the articulating is book Miessen’s tices sincetheearly1990s. ‘Formalisms system. a of prac- specific been have co-operation or interaction, participation’, of borders respective the ‘challenging’ of style established an to way given has architecture, philosophy, art, of concept established very the destroying of beyond, going of gesture particular a was This pattern in art and architecture especially. The old, classical modernist critique’. ‘in- institutional an call of I stitutionalization something was result studies, The etc. cultural philosophy, criticism, sociology, architecture, respective art, the of into fields knowledge disci- professional ‘foreign’ cultural of different incorporations between plines; co-operation of models ferent institu- terms of in decades, a of last instinct of the kind in classical interpreted, a been has The as critique tional described participation. be of and discourses perhaps simulation can professional practices critiquing of existing is field Miessen into The discourses. irritation and practices an introducing argument. this intruder’, with point interesting an The question touching is if he is going far enough with his idea of the ‘uninvited is he think I knowledge-space.” of species new inventing whilst expertise tional conven- behind leaving networks, disciplinary existing outside from operating actors for “need a is there compromise’”, of ‘ethos the and consensus’ of ‘culture to the on counter based participation a of models “as existing state, authors the where Community) of on Space essay The an with contributed had I which to book (a Practice Social 2006, in Basar Shumon with co-edited the book, his in thesis Miessen’s been already in has field cultural ‘consensus’ of idea the of critique The choices. political and ethical, aesthetic, for responsibilities personal avoiding or hiding, of rcie f pnn isiuinl onais dif- boundaries: institutional opening of practice consensual Did Someone Say Participate? An Atlas of of Atlas An Participate? Say Someone Did

113 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

2 Who invites the uninvited intruder? critique of professional The systems and specialized cultural typically fields relies modern idea on conditions of that are not given per se. In other words, the classical modern traditions of institutional critique, of the limitations of seemingly ‘natural’ narrowness rules and language games, conven- and tions and habits in different social and cultural fields, is dependent on a series of social, It material, depends on legal individual subject and positions strong symbolic enough, powerful preconditions. practices. systemic and relations power existing ‘challenge’ to enough In other words, the independent position of individuals, of - intellectu al subjects, depends on the preliminary ‘authorization’ of their voice through one of the various professional fields. I think that Bourdieu’s work is absolutely irrefutable in this regard. It shows the weak, extremely or fragile subject positions, depending in their tion on very social powerful mechanisms of authorization or ‘consecration’. activa- In other words, the conflict or irritation someone wants to introduce depends etc.) science, literature, architecture, (art, field cultural a into in its power on the recognition of one professional of expertise. That those means, fieldsit is asexposed, at any a specific given time, be, as mere amateurism.to the rejection, through the powers that experimenting practice cultural any of situation paradoxical the is This with transdisciplinary ideas and forms. Unfortunately Miessen does not question sufficiently these material and sociological- determina tions of cultural production. This seems to me the weak point in his argument. He does not seem to see that after a century of avant-garde attacks on Philosophy, Science, Art, those cultural institutions with their professional standards and their Literature, and Architecture, conformizing power over individuals, with their recognition social withdrawing fantastic and giving, of exclusion, and power inclusion of or capital, have re-consolidated their immense ‘power of definition’: the power to determine what is accepted as belonging to a respective field of expertise. It can be said that in many regards the practices of the last decades have represented experiments of transgression with respect to the various cultural fields – but in the mode of citation and flirtation. Let’s introduce a bit of politics into art or architecture, or a One important question here could be put into the following question: following the into put be could here question important One formally located (their quite pathetic artistic exchange value, which to which value, exchange artistic pathetic quite (their located formally words, other In use-value). cultural overall their counters extent great a the of re-territorialization or re-location the disciplinarization, the is it practices. and de-territorializing de-localizing

114 MICHAEL HIRSCH systems. In systems. professional different of boundaries and identities institutional the on attack of figure paradigmatic a as regards various in seen be can his building and ning plan- when architecture of discipline the challenging was he because also but and is; discipline scientific essence a as ‘philosophy’ very only be- what of the boundaries Not philosophy, his in regard. challenging, was this he in cause figure interesting an is Wittgenstein the at look should we idea, poeticconcreteconditionsofitsrealization. or literary mere a not and one, strong a utopia this make to order In idea. utopian a is constellation this to respect with position ‘outside’ an Inhabiting habits. and rules or outside, really being for prize the also is (as enormous is included, be to order in systems, cultural the of one of part be to order in pay to has one price The science. and exclusion, which are at work in the field of architecture, art, literature, inclusion/ of disciplinization, of mechanisms powerful the doesnot analyse Miessen enough Strangely thisregard. in flight of figure a The ‘outsider’ or ‘uninvited intruder’ Miessen is calling for is of course of thesocialcharacterrespectivefieldsweareworkingin. pettiness very the nature, very the dis-illusion, and enlightenment of processes painful in often discovering, are society We obsolete. become of has ‘outside’ being as disciplines cultural or of position, self-description classical The life. cultural the in in and politics, work, in at economy, families, in normal’: ‘the of conventions and ideas the of transformation the is general) in society of (and culture of lem prob- central The normality. of definitions new habits, new ventions, con - new of rules’: ‘new of invention the be will instead future the of field-specific various the from exceptions of figures of, transcendence and critique of figures and its usual practices, procedures, institutions and language games); of organization of its fields is that of the trespassing of a threshold. ofathreshold. the trespassing of In the 20 that is the fields and its production of cultural organization of problem historical the eyes, my In art, architecture,science,etc. of boundaries’ the ‘challenging of models through precisely restored partly been has fields cultural of power disciplinary fantastic the that is still recognized as art, architecture, or science. In a way it can be said bit of philosophy, or some art into science – but let’s make sure that is from the rule (the rule being represented by a system system a by represented being rule (the rule the from exceptions 3 th century there have been invented cultures and experiments , Allan Janik and Stephen Toulmin Stephen and Janik Allan Vienna, Wittgenstein’s . Wittgenstein Wittgenstein Kunstmanngasse. der an Haus . The problem problem The ‘normal’. is what of definitions ). It conforms subjects into into subjects conforms It ex-cluded).

115 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

1 Just like overcoming the traditional gender relations (and their defini- tion of role models and rules for the social division of labour) does not Until Until today, these gestures of radical critique are still a very rare ception in our culture. They are limited to a few ex- enigmatic and - charis matic figures, but forbidden to the rest. After one century of all kinds of avant-garde attacks on architecture, art, philosophy, and science, the power of those bourgeois disciplines is still overwhelming. It is still unchallenged in terms of power relations. The real problem here is not a problem of critical consciousness, but a problem of the trans- formation of everyday practices, of the habitus of all of us. The prob- lem, in other words, is not the individual outbreak, here and of there, privileged ‘outsiders’ from crea- the systems: those in behaviour of rules new of invention the is It the rules of professional tion of new conventions, systems. new rules powerful enough to create a new normality in the everyday life of the cultural fields.we Inhave other to deal words, with a political problem (and not only a problem the of creativity or inventiveness of individual subjects in the respective recog- mutual of rules existing the in change a of problem a is It fields). actions, and propositions. nition of communications, depend only on critical consciousness and subjective motivations flight from of traditional gender norms, but on the forms, creation of new of new life practices, and on the institutional guarantee division of of a labour new between the sexes, the overcoming boundaries depends not of only on heroic disciplinaryexamples and figures of excep- tion from the rule, but on the invention of a new in institutional culture: setting new role definitions, new requirements for what is seen as the ‘normal’ task of a professor, a researcher, an architect, an artist, a writer, etc. Just as men can not remain the same West the if in equality we gender of want project contemporary women the truth (a to equals be their is constantly denying), cultural disciplines in their and internal normalities can norms not remain the same if we are serious with our ‘challenging their institutional boundaries’. This inevitably entails different job descriptions, curricula, and identities in the various dis- ciplines. In other words, if we are serious with this, we are speaking of a real ‘cultural revolution’. The emphatic ‘amateur’ invoked by such a position is not only undermining or subverting, as until now, the nor- mal order of the various professional fields with gestures ofnew institu- the habitus, new the incorporate to claiming is He critique. tional institu- also but spiritual, only not his claiming is He normality. social tional superiority with respect to the professional, the specialist, the therefore speak of the “anti-professional attitude” of the philosopher. the of attitude” “anti-professional the of speak therefore

116 MICHAEL HIRSCH revolutionary subjectinthisproject,theproletariatof future. the be might present the of workers knowledge precarious The name. proper the in things simple say to said, Deleuze as indeed, is task our sions of a good life, different biographical possibilities. In this regard, vi- different imply They enforced. and invented be to have will fields a new practice. Real freedoms, real disciplines. distances from the various cultural cultural the of rules create to order in changed but challenged, be to only not has rule The the from exceptions of kinds all gestures, minoritarian of invocation the by served be to continue can too modest in this regard. I do not think that the emancipatory project bit a is position Miessen’s eyes, my In present. our of project gressive pro- the is this – work of models new life, of forms new normalities, New habits. political. the indeed other here is personal of the feminism, in creation like Just the through practices; cultural everyday our of use another through changed is etc. writers, philosophers, architects, artists, as work intellectual our of of meaning The question ‘use’. a their is practices cultural of meaning The understanding. Wittgenstein’s in one. forms’ ‘life new practical of invention a the of problem but a is propositional, It a not ideas, ambitious such of meaning the in believes really one if is, question this to answer The that fitinthispictureoftheutopiatransdisciplinarity? sess the necessary (material and symbolic) means of realizing projects ity of this claim? Is one an ‘invited’ intruder or outsider? Does one pos- possibil- of conditions the create we Can etc.)? newspapers, journals, universities, schools, design, art, (architecture, fields cultural various the in attitude anti-professional an from) (and with live to possible it Is question: simple the contains it Because future. the in professions tists. And it depends, in the last instance, on the institutional shape of scien- social journalists, philosophers, writers, designers, architects, pends on our discursive conventions and everyday practices as artists, de- invocation this of power tranformative The transdisciplinarity’. of more difficult to realize in practice. The amateur invokes a ‘real utopia of the institutional normalities of today’s cultural fields. And it is even expert. This claim is quite difficult to think, if we start from the ground 1

Janik, Allan Janik, ENDN (Simon &Schuster)1973,p207.  O T ES / Toulmin, Stephen, Toulmin, / , New York, New Vienna, Wittgenstein’s

117 April 21, 7:11 PM

JAN NAUTA

The Economy of Participation

Contributors; Pages; Height; Width; Surface in M²; Waking Up from the N ightmare of 118 P articip ation

Did Someone Say Participate? 12 11 10 9 8 7 2 surface in m 6 surface in m 5 4 3 2 1 0

Did Someone Say Participate? The Violence of Participation 12 11 10 9 8 7 2 surface in m 6 surface in m 5 4 3 2 1 0

The Violence of Participation The Nightmare of Participation 12 11 10 9 8 7 2 surface in m 6 surface in m 5 4 3 2 1 0

The Nightmare of Participation FEDERICA BUETI DR A pril 22, 2011, 22, 10:14pril P to ads I I F N T T and Bar L F P I P E Be Y ns t gno e du han ime a orm; ou o ILLING art oli roduc ederica B ot N t titutional titutional A ever P cational cational tical icipation icipation S re the the re c eo ks to the the to ks ay r commodating; nd tion oftion N ple Be Be ple ing that that ing L ot

C H Y e I or av ; nt O R A D rectness; rectness; M het I I eresting eresting U e ss nd u o I S S s s R F A et ues; N pe ub oric of re ustry ustry N

not P E ot i ot a ot ai e to e to ARS jectivity; jectivity; H akers for her her A ar n is Better; Better; n is L e tt C F R

mony; D t’s S empt to to empt L ac re P ef on ik D oft ar ative ative lections; lections; G ilitating ilitating ri e e ’t ticipation; ticipation; - nk o to t o to D I R T em A

heir ai T m m hen se se ocratic ocratic he he

; ;

123 “During a time when collaborative art strategies have been normal- ized and absorbed, it is a good moment to be sensitive to revised forms of working practice that are not taking place in the art itself, but are changing the way we understand what is possible.” – Liam Gillick, 1999

In modern Western democracy participation has transformed into the daydream of politicians and the nightmare of precarious cultural workers. The latter are constantly asked to invent and develop collaboration in order to survive the current economic system, or lack of resources. Collaboration and partnership then suddenly became a trend: working collaboratively is considered cool, it makes you feel good, in the worst case someone will benefit from the situation of

deflecting responsibility in case of failure. Waking Up from the

Modes of participation have always been shaped in terms of the rhizo- matic, anti-hierarchical, anti-dialectical, anti-representative, libertar- ian, neo-anarchistic, and ideologically open. They are loosely organ- ized by small groups of people in order to avoid structures and to work

more effectively as a ‘network’. Is such a strategy still possible today? N 124 ightmare of As participation is always the result of a specific social context linked to specific working conditions (and if the current working conditions have dramatically changed), we should perhaps stop describing it with

such terminology and investigate the possibility of naming it other- P wise. Is it possible to build up a different system of representation articip that breaks with the current idea of participation and turn the gaze towards the future? ation

Participation is based on fragmentation and it never leads to harmo- ny. It is a painful process, taking place in that grey area characterized by antagonism and asymmetry. Against the distorted, schizophrenic and populist definition of participation that reduces it to a static and repetitive chant, we should ignore the rhetoric of participation and propose a more sustainable practice.

The stress on producing relational artworks or projects became the imperative of recent years. As everyone witnessed, participation or collaboration (whatever nuance we gave it) it is not always possible or desirable; on the contrary it can become a mystification, a brand- ing strategy or an empty shell at the service of the same system these activities were claiming to combat. Riccardo Benassi, 1982 (a corridor), 2010 Installation view – synthetic felt, 2 sound loop on hidden endless tape 33'' and 363'', waiting room chairs, adhesive film. Courtesy the artist. Felix Gonzalez- Torres, Untitled (Perfect Lovers), 1991. These two identical, adjacent, battery- operated clocks were initially set to the same time, but, with time, they will inevitably fall out of sync. Fuck 1968, from the Greek Street. Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Les Subjectivités, pour le meilleur et pour le pire. Les Subjectivités, pour Guattari, – Felix Antagonism and the production of subjectivity Antagonism and the Unfortunately in the cultural system this is often the norm: don’t ask don’t norm: the often is this system cultural the in Unfortunately too much, don’t complain too much, don’t talk about don’t things concern that art, especially as a curator, don’t raise issues. Nobody in institutional the context of the art world wants to bite the sen- sibility of the other. No interesting discussions, continuous repeti- tions are criticality left to the hands of the audience. Let’s go to the bar and have another drink then. Of course, the bar could become a new place for the production of something, but if knowledge so then and what kind of the role do we sharing want to of attribute to social and cultural institutions? Did it occur to anyone to rethink and start over? Or do we prefer the short way out and plan to destroy cultural Institutions? too much or without causing too much dissent.too much or without causing too much Consensus never developed in to a post-consensual practice. It - popu and popularity generates It was society. our of malady the is still and larity generates economic value, and if economic value is what makes salary putting without correct politically be should one then living a us and wealth under pernicious risks. If you assume a different position; then your boss will find another person ready to take your seat. In this facilitat- in further step a went industry educational creative the sense, ing political correctness by organizing courses and degrees in ‘crea- tive writing’, ‘curating contemporary art’ or ‘critical studies’. All were created with the aim of shaping the development of a critical under- standing of art, culture and reality as a whole; to introduce you to the market labour – creating classes of well-educated people, who know what to do and what to say at the right moment…without touching It is necessary to stop thinking in term of statistics, analytics, - reader ship groups and other marketing classifications. Let people be free to like you or not, to come to visit your museum/gallery or not, to agree or disagree, but do not attempt to be accommodating. It is dangerous “The only acceptable end result of human activity is the production of subjectivity such that its relation to enriched.” the world is sustained and to think of participatory practices in the light of a consensual model where people function strategies. If we want to discuss participation under like the light of quan- numbers, like and practice it. fail to understand then we will always titative results, sustainable funding

128 FEDERICA BUETI antagonism and difference in practice – based on the real possibilities the necessity of adopting a more suitable model of participation based highlighting on dissatisfaction, and frustration has generated democracy of already idea this But future. bright a of light guiding the is relativity and enjoyable, even acceptable, less or more is worst the where approach soft-minded a Democracy, of idea strange a taught been have generations younger the democracies, Liberal Western In of difference.We allliterallylooknarcotized. fear the general in and – Other the of fear the media; mass the by ated exagger- often is that fear a is This indifference. and fear on based is We might argue that the predominant production of subjectivity today decision. of field coherent absolutely and homogeneous a become to out stretched and diluted is subjectivity model, consensual a Within into place. coming action of and representation of models different of ity possibil- very the prevent so the doing in and affect subjectivity, of can production behaviours cultural and the social how such is of here perpetuation stake at a is fortunately What responsibility. is of this choice life; personal everyday of revolution big or small the in participate to want not do or want people if not is here question The enable theproductionandreproductionofsuchmodels? the right format to be pursued, why should I follow suit? Why should I rectional and unilateral process? And if we understand that this is not this ‘sharing of knowledge’, and what should it mean to be a mono-di- is Where reflections.” interesting and time their for speakers the to say: to “Sorry, time up is comes gone, we moderator have to the leave. late, Thank you too for coming always and thanks is it end, the in But audience? the from questions for left minutes 10 and statement your ticipation is one based on the fact that you have 40 minutes for reading par- of kind What pursue? to want we participation of kind the this Is politics, andsoon. architecture, art and the role of the artist, art and participation, art and and art in topics discuss to lecture, guest a a example, for having including, normally without exhibition an have not do You globe. the lectures, symposia, over all discussions, spread ‘sharing’ supposed of forms other and of panel launches book numbers infinite tices: prac- art participatory today’s in become has it popular how at Look The ‘Politically Correct’ is everywhere, in every word and every gesture.

129 Breaker Boys, 1911. Pennsylvania. View of La MéMé, Lucien Kroll, medical student dormitory, Brussel. Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Asymmetries and Acceleration: a balancing act Asymmetries and Acceleration: a balancing Adopting conflict could be the more natural of all possibilities, The recognition of differences is generates again incomprehension and a frustration. painful It often process, happens and with it we have at our disposal to rework the existing reality and combat the consensus. in cooperative of necessity idea Even if we like to discuss participation as and a non-hierarchical process, rhizomatic, we horizontalshould perhaps admit that modes of participation are often characterized by asymmetries – of energies, competences, levels of involvement into the projects. Asymmetries exist as natural fact – we are not all the same, we have different expec- tations, different relationships, different attitudes, different cultural the same subject. backgrounds and different ways of interpreting In this sense, participatory projects represent an invaluable - opportu nity to further develop and play with your own subjectivity. It might contribute to the active and practical involvement of individuals determining in their own intellectual and creative projects, and indeed their wider lives. In a participatory approach what is important is not am I who of acknowledgement the but roles, of definition the much so and what I can offer to the group. admitting admitting that conflict is everywhere and thatour own subjectivity, our relation with the world is the result of such conflict. I love human just better, is pain that saying not am I people. hate often I but beings, that happiness is not a gift, but an achievement. And in the economy of achievement what might be important is to expose such conflicts, to individuate the heterogeneity of converging play with them.subjectivity, and dialectically elements, produce collaboration that people participants and become with the a general situation of bit Frustration working is additionally amplified by the collectively. fact that you cannot com- frustrated with plain about other the disproportionate output by each of the group mem- bers. The problems are likely to arise after enthusiasm a beginning first collaboration: phase someone is of general taking passive in by things sit simply some execute, too others and order some seriously, enjoyment, others are contrarians, some are incessantly critical and some impulsive, and so on and so on… we could write a book with the various motivations that bring collaboration at the point of rupture.

132 FEDERICA BUETI uue Cocs r awy mas f xlso o pol o poten or people of exclusion and tialities, of means always are Choices future. no development, possible no is there others the of name the in acting of responsibility the Without opposition. of possibility no is there tion distinc- structural Without form. soft-democratic a not Participationis the project. flexible establishing of of development the for beneficial considered be could that structures structure, a of necessity the defend can we case a such In distinction. structural of abolition an for aim should insist on relativistic positions or that hierarchies don’t exist or that we to need we that mean not does difference of idea The well. as ticized roman- being of risk the runs differences of it of recognition The action. levels where different scenario, and duties a different assume such to in necessary becomes possibilities the admit also might We eration of time and displacement of spaces is something embedded in accel- was precariousness, of idea the situation, I a such in raised and times. born pre-modern to back go should we that saying not am I of anauthoritarianvision. to say, and we cannot wish for the contrary without falling into the trap so speed different a at travels one each – learning of models same the and intensities same the share don’t people simple: quite is reason The communications. virtual of context the in especially participatory – long-term the through only of achieved be can goals context where relations long-term a the for ask in doing and exchange knowledge, of meaningful diversity where practices, especially is Time and time energy. saving of way a is it because conflict over consensus prefer means to rush, to always be first – there is no time left. And people often society current our in Success materialized. ideas our seeing and cess suc- enjoy all we But, interests. simple or projects ideas, your develop to effort an in speed, that slow to desire the and tasks your performing Everyday life is compressed between the necessity of rightly and quickly leisure. and work between boundaries the of erosion post-Fordist the of effect an itself is time enough having not of sense the that fact a is It time. modern of acceleration the the by fertilized are of itself, system capital constitutive asymmetries, such that aware be also should We collective new of achievements. conceive to to order consciousness; in urge subjectivity we our So, re-singularize responsibility. of level same the nor in this sense we will never achieve a totalizing harmony harmony totalizing a achieve never will we sense this in ­

133 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation (un)Conclusions There are no overarching narratives that can be discovered or applied a is there but heaven, lost a of nostalgia the nor situation, actual the to new form of realism – there is understanding, awareness, frustration be an act of generosity. and disagreement. The next step might Participation can resist acceleration and performance’s optimization. performance’s and acceleration resist can Participation It can resist both consensual models and homogenization. Its poly- phonic, conflicting, and dispersed nature simultaneously represents a reason for inclusion into to the neo-liberal system and a reason for an optimistic exclusion. It could be a motif for ‘changing the way we understand what is possible’. If we admit that another system of rep- resentation is possible, an autonomous system that doesn’t belong to anything if not to its own fulfilment, to itspotentialities and capac- ity to facilitate the exploration of new forms and new meanings, then participation might be regarded not as a community or as the bodily personification of romanticized the abstract concept of concept of multitude, but as an operative way to produce another kind of space – a groundless space, a space of uncertainty that does not stop us from seeking that which makes difference in today’s In reality. a recent ar- ticle for e-flux, Hito Steyerl suggested thatfalling doesn’t only mean falling into place.falling apart, it can also mean a new certainty So, if our desire is to share knowledge and subjectivity to through confrontations grow with others (if and we can defineset up our col- laboration this way), then we need to be rid of time as a measure quantitative of outcomes. We cannot imagine participation without the others.gifting of our time to my idea of society. After all, it is again a question of responsibility, and responsibility, of question a again is it all, After society. of idea my it is quite clear that what really affects collaborative forms of working time. our to manage we are able is how

134 Dieter Roelstraete A O pril 22, 2011, 22, 1:31pril n and Worth Worth I ' World;of the R D C C O mme adical on eme ieter ut S ta tinuation of ' tinuation side' P rsion; tery; ro T nding nding ak ven R A H oelstraete ffirmation; ffirmation; ing ing P as B as M I O f ' T P bs T he Ve ar S he Wo een een olete; Boundless olete; Boundless ti L t if I ll e' n; D ry ry A is O rld' Wasrld' N rt I mantled mantled ut o dea o dea ’s side side M E mb er e e f an f an I race race A t; c L tually tually ik e a e a

135 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation century (and beyond): the call the beyond): (and century th Of course, the dissolution of art into life wouldn’t be such a terrible thing if ‘life’ was actually worth dissolving into, and the participatory turn – one of many ‘turns’ that has been making us feel dizzy for the In the twenty-odd years since the momentous events of 1989 (another important caesura), art’s embrace of the world has unfolded two elemental along lines of attack: that of ‘relating’ on the one hand, and that of ‘immersing’ on the other hand. In brace has both been instances, so astoundingly the complete that em- it is now very hard to imagine any art operating outside of its grasp – indeed, the very idea of an ‘outside’ has been dismantled and proven obsolete. Needless to emphasize here that the rise and rise of the global art market – in short: the triumph of ‘1989’ – has played a crucial role in this develop- ment: no market can be truly global if an ‘outside’ is allowed to con- tinue to exist, however (no pun intended!) The marginally. weaving of a ‘relational aesthetics’ built on the twin principles of interaction and participation most directly reflects the primacy of the network at the heart of this affirmative regime; the gradual darkening, both literally and metaphorically, of the spaces of art and their subsequent disap- pearance in an architecture of atmospherics and boundless immer- sion most emphatically symbolize the indiscriminate pervasiveness with which this regime has managed to both infiltrate and implicate and/ (‘outside-ness’ opposition and contestation of sites erstwhile the or ‘against-ness’). For For reasons that need not detain us here, it is abundantly clear that the first trend, that of the blending and merging of art and life,emerged has victorious from this historical tussle: for most of the post- 1968 era (this is an important caesura) contemporary art’s relation- ship to the world, which is really just another word for ‘life’, has been overwhelmingly affirmative – so much so that even the hallowed tra- dition of art as critique (‘negation’) has come to be couched in such moronic) terms as ‘radical affirmation’. oxymoronic (or plainly for art’s dissolution into life on the one hand (Bauhaus, - constructiv ism, Dada), and, on the other, the establishment of art as an - autono denial renunciation, of strategy a on built is that being of sphere mous and negation (most other modernist isms, most Critical Theory). It is unnecessary to add that the fact of these strands appearing to - contra dict each other has historically been subsumed under art’s awesome more specifically the negation of logic. powers of negation, Two major, seemingly contradictory strands have shaped the avant- 20 the of most for art in tradition garde

136 Dieter Roelstraete be called‘critical’–and‘takingpart’isthelastofitsexpectations. to used not) or so rightfully worse, for life or better (for that world the and both from distance of type the maintain to – allowed is cemetery art a where like sound and smell look, feel, still to content is that stress-ridden, choked today’s metropolises? That’s right, cemeteries – and the odd museum in places inspiring restoring, peaceful, most the are What death? than life from different more be can what And me to use this much-misused, tired old warhorse-like word – different. pains almost it – be will inside find I what that indeed, it; outside ‘life’ of continuation mere no and from, change or break a guarantee will the various spaces of art (which are not necessarily only physical ones) autonomous sphere of art. For me at least, it is important that a visit to the be to known once was what in duplicating worth aren’t really that life-world the of aspects those concerns mostly impulse mimetic this art is an old and perfectly understandable one, but the problem is that in desire mimetic The case. the longer) no is (or really not is this that know all we but in, part taking worth actually was world’ ‘the if art to happened have to thing worst the be wouldn’t – so or years twenty last

137 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

of o We ctivity); rio

D thetic; erial oferial T ; s rt

at es olle ow ow hi A A C M T a H v ery es cipate? modity; al, Unanticipatedal, mise of od om ro P tical, and s the V P C arti adic fhood (and fhood (and A P R oli ee ics, and ot ot el P M L e e nd the What; A S H th elf; s the E ts ie trumentalization; I ical, ical, , hanism Vigilance; for L o W o t’s a t’s ns I th D cipation I e er rt ec E

ticipate?; ticipate?; ures of A M ur w ristina

ow ar till, till, her he Who a ig A T the F O P P S T K r n o arti pril 24, 2011, 7:48 7:48 pril24, 2011, O H P O A

138 Kristina Lee Podesva subject matter) has extended its frequency and deepened its reach. its deepened and and frequency principle its extended has operating matter) subject an both (as participation decade past the over YouTube), (e.g, store box big the or Wikipedia) (e.g., shop seur’s connois- the or example) prime a offering discussion (this boutique high-end the in Whether analogues. discursive multiple channeling modity in the marketplace of ideas, placed into circuits of distribution com - hot a it’s Still, scrutiny. or consumption for available ticipation par- of model off-the-shelf one never is there label, black-and-white generic, deceptively first-glance, its despite for, rises, enigmatology in stock phenomenon), and term a (as participation with faced When are instruments interpellated for the purposes of serving ideologies ideologies serving of purposes the for interpellated instruments are individuals role, former the In agent. self-constituting a as and entity tivity, where the subject operates as an individual, both as a constituted subjec- and truth includes which constellation, larger a to belongs ics fers to conduct specifically and ethics more broadly. For Foucault, eth- by a reading of Michel Foucault’s inspired is here, it mean I the as how, to The participates. who back of question leads participate we how asking enough, Interestingly we participate? do how asking by problematic a toward it of study object/subject the from away steering interrogation critical key, a is which participation, vis-à-vis question important more perhaps third, a propose to like I’d objectification. of kind a what the and subjectification of process a correlates to who the which in well-trod, terrain therefore, is, cultural and economic, political, the to relationship its and participation of what the and who The fore. the to comes incomprehension or ibility incompat- others, on while, shape take coherences compelling sion, occa- on and, clues common the are These Participation?” is “Who propose might DOWN while Participation?” is “What asking to cated dedi- be might ACROSS plays. crossword-like of assemblies vertical and horizontal the in object/subject/inquiry as participation through puzzle to crucigrammarists own its deploys and employs field Each we arenowhereclosertoacleardefinitionofit. participation, of popularity contrary.the the despite to yet attests And evidence but participation, for in set surely has fatigue brand now, By We willdemandtransparencyanddemocracyforthemarket We willpresentambivalenceasastrategyofconsequence We willcamouflageourignorance inregionaldialects Ethics: Subjectivity and Truth, and re- 1

139 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

We will diagnose distortions of ambition as symptoms of success will diagnose distortions We our apathy in the folds of poetry will veil We the symbolic economy and invest offshore will deregulate We and other forms of power via strategic articulations. And so, individuals so, And articulations. strategic via power of forms other and By contrast, the latter role of the subject, as a self-constituting agent, from position a provides Foucault, to according bird rarer the is which which to resist or refuse particularization in order promote new forms to of subjectivity, what produce we might call radical, and unan- ticipated figures of selfhood (and collectivity) that confuse and might and protocols divergent with power of circuitries overload conceivably po- and ethical an only not makes subject this Foucault, For languages. litical choice to refuse the yoke of existing and prohibiting identities, Given these two roles of the subject (constituted and constituting), Somewhere within this trio of the ethical, political, and aesthetic, and subjects receive expression and recognition not in with accordance their own needs or desires, but rather for a system that requires legitimization from these declared subjects. This is the and, scenario that Foucault sees at by work most of the extension, time corralled – a situation that individual cloaks machinations preoccupations, of whether power through by isolation, consumption, stirring or alienation, some other technique, the ultimate itself. circulate as the very material of power being that we, in fact, consequence individualsno course, Of well. as one aesthetic an makes crucially but have easy or exclusive access to this choice, as its availability depends on a rather favorable set of conditions. it is crucial to ask how we participate because we are always, in effect, in a relationship to power, i.e., as instruments in either the service of or contestation of authority. When we participate in some activity or campaign or study, this power relationship spotlights our instrumen- partici- we when whether ask must we scenario, this in And, talization. pate if we are unleashing the promise of the collective or highlighting the limitations of the horde, or are we, instead, doing it all the other telling situation, a careful and con- each distinct and way around? For sidered engagement is warranted in response. I detect there lies the promise of art, a permissive zone, which is char- acterized not by an autonomy that separates it from its political, eco- nomic, and cultural surroundings, but rather always already involves

140 Kristina Lee Podesva It is equally true of participation. It isequallytrueofparticipation. vigilance. for mechanism of kind some offer can art that possible is it problems, of genealogy the for technology Foucault’s to identical not the time to identify and articulate earlier species and behaviors. While had even we’ve before set new a into scatters and mutates problems of set one situation, and actors, age, new every with because ethics for practice critical a offers problems of genealogy a Foucault, For pate. partici- we how asking seriously for space a prepare can we then self), one- elevating of purposes the for subject other or individual, group, some of freedom of practices the limiting for capacity the having ing (mean- dangerous as everything recognize to able are so, doing in and ethics, of terms in everything view we Foucault, like If, comprise. all we which that within, complicit all are we that body social ailing the cleanse to attempt regularly might we diet, this On is. aesthetics what re-defining to contributes which participation!), of course healthy for a needed ingredients the (all agonism and ‘e’) en- (little and lightenment engagement for site a it renders that contingency critical a

141 Posters series by Kristina Lee Podesva for/from/of Structure of Relief (2009). A multi-part installation consisting of a single channel animated video and free posters. It appeared in the exhibition Speaking Truth to Reconciliation at Artspeak Gallery (Vancouver) in the fall of 2009.

Kristina Lee Podesva 1

ENDN as the“WhereHellisMatt?”campaign). propriation of the man dancing around the world otherwise known ap- gum’s Stride and (e.g., advertising in and 2011); from Participation 2008, from Participation of Violence 2006, The from Practice Spatial of Atlas An books Participate? Say of Someone trilogy Miessen’s Markus (e.g., practice spatial in exhibition Frieling’s Rudolf entitled volume Art Contemporary of Documents Bishop’s Claire (e.g., art in 2003); and 1993, 1985, Stallman’s Richard (e.g., devel- opment software and technology in 2009); from Everybody Comes Shirky’s Clay (e.g., organizing and activism in 2006); from 2.0 (e.g., law in note Lawrence of strategy or theme a been has Participation OT ES Lessig’s book

Code: And Other Laws of Cyberspace Version from 2008); 2008); from Participation of Art The copyrighted in in copyrighted Manifesto GNU from 2006 and and 2006 from Participation The Nightmare of of Nightmare The Here Here Did Did

147 April 24, 2011, 4:16 PM

Eyal Danon

Some Notes from an Encircled Society*

An Occupation of Representation and Consciousness; Counter the Waking Up from the Separationist Ethos Promoted; They Are Always Political; Joint Action of Art and Activism with Other N 148 Communities; Bringing the Nakba ightmare of into Hebrew; Creating the Conditions for Visibility; Over Identification P and Identity Correction; Subversive articip

Blurring between the Boundaries ation of Responsibility; The Mental and Cultural Walls; Eyal Danon ‘Zochrot’ zation thatareneededforanypracticeofchange. of its the boundaries autonomy is a policy aimed at preventing solidarity and self organi- within art Confining cube. white the of walls the beyond communities other with activism and art of action joint the various through possible only is through This it. undermine subversively to try tactics, artists, the which in context the is perception and of our painful common history. We hope that by bringing the Nakba Nakba the bringing by that hope Wehistory. common painful our of recounting open an in Palestinians and Jews engage to as so public Zochrot works to make the history of the Nakba accessible to the Israeli the Palestinian refugees –receiveslittlepublicrecognition. the destruction of hundreds of villages, and in the continuing plight of in Palestinianslives, the in by – paid price heavy the yet landscape, cal Zionist “The  of 1948.Intheorganization’swebsitetheydescribetheir mandate: catastrophe Palestinian the Nakba, the of awareness raise to working sciously, to the preservation of the dominant hegemony or to its its to or hegemony dominant replacement. the of preservation the to sciously, uncon- even committed, either are they as political, always are They identities. and practices identification of cultural modes new and creating in artistic effective are that fact the examine consider might should we them which to according guidelines despairing quite The these conditions. to react here analyse will I studies case The ments andworktowardsjointactionsolidarity. govern- Israeli by promoted ethos separationist the counter that such sphere public Israeli the into alternatives and possibilities new offer to relevant highly becomes It consensus. Solution’ State current ‘Two futile the undermine might that debate ideological and political emerging an redefining in part take to them for opportunity an also Its education. and propaganda information, and concepts of sphere the through reality socio-political Israel’s addressing activities tiate ini- to seek who activists and artists for challenge a is situation This unavoidable andinflicteduponIsraelbyitsenemies. are they if militarization as appear always extreme to state, the the of acts and violent enablesand society of that tools offered the of perspective one is creates the that of messages consumed by Israeli networks society is created. The narrative that this network and through is texts It images, consciousness. and representation occupation an also of is It territorial. solely not is occupation Israel’s 2 (Remembering) is a group of Israeli activists and artists artists and activists Israeli of group a is (Remembering) collective memory exists in both our cultural and physi - and cultural our both in exists memory collective 1 Israel’s hegemonic domination over representation representation over domination hegemonic Israel’s

149 Sedek: A Journal on the Ongoing Nakba, issue n°1, 2007, p.24-27. Parrhesia, Through Language, 2006, Jerusalem. Hebrew Captions: ‘Through Language’ challenges the erasure of the Arabic language from signs in the Israeli public sphere and its foul implications. By spraying words in Arabic, along with their Hebrew transcription and a translation to Hebrew, an urban, large-scale visual Arabic-Hebrew dictionary is created. Through language, by-passers in the street are invited to explore their stand towards Arabic and the possibilities of life that is genu- inely shared and common. Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

3 and YouTube enables him also to introduce almost in real time 4 The raw materials from the demonstrations paintings. He selects specific frames are from thevideo and paints them. also used for his Reeb always shoots from the point of view of the demonstrators looking demonstrators the of view of point the from shoots always Reeb towards the soldiers, who fire towards him from a distance. This dis- tance is symbolic to his clear political standing and illustrates the fact he is a demonstrator as well.that he is not a mere documentary creator, images from the demonstrations that stand in contrast to the regular media coverage of the events. All the channels Reeb uses to distribute his materials, be it newspa- pers or TV’s, court rooms as evidence, video pieces or paintings in Reeb Reeb also offers his documented materials to lawyers and human rights organizations as He evidence, describes as his video well crea- his offers and solidarity of act an as demonstrations the joins He work as as mainly for functional TV tive and skills for political. the channels. villagers. Distributing the videos through his web- site Creating the conditions for visibility and publishing information can be found in projects by other artists who focus on creating visibility in public space. David Reeb is an established painter who identifies Reeb occupation. Israeli the to objects who artist political a as himself started joining the demonstrations against the construction of separation wall next to the village of Bil’in in 2005 and regularly docu- the his videos online. ments demonstrations and distributes Zochrot have been active for more than a decade now. In May they published the first issue of Sedek (crack, fissure) dedicated to ad- 2007 dressing the Nakba of 1948 as well as to the continuing Nakba that is manifested by Israel’s treatment towards the Palestinians till In now. inpublished are Nakba the to reactions artistic and documents Sedek Hebrew, representing a radical act, as the deportation of Palestinians consid- and society Jewish Israeli in taboo a still is war 1948 the during ered part of the Palestinian narrative that fundamentally contradicts the Zionist story about the “People without Land to a Land without People.” into Hebrew, the language spoken by the Jewish majority in Israel, we region. this of discourse political the in change qualitative a make can Acknowledging the past is the first step in taking responsibility for its this of peoples the all for rights equal include must This consequences. to their homes.” to return the right of Palestinians land, including

152 Eyal Danon lc i te ulc pee bt s dfeet atc ta cn e de- be can scribed asover-identification that tactics different use but sphere, public the in place take also projects two next The sphere. public the into resources tive alterna- from information of introduction the for tools various using information of distributing and gathering exposure, the with dealing projects as characterized be roughly can above described works The through aperspectivedifferentfromthemassmedia. occupation the and Bil’in of story the to visibility create to is that and the materials get. Nevertheless, all these still contribute to a larger goal shape the effects that context different a create internet, the galleries, gia instead of abandoning them altogether. It might be that through through that be might It altogether. them abandoning of instead gia for identification and involvement with the tothe national left ethos and nostal- been allows that path has a suggest might approach Movement’s Public right. this sphere symbols, national with tification iden- of kind any rejects and identity national of shaping participa- the in its tion up given has left the Since them. of usage ambivalent more a of favour in narratives and symbols Zionist from withdrawal ss n atvss ih take. might activists and ists art- Israeli route another offer Movement Public by used tactics The of thestate,aspureevilness. identification, renders the ceremonies, ideological and through them the actions Zionist the that fact gravitational force is no longer active, and can’t The create the same sort of reached. Israeli has the that ethos emptiness of national sort a indicates time anostalgia same the generates at but identification This was. once extra it with as ceremonies meaning, its act they and establishment the are They camouflage. for tactic a is ambivalence This ambivalent. is it oncerep- resented theideology with and ceremony group’s the The with it. identification of re-enactment own their and state the of ‘legitimized’ violence the between boundaries the blur to them allow These performances. their of most for uniforms wear members group The almost automaticmode. an in practised is that habit mere a now is It content. ideological its of empty become has ceremony the that suggest over-identification, of tactics the through re-enactments, Their itself. focus, the becomes ritual the ceremonies, their In spaces. public in them re-enacts and ceremonies, generated media days, memorial army, the movements, youth in held those like ceremonies, iconogra- public Israeli known well and of phy choreography the uses Movement Public group The 5 oridentitycorrection. 7 They give up the option of complete complete of option the up give They 6

153 David Reeb – Still from Bil'in demonstration on 17.4.09, West Bank. Public Movement – Still from Promotional Video (DVD, 9 Minutes, 2008) Theodor Herzl's Tomb, Mount Herzl, Jerusalem. Yossi Atia & Itamar Rose, Missiles on Ramat Gan, 2006 Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv subtitles: “Reuven where are you?” their ceremonies, the cracks and gaps in the official narratives and memories can become visible. In a similar way, using identification and satire, Yossi Atia and Itamar Rose also operate in the public space. Under the guise of an official representative of an organization (the camouflage is always very poor but the presence of a camera gives them the credibility needed for the public) they ask the accidental public to perform various acts that expose paradoxes and injustices through parody and satire. Their direct interventions into daily life enable them to interact with the peo- ple and to force them, through play, to confront issues they usually only see through the media’s distant coverage. Through role playing they ask people to decide which way they prefer the state to kill Palestinians, they ask people if they would allow refugees to enter Israel when they ‘cast’ them to the role of guards on the border between Egypt and Israel, they ask people to commemorate the Palestinian village buried under the park in which they picnic during Independence Day, and more.

Their tactic of identity correction and intervention into the public sphere is documented on video which is available on the net and in screenings and exhibitions.

anon Yossi and Itamar’s works create an interesting and subversive blur- D ring between the boundaries of responsibility. Their tactics expose 157 yal yal E the paradoxes, evilness and crimes of the entity in the name of which they supposedly operate. However, at the same time, their work doesn’t leave responsibility only on the side of the state. The citizens who are accidentally involved in Yossi and Itamar’s interventions are confronted with the same moral questions and are asked to decide individually to take responsibility for specific situations like punish- ing or pardoning a Jewish terrorist, accepting or rejecting a gay son, allowing Arabs to enter a mall, or defining who will be the enemy of the future Isra-Palestine state.

I have tried to describe the artistic and activistic initiatives through modest definitions of aims and through wide perceptions of target audiences and communities. The idea that art can influence the masses and create mass change fosters an impossible gap in expec- tations that cripples the art. A modest approach is important when we remember that the initiatives take place in an extremely unbal- anced conflict. The artists mentioned above all, through different tactics and approaches, attempt to create a small opening in the walls Israeli society has encircled itself with. These are not only the concrete walls that are being constructed in the last five years. The Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Theatre of , Peace curated by Vocabulary Vocabulary of Decoloniality, edited by is a revised and shortened version of a text originally writ- ten for the catalogue of the exhibition This text bankleer (Karin Kasbock, Christoph Dietrich Leitner), Heißenbüttel and Anke Gunda Isik. Hagemann, Another version of it be is published to in the book Editorial Group for Agredo, Sheri Avraham, Iris Borovcnik, Writing Annalisa Cannito, Miltiadis Insurgent Gerothanasis, Genealogies Marina Gržinić, Niki (Carolina Kubaczek, Marissa Lôbo Ivana and Marjanovic), produced by the Post Conceptual Art Practices Class at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, published forthcoming 2011. Vienna, Verlag, by Löcker mental mental and cultural walls might be of even greater importance and * influence. They enablealmost control to Israelientity, Western a as itself society picturing while East Middle continue to existing in the five million people under different types of control, and still call itself a Democracy, to have one of the largest military forces on earth and still feel like a potential victim, and to continually talk about the les- and refugees towards xenophobic a being while Holocaust the of sons work immigrants. These paradoxes are internal to offering and the them exposing in role a have cultural Artists Israel. of fabric social and alternative perspectives to Israeli society. In time, these perspectives real- more a view, world different a of creation the to contribute might one.istic and responsible

158 Eyal Danon 5 4 3 2 1 7 6

ENDN Avi Pitchon, Avi term The term The www.davidreeb.com Bil’in residentsdemonstrateeveryFridaynexttothewall. repression violence, and illegal arrests. Supported by Israeli and international activists, increased with resistance this meets army Israeli The wall. the of construction the for lands its of fiscation became Bil’in http://www.zochrot.org/index.php?lang=english Keenan, 27April,2000. Interviewed by Rosalyn Deutsche, Branden W. Joseph and Thomas Chantal, Mouffe, for an exhibition of IRWIN at the Israeli Center for Digital Art, Art, Digital for Center February 2010. Israeli the at IRWIN of exhibition an for  artists of tactic Yossi AtiaandItamarRose inthisarticle. the describe to it use I actions. their describe to  Slovenian artcollectiveNSK. to relation in it uses Žižek Slavoj philosopher way the to manner   OT ES identity correction is used by activist group The YesThe group activist Men by used is correction identity ‘over-Identification’ should be considered in a similar in a be considered should ‘over-Identification’

. A catalogue text written written text catalogue A State. the of Eye The IRWIN: a symbol of non-violent resistance against the con- the against resistance non-violent of symbol a Every Dimension, Political a Has Art of Form

159 April 25, 2011, 11:57 PM

Melanie O’Brian

The Nightmare of Participation (Crossbench Praxis as a Mode of Criticality) Evaluation Waking Up from the MEE ; M ; N/A; N/A; N/A; ME; N/A; NI; N/A; ME; N 160 ightmare of P articip ation Melanie O'Brian fashion, actsas teammember. team- work, contributes work in a timely promotes others cooperatively; assists and with Works understand differences. to seeks groups; user colleagues, of practices and norms respects cultural environment; inatory anti-discrim- an to Contributes respect, including allusergroups. with others treats and empathetic tactful, is situations; different in people of capabilities priately to the needs, feelings and appro- responds and Considers greater assume to responsibility. willing able & pro-active; & Self-directed processes withinownarea. new implements and develops methodology and solve problems; improve to quo status challenges and solutions/ideas innovative provides insights, new Develops N ME NI / : A Needs Improvement NeedsImprovement : Teamwork Diversity Interpersonal Skills Initiative Innovation andCreativity Meets Expectations MeetsExpectations : Not applicable Notapplicable

N N N N N / / / / / A A A A A

NI NI NI NI NI

ME ME ME ME ME

Comments Comments Comments Comments Comments

161 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation Comments Comments Comments Comments Comments

ME ME ME ME ME

NI NI NI NI NI

A A A A A / / / / / N N N N N Adaptability & Flexibility Quality of Work Organizing and Planning Problem Solving Communication Skills Communication Is open to change and new infor- mation, ideas, systems, behaviours adapts and work methods in response to new or changing con- ditions; reacts quickly and posi- tively to changing work needs. Work produced is thorough, accu- thorough, is produced Work rate, comprehensive and timely; attention to detail is evident. Structures work for easy access and maximum efficiency; makes effective use of time; able to set priorities. resources and Identifies and analyzes problems, distinguishes between relevant and irrelevant information make to logical probes all sources to decisions provide ef- fective solutions. and Keeps Keeps others informed of rent status of cur- work and projects. Conveys ideas, problems or sues is- in a clear, organized man- ner. Facilitates an open exchange through communicating in a re- spectful manner and actively lis- tening to other’s ideas/concerns.

162 JEREMY TILL A LO TH pril 28, 2011, 28, 1:34pril G I P F G T Jeremy the the into the the into F ns E ind t he Body of he Body NG aci ar ene as

K ider ider ticipation; ticipation; T litator; litator; ping; ING er

rosity and rosity L he I m V M C O

E A T or I en S

S pp ill P gen T ome T M e

HE tre of the of the tre o the o the D P osite; F ar EAD T ir t over of that Q he thing’s Wrong? mly into the the into mly ticipation ticipation C U uri O P ! ! EE T re the osity; We osity; he sence of the sence of the N D r; Brought Back Back r; Brought eb S ! pe ate; I s cter of of cter C P L ic e ura P ft ft re ture; ture; tor or or tor fer fer

163 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

The Nightmare of The Nightmare of Participation gives a good kick- The Nightmare of Participation continually skirts around, The other baby in danger of being rush washed is that away of any in form the of expert dialectical knowledge. Whenever I participation, approach I do so with the brilliantly succinct warning of Gillian Rose ringing in my ears: ‘the architect is demoted but the people do not accede to power’. She is here referring to the poverty forms of ideologically driven “community architecture”, in which of any certain of form a be to deemed is – architect the of that including – knowledge archi- the for left role only The dissolved. be must therefore and power tect is that of technical facilitator and skills provider; all other forms upends this notes, Rose As disavowed. are action knowledge-based of in a lose-lose situation. The architect is indeed ritually demoted, but the people are left grasping for air, bereft of any help in envisioning spatial futures. If consensual participation is such a monster, then where does that leave other notions of participation? The answer given is lopsided, in that it concentrates so heavily on just one side of the process, namely that of the What facilitator/curator/outsider. is missing is the voice or presence of the other side – of the insider, of the people, of the ago- nists. It as if the specter of participation is so threatening that these other presences must be suppressed, ground of participatory practice. because they represent the by framing parts of participation as bad (and I agree that the - consen sus is an impossible term), it might chuck out some of the constructive aspects of the term. gurgling The bathwater. battered There baby is a is danger Participation in this washed negative light of – indeed the hyperbolic title away - encour reading with the ages us so to do. and sometimes puts a foot into, is that of the Something’s oppositional wrong? dialectic. Find the opposite. Move towards Consensus bad, agonism higher good. Expert professional bad, truth. disinterested amateur good. The trouble with this method is that it both leaves the bad side unscathed to get on with its normal business, and also, The hole that Markus Markus Miessen’s ing to received notions of participation. In many ways the target is too easy: the body of participation is pretty moribund anyway and is left gasping with such lively boots being stamped over it. For this reason I am less focused here on the critique, and more committed to what out the other side. may come

164 JEREMY TILL My book My traps. dialectical these into falling of danger the to sympathetic am I context; curiosity, because of the willingness to first see, and then al- given then and see, first the to willingness the into of because curiosity, context; insights sharpest the as insider the of formulations ing field of open discourse, welcoming the imprecise (in expert terms) the professional steps off their crafted podium and onto the level play- as much as in generosity possible curiosity: and generosity only of attitude an with is knowledge of forms mushy such of acceptance An the everyday rather than on the high planes of expert enlightenment. expert of planes high the on than rather everyday the of interstices the in founded also but character,” in “practical is edge knowl- mutual Giddens, Anthony For knowledge. that by surprised direc- both being to open being means curiosity knowledge; party’s each of tions, in knowledge acceptance, willing mutual a is means Generosity it core. is argument, that this of purposes the For ness. aware- critical and awareness mutual judgment, spatial components: key three identify I and TatjanaSchneider Awan, Nishat – them trates illus- which of much and arguments Miessen’s with resonates which f tes” p16. n u fruain of formulation our In (p.196). knowledges others.” the specialized of towards curious sufficiently remain to order in crucial is discipline and expertise of notion the both of out venturing but “the commons, notes, Miessen the As of alternatives. to consensus alertness the demand to down things They close others. of not desires do and issues the to openness imply which of both curiosity, and generosity conditions: two by informed is Attitude engagement withtheotherpresencesthatareleftsilentinbook. necessary a imply they how and mean, might they what of version one what these could actually entail. So I will attempt briefly to sketch what responsibility.” But, coming so late in the relevance, book, we attitude, are left meaningful: hanging as to become can participation proactive the of of modes page which with penultimate positions “three the introduces Miessen on when text, given is this do to how to as clue A and withitjudgment,tobedeployed. knowledge, specialized of forms some allow also and picture, the into firmly more insider the of presence the bring to has one situation. this, do given To any in notes, Miessen as inherent, is that mess the in from future those the reconstructing start just and altogether, as oppositions same the (many Participation) in order to better defeat them. Better then to avoid such men straw up Attitude Architecture Depends Architecture 1 has been criticized exactly for setting setting for exactly criticized been has pta Agency Spatial The Nightmare of of Nightmare The 2 – some of of some – 3

165 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

4 Responsibility Relevance Responsibility Responsibility here is not to oneself (which is how Aristotle’s ethics one’sto or self) good the of behavior good the of terms in centered are profession (which is how the professional ‘codes of conduct’ suggest ethical behavior is to be found), but always to the other. The ‘Other’, usually capitalized and apostrophized, has become employ a I that standard sense this term in not is It forgotten. the and alternative the for Marginalmargins. the into debate the shunt may that because here, it positions are often heralded as the radical alternative, the but concomitant there danger is that being marginal also sets one up to be The latter is a direct quote from Zygmunt Bauman; it is his short and unforgettable definition as to what constitutes ethical behavior. “Through intent.” “But what guides that intent?” “The responsibility towards the other.” I am often asked about how, in the face of all the multiple - contingen cies and dependencies of architectural practice, ments. My answer is two stepped: one makes judg- architecture, architecture, and of pseudo-participation, is created exactly in their ob- individual and abstracted their pursue they as engagement, of lack sessions. Relevance counters the generalized abstractions and melds the individual with the contested collective. A project is only relevant if it is alert to its particular context and with this the imprint agent is not exactly dissolved, but of certainly transformed, each time. It the is for this reason that Nishat, and Tatjana I prefer the term agent over that of curator or facilitator. The curator’s identity is to are agents whereas project, a a of making the in greater demanded extent lesser or less concerned with identity than they are with action. Relevance also suggests a forward looking, transformative trajectory, because that is the of danger the from away gets so and relevant, project a makes what ‘critical’ project, which too often circles around its own internalized, thus goes hand in hand with intent. irrelevant concerns. Relevance The relevance of any given project is only found when it is informed by the multiple voices of the insiders. The irrelevance of so much low things to happen otherwise (which is another definingfeature of agency). Giddens’s

166 JEREMY TILL 4 3 2 1 center ofthedebate.TheKingisDead!LongLiveQueen! the into back brought be and terms own its on develop to it allow to Participation is not going to disappear as a term or a need, so it is best re- emerge. to participation of and version different a relevance allow may sponsibility attitude, of versions of sketches brief very These of theseothers. behalf on and for act to responsibility agents’ spatial is It vironment. en- spatial the of reception and occupation making, the into go that voices multiple the but fringes, the on those not therefore are here to refer I that others The marginal. as things label to authority the has environmental crisis, then one has to question whether the center still and collapse economic of storms spec- the with so 2000s late was the in it tacularly as wanting, found been has center the when edges, real- the around never developed been historically is has resistance Although ized. margins the of power the so center, the by dismissed

Demos, 2000). Zygmunt, Bauman,  1984), 4. Press, California of University (Berkeley: Structuration Of Theory Anthony, Giddens,  the website:www.spatialagency.net. also See 2011) Routledge, (London: Architecture Doing Of Ways T Nishat Till, Jeremy,ArchitectureDepends(MITPress,2009). ENDN O T ES atjana Schneider and Jeremy. Till, Spatial Agency: Other Other Agency: Spatial Till, Jeremy. and Schneider atjana

The Constitution Of Society: Outline Of the the Of Outline Society: Of Constitution The Alone Again: Ethics After Certainty (London: (London: Certainty After Ethics Again: Alone

167 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation y; f he tal o I T T y of l of it ject dea o fit I C scription ro ro wth; nt his of dea unità; unità; P re P I he P ro f ro T efliesin F om G astation; ir se the C F tical tical ern World ev ra tical D ual vice; vice; E oli dea o ses; I P od oli ut y er ech in ech in id vetti; vetti; P as S M M li ull f vo pe F M ger io- O S A ar ot ot oc M L S P

st of the N

ticipation as the dea o A A I id assi ar F mon and and mon P M eived by by eived titution the of icipating' e per, if per, flict; essary to om assionate appearanceof the igi igi ea; ea; P C art consolate consolate ec is

onc on ubs em vr P with the I a S N T C A Workers; Workers; Lu ' C D is pril 5:33 28, 2011, n th I D A

168 Luigi Fassi world wars has pushed man towards industry and urbanization. urbanization. and industry towards It has torn the peasant for the soil and locked him into the factories.” man pushed two has by and wars about sea brought world the devastation sun, The the important… soil, were the stars the trees, the important; and real God of civiliza- was enlightenment the this Italy, Southern thousand For in exists fishermen. a still and which aside tion, peasants put of have civilization we old generation, year a than more little In unconscious. his of depths ir- the in many occurred how we have damages wounds, reparable and deep and soul, cuts his many how of know depths even not the do civiliza- in the suffered to has removed machines, and of nature tion and soil the from torn “Man, day of anewbranchfactoryhiscompany: opening the on workers industrial to address an entrepreneur from private a they derive by that believe to difficult is it and scope their in visionary were words Olivetti’s production. mass of world the of diversity contemporary brutal the and thousand-year-old civilization the Mediterranean between work at fracture radical the point- out Italy, ing in labor industrialized of realities new the and culture rural traditional between relationship the describing picture, lyptic and soil agricultural tradition to seek work in and work, factories. Olivetti the drew an apoca- leave to forced were who and industrial workers Italian of destiny the nature between the conflict about workers contemporary his of front in speech passionate a gave Olivetti Adriano entrepreneur the Cosenza, Luigi architect rationalist the by designed and Italy Southern in company his of outpost such first the Pozzuoli,in factory branch new his open to 1955 in Naples in Arriving be- conflict tween modernityandparticipationinItalyfromthe1950sto1970s. the on takes two Pasolini: Paolo Pier and Olivetti Adriano rably higher than at other companies in the country and its factories factories its and country the in companies other at than higher rably incompa - were Olivetti at salaries employees’ and workers’ The level. European wider and Italian the both at model a become to destined years, few a just in Olivetti had world conceived the and implemented over a all type of factories working of organization owner and sector en- gaged entrepreneur in producing local typewriters in small Ivrea a to an being international leader from in the Rising time. the of ment establish- industrial Italian the of most from apart completely figure national the in GNP and rapid diffusion of increase the national wealth, Olivetti stands out steady as a a by characterized miracle’ ‘Italian called so the to lead to seen been have would 1960s the of beginning the at which Italy, in development industrial grand the of dawn the At 1

169 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Society, Society, State 2 Comunità. From the and not a private enterprise, that would have of properties, regulatory plans, justifiedbold social experiments of work devo- the transfer lution… The way to balance these things did exist, but it was my not in hands: it was necessary to able create to a reconcile just all and these human things authority in the common interest… There “If I could have demonstrated that the factory was a commonwealth And Olivetti goes further, demonstrating how private enterprise and public interest had to coincide under a common good: new understanding of the beginning of his industrial activity, Olivetti had known how to entrepreneurial efficiency join with a deep intellectual awareness of the increasing upheavals that industrialism was bringing about within uninterrupted of centuries several in rooted was which society, Italian agricultural and rural life. Thus Olivetti’s multifaceted engagement converged upon the outlining the form community of (Comunità) conceived an of down ideal to state, its working a details as social a means to reconcile the worlds of nature and work, and the balance between productive activity and private life. In his text All of this was not just the will of a reformist concrete entrepreneur, development of but the the actual steps of a larger political project conceived by Olivetti, that of what was called were were accompanied by the provision of asylums, medical facilities and free libraries, according to a logic of social of charge apartments, welfare that was not matched by any other company in Italy those during years. But the most unique characteristic of the company even at the European level for the second half of the 1950s was to be found in Olivetti’s capacity to attract around the factory a new generation of intellectuals, poets, novelists, historians and sociologists, employed bearing if even work, intellectual their on carry to paid generously and whatsoever to the company’s activities.no direct connection “I knew that man and machine were two domains hostile to each and Community, a key volume released by Olivetti in 1952, this com- munitarian ideal would find its full expression: other and that they were meant to reconcile. I knew the awful monot- ony and the weight of the endlessly repeated gesture in front of a drill or a press, and I knew that it was necessary to liberate man from that demeaning slavery… It was necessary to give an awareness of scope to the work. And achieving that could not be the task of an ‘enlightened of society.” master’ any more, but instead the task

170 Luigi Fassi irrevocable catastrophe.” and emergent an other the at society, new a of forms the side “Atone Community: in recorded is edge razor’s a on balanced being of intuition This concerned. are power and values as of far moment as emptiness possible a passage, epochal an marks that socio-political uncertainty an to point to seems Olivetti 1950s, in the during efforts Ivrea concrete his and writings theoretical his both In project. f lvtis icus ad vrl cmrhnin f the of comprehension overall and discourse Olivetti’s of core the at lies fact in conflict and participation between tension The contrast withintheworkplace. (at least in Olivetti’s theoretical writings) the idea of conflict and social erase fully not if ideal temper, to trying the growth, mutual and participation common a of in sought that Comunità, the mechanism, social a within harmonized but respected perfectly all were ambition personal and wealth, individual property, Private community. the of well-being the of disposal direct the at placed engagement and labor her or his of fruits the seeing and factory directly the of management participating the in welfare, collective the generate to helping to contribute to was citizen Every word. key the became that ticipation par- of notion the therefore was it Ivrea, of city the in aspects different and workers between relationship management. In the the within spirit participatory and from its beginnings the company distinguished itself by its strong communism, and capitalism beyond way, alternative an of enacting the for saw he necessity the to response the Olivetti for was Comunità the lossofsense andthelightofspiritualvalues.” by threatened are we Man, over Man of domain the by power, to will inhuman the by corrupted and interests blind and immense of trast con- disordered the by tarnished world, modern disconsolate the “In to theIvreaworkersin1954: A similar thought appeared in slightly different form in a speech given with theideaofservice.” profit of idea the of substitution the was It born… was surrounding Comunità of the and factory the idea the way other.this each In of make supportive economically landscape to solution: one only was Comunità of Olivetti, concretely realized through 3

4

5

Society, State and and State Society, Comunità

171 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

­ L’articolo L’articolo delle lucciole (repub- , Comunità which would idealize collec- mass development in Italy. In an enlightening article pub- gies and lished in Corriere della Sera in 1974, lished later in Scritti Corsari), Pasolini began his critical discourse by addressing the phenomenon of the disappearance of the fireflies in misdeeds political the and society Italian about speak to order in Italy, of the Christian Democrat government (Democrazia Cristiana) which had ruled the country from the post-war era up to the time in which he was writing. The disappearance of the landscape firefliessince the early from1960s was caused by an increase the Italian in air and water pollution, and was read by Pasolini as a powerful metaphorical image of the dramatic end of the peasant and rural world, erased and forgotten in just a few frantic years by the rise of industrialization and the consumer society. The pollution of the machinery of civilization had wiped out the fireflies’ lights, andPasolini saw in that symbolic world. entire an of extermination the for potential the eclipse of image Without any sort of progressive mediation such as might have been provided by the Industrial and subsequent bourgeois Revolutions of Western Europe, which had no equivalent in Italy, Pasolini saw the tragedy of the ancient Italian consciousness, made up of numerous dialects, traditions, and forms of rural wisdom, now raped sumer society and the power by of The money. consumer society was for con- This is for Olivetti the negative side of modernity, that which needed tive participation as a resolution of the central inside contrast and issues conflict of reality of the of aware perfectly modernity. was Olivetti The uncertainty of modernity to which Olivetti 1952 sounds was almost pointing prophetic, especially to as interpreted in a few years later through the words of the Italian writer Paolo and Pasolini. As filman directorintellectual Pierdevoted to the critical accompani- ment of Italy’s missed entrance into was modernity, engagedPasolini throughout the 1970s as both an artist and a perceptive journalist in the unmasking of the grand disillusionment of participatory strate to be transformed into something positive through a concrete project concrete a through positive something into transformed be to of values, namely that of the modern world, and it was precisely the risk of possible catastro- phe within industrial modernity that he sought to counter through the concept of participation. In this regard the communitarian ideal seems almost to be a form of exorcism, a socio-political prescription necessary to avoid devastation and to progress in a smooth way with- out the exclusion of anybody, in short, to ease the passage from the agricultural world to industrial modernity – because the modernity of the 1950s, for the Italian Olivetti, remained a new and unexplored nobody yet knew the final horizon. world, one of which

172 Luigi Fassi behavior of the power of consumerism to re-create and deform the the conscience of Italian deform people, to the point and of irrevocable debasement.” re-create to consumerism of power the of behavior compulsory the senses’ my ‘with seen have I that… of understanding an gain to streets the in out go to need Youonly criminal. monstrous, “Italians have in a few years become a degenerated people, ridiculous, Pasolini wroteintheabove-mentionedarticle: erased allculturaldifferencesandparticularities. that values petit-bourgeois to according Italians homogenized which debasement of form a cataclysm, anthropological actual an Pasolini “I consider the totalitarianism of consumer capitalism worse than than the totalitarianismofoldfascistpower.” worse capitalism consumer of totalitarianism the consider “I And hefurtherarguesinanotherpoliticalarticle,alsowritten1974: reassessment thatwilldevastatetheentirenation.” that this void I am talking about is already being filled by a crisis anda likely is it and subsist… cannot void the But void… a cover politicians Democrat Christian powerful the smiles, and maneuvers their “With Instead, heforesawavoidapproaching: sons. to fathers from transmitted centuries for which values, ditional tra- and cultures local of that old forever, lost an now is of which fabric break-up social the by about brought dismay the only but Italy, in developments modern within reconciliation possible any see not does Pasolini that clear is it position, Olivetti’s with disagreement In occurring indaily life.” imposition an ideologies: ‘other’ and values ‘other’ of imposition the through power by manipulated only are progressive, or communist formally if even moreover, masses, ‘participating’ The culture. mass a and consumption mass needs fact in latter this and power; by staged merely is decisions ‘formal’ historical grand the in masses the of tion’ “Communists deceive themselves… they do not see that the ‘participa- therefore and could write: culture participatory new this by about brought tion devasta- the hand first experienced had Pasolini intellectual militant leftist a as Adorno, Theodor and Marcuse Herbert by espoused that to close tone a on Taking society. invaded had that power consumer of kind new every the of deception the of mystification product a being as rhetoric, participatory a as unmasks Pasolini context, this In 9

7

8

6

173 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Stato, Comunità, Edizioni di Comunità, Stato, Comunità, Edizioni di Comunità, dell’uomo, Edizioni di Comunità, 2002, dell’Uomo, Edizioni di Comunità, Torino, Scritti corsari, 2009 (Originally published in , 2001, p.134. (Montedison was awas (Montedison p.134. 2001, corsari, Scritti Città Città dell’Uomo, Edizioni di Comunità, Torino, Città Società, Società, aolo, Scritti corsari, 2001, p.134. aolo, Scritti corsari, 2001, p.62. aolo, Scritti corsari, 2009, p.64. 10 Pier Paolo, Adriano, Pier Paolo, Paolo, Pier ES OT p.95.  large industrial holding company in Italy during the 1970s).   Pasolini,  2001, p.114.  1975), Garzanti, Milano, p.131. Pier P Pasolini, Pier P Pasolini, Pier P Pasolini, Olivetti, Adriano, Pasolini, 1952, p.11.  Olivetti, Adriano, Olivetti, Adriano, Olivetti, Adriano, ENDN  Olivetti, 1952, p. 3; p.66. 2001 (originally published 1960), p.100-101.

5 9 10 6 7 8 Olivetti Olivetti and Pasolini thus outline, in the course of twenty years run- ning from the early 1950s to the early 1970s, a similar sensibility “I would give away the whole Montedison industrial group for just a single firefly.” in terms of perceiving the coming catastrophic impact that modernity that impact catastrophic coming the perceiving of terms in would have on Italian culture. For Olivetti the ideal of the Comunità, idea the in grounded and values economic and ethical shared in based of progress, was the only foreseeable means of avoiding a dramatic future and of driving Conflict the for Olivetti existed country as towards an omnipresent a riskbut to be exorcised, did sustainable not bear any irrevocable future. ontological primacy within society. Pasolini, on the other hand, saw in the ethical by the void hedonism brought of about consumer society no real exit strategy from drama the of industrial development, and was instead the convinced that fracture between development able. Development was and not necessarily progress for progress Pasolini, and in was the Italian irreconcil- social landscape of the 1960s and 1970s meant this only essentially the accumulation of wealth and civil contrast outlined debasement. by Pasolini points to Thethe gap between development and progress, where the first is only a matter of economics andlatter the represented a real model of increase and civil concerning growth. this notion that Pasolini in the above-mentioned And 1974 ar- it way:ticle disconsolately concluded in the following 4 3 2 1

174 Morten Paul & Felix Vogel M P ay 2011, 02, 9:30 arti A D of a H I E We A P from an an of Being his most T M nt xh he rot oe lr s andl orten orten erchangeable; eady eady S E ibitions) and G S est and and est s N xh ym cipating politically S houl en P I N otion of ' otion ym deolo ung; ung; art ibition ibition bolic ot ius!; Who I bolic icipation; icipation; s d - T A P ra M P G gical of a ra C O S A ov nslate in nslate u on P er ut c xis; E D oli ernmentality; Why Why ernmentality; l & ts ts co iously - Withdraw - Withdraw iously sider; flictual flictual is P tically; tically; I T interest' the the interest' nomy; oli T s in t hey he T F A tics tics he el ll G M P ; he

A ix Vogel ra P P er T ak A re re T A os art hr heo xis, but that that but xis, re man P rt ing ing sibility for for sibility ough ough S os (or icipation; icipation;

ti N ry that that ry ition ition ll ot ot T P er ar m m t t

175 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

The Nightmare The Two figures permeate Markus Miessen’s re-evalua-

l: There are a few reasons and premises for this talk that : u a P OGEL V orten ‘uninvited outsider’. What is the relationship between these two fig- ures? The crossbench practitioner, as I understand it, is precisely not an outsider. After all, the example after which the crossbench prac- titioner is modelled is what is called a ‘crossbencher’ in the affili- neither is politician crossbench The 243) (2010: Lords. of House British ated with the government nor with the opposition party. Accordingly crossbenches. on sitting literally quite in-between, located is she or he Nevertheless, the crossbencher is a fully institutionalized of member the House of Lords. Though Miessen acknowledges its structural conservative alignment, he does not consider its sition. concrete Not compo- only are the members not are democratically selected elected, they through inheritance, supplemented replaced by and what increasingly are called ‘life peers’, appointed by Not incidentally, it the is also called ‘house of peers’. Now the role, or one Monarch. role, of the crossbenchers, as far as I know, is to supply expertise - out side of party affiliation. On the other hand, Miessen speaks of something like a professional outsider – I wonder how we are to understand this? In Miessen’s ac- count the role of the outsider is closely tied to specific professions – the intellectual, the architect, the artist. These professions are highly exclusive and access to them is restricted. From a political - perspec tive, one would have to ask, what (class-)conditions and restrictions are in place in order to be able to occupy the position of the outsider fundamen- more a to points also this believe I But sense? Miessen’s in tal issue: Is there something like an outsider in the first place? tion of participatory practices – the ‘crossbench practitioner’ and the M FELIX we should reveal right at the beginning. Besides having had an - ongo ing discussion on, if you want, issues of politics, aesthetics and its - in extentwhat to in interested both are we sense, broadest the in terstice participation is a viable concept for political struggles. Whereas I my- self more or less worked around those issues with the 4th Bucharest Biennale that I curated in 2010, you were very active in the recent student protests in London, among other things with the University for University the with things other among London, in protests student his released Miessen Markus Now, Optimism. Strategic of Participation a couple of months ago and invited me to contribute something for a new volume that somewhat extends his arguments. I thought we could Miessen’s text. Subsequently, we take will also use this Miessen’s arguments contextu- to opportunity try and issues prevalent other discuss to diving-board a as to critically evaluate alize it in our own practices.

176 Morten Paul & Felix Vogel ideological of all? ideological ofall? most the ‘disinterest’ of notion the not Is it? doesn’t suspicious, quite tain power-relations… Miessen’s in terms: stay to or – outside no is there that or to extent, embedded certain be a to needs critique of status very the that rather but and praiseforthefigureofmanagementconsultant. rhetoric neo-liberal highly a evokes it that – Market the from Learning on chapter the in terms critical – in this is about talks outsider Miessen although the of figure the about critical be to tend I why reason outsider.second an The never thus and problem the of) (part yourself always are you bluntly: more it say to or want, you if self-reflexivity, or principle’ uncertainty ‘Heisenberg the it call – issue the of basis the of part as position own your and factors external include to have always you that argue would I Instead, observer. distanced and a be uninvolved can you than more any distance a from read not certainly thus critique is that you have to understand the issues at stake, and you can for premises fundamental the of one me, for But critique. non- consensual certain a establish or formulate to is outsider ‘tasks’ uninvited the the of of one right, Miessen understand I if First, reasons. two highly inclusive context like the arts. I am critical about this for mainly a in especially such, as exists this like something if unsure also am I and outsider, an – becoming rather: maybe or – being of possibility the figure of the uninterested outsider that I am also not sure ifI sure not also – it misunderstood Iam I that hope actually well, – correctly it understood that outsider uninterested the of figure the concerns that else something And ideology. pure is disinterest why F MP F MP F of the‘uninvitedoutsider’? difference the bedded critique’ and the external further expert hidden in Miessen’s develop paradigm you Could ‘em- an call maybe can we what and described have you what between expert’. by ‘the branch of executive the means by function legislative the of takeover the – post-democracy called opposite been now time some for has what of extreme the the resemble unsettle closely to participation up of practice set consensual models alternative two the then, Ironically V: V: V: I am not even sure if I would call it an ‘embedded’ form of critique, general the about suspicious being in right absolutely are You Well, there are quite a few examples that are worth examining of of examining worth are that examples few a quite are there Well, : :

The disinterest that Miessen endows the outsider with becomes becomes with outsider the endows Miessen that disinterest The The last point you make seems absolutely plausible to me. me. to plausible absolutely seems make you point last The uninvitedness – of critique, and that you are always a part of cer-

177 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

him – well, it century conceived th and early 20 th , flâneur bohemian or outlaw who has the magical This is a very interesting point, especially considering Miessen’s

: As a marginal note, I think that there is still a viable part of the V: form of pragmatism as it is – to stay in the realm of architecture – pro- on post-criticality in the last decade. posed by the debate is basically a very male conception – as someone who is supposedly privileged – through being an outsider – to do least at or clairvoyant certain things a had usually who but allowed, that otherwise were not Not only is such a figure anachronistic corrective andpower. - ideologi cal, but I would also argue that he does not take on any responsibility and commitment. Further, the question must be: Autonomy at what certain a for favour in am I that mean not does certainly this And price? F MP is the fact that it could all to easily be understood as a continuation of the artist genius as ability – through his genius! – to tell the truth. The conception of the artists in the late 19 being a male and white curator, who is interested in feminist, queer and post-colonial issues, I also Eastern bloc… in what is to be considered the former so-called West had to deal with being from the Romantic project that can or needs Romantic to be understood as an emancipa- nostal- with do to whatsoever anything have not does that politics tory gia. And as for nostalgia, I am not sure if this can become something productive again. But you are absolutely right that I encountered the issues you mentioned during my work in Bucharest, and besides ) of participatory practices in art, as well as well as art, in practices participatory of ) (Verklärung transfiguration the rejection of nostalgia for traditional modes of protest. I guess this ties in closely with our discussion regarding who is in the position of being an outsider, an outsider who is in fact not excluded. You have teased out how this is a gendered category, and I would that like it to is add racialized as well. It is the male, white artists whose fields the model in interests strong with curator white and male a As cite. you of feminism and post-colonial theory, this you have is encountered as an issue probably in your own something practice. In last year’s very a pursuing also were you impression the had I Biennale Bucharest anti-romantic concept of what a contemporary art exhibition could or should be. I am thinking of the refusal to use industrial ruins as a showroom, of course, but also of the almost anti-participatory open- ing performance by Dutch artist Nicoline van Harskamp. I wonder if you would like to elaborate on this. And do you think there is ways in again? which nostalgia itself can become productive disavowal of romanticism, or what he perceives as the romantic

178 Morten Paul & Felix Vogel knowledge oftheindependentRomanian artscene… your on members audience by quizzed were you believe, I conference from a curatorial perspective and from the perspective of an audience audience an of perspective the from and perspective curatorial a from Both participation? of question the to relate this does How Geology. of Museum the or Science Political for Institute the like spaces used possibly inaverynarrowframe. of how access to knowledge is highly restricted and participation is only was posed in the Swedish. In a way, I thought it showed a very clear both picture from questions real that question one even and were audience, the of part Romanian-speaking there so – scripted partly was which only talk, the was actually of end the at what Q&A a out even was figure There happening. to trying indignant and rather there staying room people the to leaving people from ran performance the to reaction The participation. of restrictions or possibilities the a as about English partly also was talk the of content the And puzzled. speakers non-Romanian of out primarily consisted that audience the leaving Romanian, in given was talk whole the Dutch, is Nicoline Although critic. or curator a like field, cultural the from person a as performed who actor an with conversation staged a had she where day, the opening on performance Harskamp’s van Nicoline mentioned also You existing andusedspaces,tounfoldacertaincriticality. ditions that they were linked to linked were they that ditions con- labour actual the to referring really without nostalgia of notions certain to linked only were they that felt always I as spaces, industrial post- of – biennials least at – exhibitions art for format common now Brecht’s to related myself for I that something – time same the at invisible and visible is that framework exhibitory an establish want, you if to, try to But tocomebacktheinitialquestion:Onewaydealwiththiswas its historyandlegacy. and framework local the with engage foremost and first to premises local context. Quite on the contrary, it has been one of the most crucial the with engaging or in researching really without parachutists, like – tendency certain a in drop exhibitions temporary scale large- of curators that – rule not if is there that think I asked. was it why reasons MP F MP brilliant analysis on this. because of other labour conditions – empty now. Hito Steyerl did some V: That was a rather silly question, but I completely understood the the understood completely I but question, silly rather a was That : :

I remember at one of the events surrounding the Biennale, some some Biennale, the surrounding events the of one at remember I Instead of the usual factory remains or empty warehouses you you warehouses empty or remains factory usual the of Instead Verfremdungseffekt. Part of this was also my refusal to use the and thus of course touched on issues of of issues on touched course of thus and franca lingua 1 Instead, I rather tried to intervene in already , and why such spaces are – – are spaces such why and then, back

179 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

lingua Could you concretize this aspect somewhat further? I know I am

I don’t have anything against didacticism at all, and I don’t under- don’t I and all, at didacticism against anything have don’t I : I think it was ‘interactive’ on a different level than you would expect would you than level different a on ‘interactive’ was it think I V: V: V: F MP - interac particularly as me strike not did exhibition your certainly for – much intentional. was very guess that tive. I F stand why this is such a negative buzzword in the context of art. And I didactic at all. also disagree that her performance was charge not does Modern Tate the that fact for reasons of lot a are There entrance fees, and I would say that the munities or outreach what could to be termed different as an com- ‘educational mandate’ only serves as an alibi. Instead, I think it is mainly about funding issues: the more visitors you have, the more funding you get from the state or from private sponsors. And the more postcards will be sold in the gift shop. And you also shouldn’t forget that the free entrance is only for the and collection not of for the their Tate temporary exhibitions – this is again another form of exclusion. Bucharest Biennale it was really for very different reasons. I think in the case of the And this leads me back to the difference between making a political exhibition and making an exhibition politically. I think it foremost first has and to do with from which position you speak, and what exhibition, but rather make an exhibition politically. make an exhibition politically. exhibition, but rather from an art exhibition. Just in the fact that I used intact buildings and institutions – in the case of the Institute for Political Science, even a con- exhibition or art any for used been never had that building faculty text – the biennial tried to target different audiences (something that was also underlined through a completely free entrance policy) and proposed an activity and participation on a different level. Although this might sound a bit pretentious, I tried – as an analogy to Jean-Luc Godard’s famous dictum for film-making – to not make a political being a bit silly here, but the intent to reach and engage a broad and diverse audience is, at least on the level of claims, a common trope in the art context and beyond. The Tate Modern, to use a slightly cheap example, does not charge entry fees either. So what exactly happens in an exhibition that is political as opposed to a political exhibition? Referring again to Nicoline van Harskamp performance, as audiences one alienating about much as was could it that impression the have it was about drawing them in, and I enjoyed that – the incommensu- rability – a lot. But in your framing – the thematic of English as franca, the concluding ‘real’ discussion and so forth – it feels almost too didactic to warrant such enjoyment.

180 Morten Paul & Felix Vogel same instance, generic ones mostly, but that is true even in the cases cases the in even true is that but mostly, ones generic instance, same very the in participation this of rules the produces invites and participation always It goes. it wherever around context its carry to strange ability the has art because course, of also, way a in context, art the MP and alsothepossibilitiesofparticipation. politics emancipatory to related thus and action political of ception theless mention that it was very much linked to Hannah Arendt’s con- to lead would it to far away to go impossible deeper in the conceptual framing, but I should never- think I other. is each generate and It other each to level. linked semantic intrinsically very are meanings both ‘stories’, the from ‘actions’ differentiate to much refers but story, it as well as sooner action for translation a as much so not found in the ambiguity be of the German could term question this triggered that moment the rather or answer, The stories? and actions between difference a there essen- Is question: an tial was there Biennale Bucharest the of framing conceptual the about thinking of beginning very Possibilities.the Producing At On title: exhibition the to linked also course politi- of is for actions, cal possibilities new creating as well as open, them lays and conditions a own very creating its questions of that framework idea exhibition whole certain the Biennale Bucharest the of case the In misogynist, racistandhomophobicreasons. for censored was Geology of Museum the in exhibited be to supposed politics came to a harsh end, when a work by Kaucyila Brooke that was of format certain a producing of limits the where Biennale, Bucharest the at moment become a such encountered exhibitions actually we And political. where directly that’s think I questioned. is – spaces of distribution the or art of work the and audience between relation the example for – such as exhibition an of format the of politics very the where encounters produce instead but claims, or programs political repeat simply cannot you that means politically exhibition an Making visible. exhibitions and politics separates that border interested the more making in much am I Instead, appears. it how all: above and appears, it which in context the on reflect don’t you if issues, political useless to (only) show art that has political content or that inquiries in interchangeable and that they cannot be equated. So I think it is quite ofrepresentation, not are politics and the ‘how’ exhibitions) (or art that clear very is It want. you if of conditions specific the – sentation repre- of form certain a especially form, certain a restricts or allows anticipates, speak you which in medium the how and medium the on reflect to also is premise second A means. actually such as speaking :

But I mean, nevertheless, your exhibition was clearly located in in located clearly was exhibition your nevertheless, mean, I But Handlung. The word serves Handlung. Handlung.

181 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

The achievement of the BB4 would then seem to be that it Well, Well, just by being an exhibition the exhibition was certainly Considering our discussion up until now, it appears that at least

: : One critic even said that she had the feeling that I hate colours. One critic even said that she had the feeling V: V: V: negotiated this impossibility in the particular, maybe even the minor. I remember overhearing an that there was nothing particularly spectacular going on, and I found art critic saying, that to be a most beautiful compliment. very dismissively, located in the art context. When Godard claimed that it does not mat- partly was this politically, film make to but film, political a make to ter because of a certain frustration that film was not able to shape a po- like Dziga the masses, as film-makers or theorists litical conscious for same The 1930s. and 1920s the in claimed Benjamin Walther or Vertov - commu mass of tools similar are they as exhibitions, about said be can nication. The history of film somehow showed that it neither formed a (political) conscious, nor did it allow any thinking at all – the same is umbrellathe under emerged that projects art ‘open’ seemingly for true term of relational aesthetics. For me this describes the impossibility political or being equated with politics. of art becoming directly MP F MP F of art negating being art. I don’t want to rehearse trite tropes of - insti tutional critique, but for the sake of the argument, does that not neu- had? have could exhibition the potential political any default by tralize Is art not always and necessarily pseudo-political? and necessarily Is art not always some of the suggestions put forward by capable of Miessen being integrated seem in a ‘human very capital’ framework much and are already widely practised in managerial contexts. have You mentioned the consultant, but we might add the myriad forms stimulate of competition practices to within companies, etc. To relation between assume a hidden tyranny of a consensus and the direct false prom- ise of participation, as Miessen proposes, simplifies too much in this regard. Instead I would argue that participation is deeply embedded into the fabric of contemporary society, whose form of organization with here, understand I Governmentality governmental. call might we Michel as Foucault, the specific modes of governing a population in a biopolitical context. Governmentality works on both the population as a whole and each individual member of the population, to achieve certain (economic) results. It works on the individual as a member of conflicting real, between not is opposition the then But population. the participation and a consensus ultimately legitimated by participation

182 Morten Paul & Felix Vogel London? in uprisings student recent in experience certain a had you as further, ual participation and interruption – maybe you could elaborate on this conflict- of understanding certain a to tied is this how and protest for possibility the of that is here play into comes that question second A establishes adifference? that framework a develop we could how but question, ontological an mentality. I certainly do not believe that the critique of participation is in – or even at the core of – biopolitical or noopolitical forms of govern- included is participation that observation your share also I But work. frame- participatory a need that make to propositions interesting of lot a still are There exclusions. create finally and consensus to generate process (neo-liberal) a as misused is term this because only end, seriously – withdraw from participation as such or identify it as a dead- – should we why ask, would I participation about positive more be to order In understand. really don’t I that argument Miessen’s in tion MP F aesthetics. and biopolitics between connection the explored she Berry-Slater recently gave a lecture series at Goldsmiths College where Josephine achieve. ever could restriction any than circumstances to come key instruments for this distribution, making it more adaptable itself. Different forms of enabling and disabling participation have be- by all works It more. any supervised and enforced be to have not does control etc., gestures, body, the also but norms, desires, in ternalized in- Once control. this execute to component crucial a is responsibility of distribution (unequal) the and self-control, control, internalised of that is no participation. What we are confronted with is instead a form cultural theorist Diedrich Diederichen has shown, to subjection subjection to shown, has through thechoiceofan‘individual’ringtone. Diederichen Diedrich theorist cultural German as even, extending unconscious, maybe though obedience, anticipatory an often like something is is believe, I regime, What this by produced biopolitics. of understanding theoretical the en- therefore riches and complicates also but practices art contemporary many of repressed, or ‘un-thought’, the reveals only not it as pursue further, to direction important extremely an me, to seems it is, This ades, and which, indeed, could be interpreted with Miessen as a result dec- for politics English haunted had narrative, same very the to ing ess of re-politicization and declared the ‘end of apathy’, which, accord- if I can say so, the stage of politics. The Left has heralded this as a proc- on, mostly, colleges Education Further from children, school of rival V: :

as tik ht hr i a tag msocpin f participa- of misconception strange a is there that think also I One aspect that has been much debated in this context is the ar- the is context this in debated much been has that aspect One 3

2

183 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

If I would have to summarize the outcome 4 of the politics of New Labour, but has to be seen more broadly in the context of the dominance of an ongoing neo-liberal reorganization. One could argue that these school children demanded their to voices be heard outside of both the traditional democratic participation (from which they are excluded simply by not being able to and vote the yet) participatory structures set up by education politics to inte- grate them into a consensual order. But I am not too sure about the coherence of this narrative, it is too neat. What makes me suspicious is the extent to which the mainstream media has been able to grate this phenomenon inte- into their coverage without changing a single parameter. This has led to the strange situation distinction where between the peaceful age-old protesters and a violent minority been has replaced by an even more distorted distinction between behaved school well- children – cute girls in school uniforms protecting a students. police van – and rampaging On the other hand, we have seen the widespread emergence of - prac tices that challenge the status quo of both protest and politics – terventions in- in public space, a vast number of university occupations, the intrusion into the Conservative headquarters, the appearance of a activi- these of some In publishing. radical of forms certain bloc, Black Campagna to what Federico ties, in fact, adolescents, often belonging has called the inner city sub-proletariat and from ethnic minorities, played an important role. of these actions, necessarily reductive, I would say that they have made have they that say would I reductive, necessarily actions, these of perceivable the political nature of any relationality per se, but most crucial for our discussion, of spatial ones. This is not a small achieve- landownership which of property, private that recapitulate we if ment, is an originary form, and the security thereof are founding principles of capitalist society and hence of bourgeois democracy. This became painfully evident in the brutal police reactions and excessive crimi- nal convictions. However, to show space to be politically determined reveals also the foundational violence of any ordering intervention. This is, I think – and here I disagree with your optimistic reframing of participation – an important contribution of Miessen’s reformula- tion of participation. Participation is violent, I am inclined to say, or conflictual, if you prefer. That’s why when participation is employed as a political instrument of inclusion, it also the same instance. It depoliticises determines, at least to itself an extent, the terms in and conditions of participation even or maybe most eminently when this participation is articulated in the form of critique. This conversation and the conditions that allow it is probably the most blatant example. believe do I and relationality, any for constitutive is violence this if But it is, the question is how to organize it.

184 Morten Paul & Felix Vogel exclusion, etc. – governing a university lecture. exclusion, etc.–governingauniversitylecture. and inclusion authority, of relations – structures power complex the not only the policity of the ordinary branch bank was revealed, but also here occupation, bank temporary the again Take contexts. own their of nature political the out brought also have actions these how is ing, interest- more been has What price. similar a for Richter Gerhard a bash bankers receiving million pound bonuses or millionaires buying to easy pretty course of is out with it But examples. bailed obvious are money, be public to had and crisis financial 2008 the in bankrupt went that bank a in lecture a holding or withdrawn, being is tutions insti- and Schools Art to funding while auction Sotheby’s a at orgy an Staging proper. political are they how context, political broader a to entertain institutions, places, these connections numerous the places, are of hijacking the mainly interventions, their through shown have context, educational broader a in latter the Optimism, Strategic ment between a certain instrumentalization on the one hand and and hand one emancipatory politicsontheother? the on instrumentalization certain a between ment ing capital directly” capital ing being transformed into an education factory, the student is “confront- is University the as Insofar here. analysis Caffentzis’s George follow standing of both the fee issue and the protests. I am rather inclined to under- reductive a is this But degrees. postgraduate pursue already or education undergraduate their finishing to close are who us of most affect directly not will fees tuition in increase the – protests these of ‘altruism’ apparent left- the of The out argument an complicated. made has more media leaning bit a is it students, of generation rent cur- the Concerning it, authorities. state the called with business’ has ‘unfinished Altenried Moritz as have, also might they but system, welfare the to cuts the by strongest affected they are only not – clear pretty seems case the participating, youth urban the With contrary. rate onthisfurther? MP F MP F took place in the very environment inhabited by the participants participants to left organized the the of mistake a by was it why inhabited also is That themselves. environment very the in place took they when think, I time, some for least at successful, quite often were actions these earlier, made you point a to return to may, it as this Be that. Thisconfrontationobviously continuesbeyondgraduation. V: V: You mentioned the spatiality of political conflict. Could you elabo- : : How would you evaluate the ‘success’ of this recent protest move- protest recent this of ‘success’ the evaluate you would How

I mean, what groups like Arts Against Cuts or The University for for University The or Cuts Against Arts like groups what mean, I These protests were of course not disinterested at all, quite the the quite all, at disinterested not course of were protests These 5 and the widespread protest is a direct result of of result direct a is protest widespread the and

185 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

and political The question here is – and I am still hesitant to answer this – V: F instrumentalize instrumentalize the extensive youth participation as taking PR its while quite heterogeneous not emergence as a social phenomenon phenomenon seriously. It is a political phenomenon, easily but communicable it is in not political registers. Precisely important. that makes it Most Miessen. to back me leads also which impasse, an reach we Here of these protest forms, even if disturbing the everyday trot or - achiev integrable are another or way one in autonomy, of degree certain a ing into the existing capitalist organization of society. In fact, they I have are, argued elsewhere, already included – through their - organiza tional forms and their modes of articulation – in the very post-Fordist reorganization of education they are opposing. It is telling that they often took on carnevalesque modes of articulation, if we consider its stabilizing character – just think of all those street carnivals arranged by city councils and sponsored by private companies. But even those forms that were not subsumable directly, like the smashed windows of Millbank Tower, are, in the end, merely symbolic. What I mean is that they did not do any real economic damage, nor did they still are they obviously, acts, symbolic as set Moreover, alternatives. viable up regularlyacts such coverage press the and economy symbolic a of part receive bespeaks that. I am just waiting for a luxury car manufacturer to make a TV spot capitalizing on the destruction bunch of anarchists. of That is why the issue of state his institutions as well shop by a as the economic organization of society is still an issue I feel is neglected by Miessen. absolutely relevant, whether those actions that you call ‘merely symbolic’ have any impact at all. But I am also hesitant to advocate for ‘real economic damage’. I think that there is currently a huge economy, meaning gap that there between is society basically no and widespread knowledge the about economic process – especially about the financial sector – and financialthe concerning decisions in participate to possibility no also sector in our so-called And democracy. besides all the issues that you named in relation to precarious work conditions, cognitive labour and the larger context of a restructuring would argue of that it all feeds back to educational the financial Even sector. if there systems, I would be a broader knowledge of economic knowledge, it would still remain the same economic system. And we also know from other ar- par- allow to order in ‘opened’ were which systems, want: you if or eas, ticipation, that they reproduced their own rules and even succeeded arguments, Miessen’s to relate also might This exploitation. further in

186 Morten Paul & Felix Vogel tion. But moreover Deleuze and Foucault assume that each of these these of each that assume Foucault and Deleuze moreover But tion. concep- this to sympathetic am, quite feeling, I this share context. you new guess I each and in differ will it Hence, book. academic an as example for form, initial its in even context-dependent, is it such As box. tool a as conceived rather is It solutions. provide it does nor reality, existing really exhibition. a of representation art a analysis, an not the is Theory matter, that for or university, the kindergarten, the prison, the workplace, the it: encounters one where power with translate inpraxis,butthatalreadyispraxis. not does that theory of understanding an above formulate they because but all society, in intervene intellectuals how of understanding logue dia- is especially interesting as they do not only Their give account on their times. few a about talked already have we that 1972 from is this famous discussion between Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze passivity. There and activity between respectively practice, and theory between difference – seeming least: at – the is yet discussed not have we that Something in. intervene or criticize describe, to trying is that one issue the of part as interests) one’s (and oneself include to has always one earlier, already said I as but, participation, of forms new allowing and outside from observing in strength a certainly is There able with Miessen’s arguments! – closing proposition for our dialogue. reconcil- and – good a also is this maybe and interesting very is sider’ it do differently. Your to formulation of an ‘explicitly interested uninvited suggestions out- any have would or project, his with agree don’t I that rather implies means a no by in This humanities. located the of primarily setting exclusive is that be can book a successful how knowledge – although I do not favour populism, it has to be questioned MP F MP of participationneedtoemerge. forms goal what with and level what on remains still question the but nnie otie, h itree i te cnmc eiin proc- esses. Butthisseemsprettyunimaginableinthecurrentcondition. decision economic the in intervenes who outsider, interested uninvited explicitly an like something of thinking am I sector. cial finan- the governing processes making of decision forms the in new participation for allow eventually could outsider’ ‘uninvited the of concept the if wonder I said, have you what Considering knowledge. economic basic popularize to attempt an as discussion a in book the new book on political economy. political on book new V: Yes, Vogl’s book is an attempt to spread or disseminate economic economic disseminate or spread to attempt an Yes,is Vogl’s book : :

What they advocate, as I understand it, is a direct confrontation confrontation direct a is it, understand I as advocate, they What Recently we were discussing the German theorist Joseph Vogl’s Joseph theorist German the discussing were we Recently 6 You told me that he had described described had he that me told You

187 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Can the Eigenblutdoping. Selbstverwertung, Dangerous Alliances: Class and the aper, Issue 0. (2009) , Diaphanes. Das Gespenst des Kapitals ederico (2011) ES T O www.metamute.org/en/content/university_struggles_at_the_ end_of_the_edu_deal (2011) Joseph Vogl,  Campagna, F Student Movement, in: The P http://www.e-flux.com/journal/view/71 Publication forthcoming. Diederichsen, Diedrich . KiWi. Künstlerromantik, Partizipation ENDN

5 6

1 2 3 4 ? from a post-colonial and feminist perspective, even if even perspective, feminist and post-colonial a from Speak? Subaltern arounddiscussions the in But conclusion. her with disagree might we precarity we can see how this issue is still absolutely virulent. And it is by another or way some in answered be to has that problem a course of any conception of radical participation. independent independent struggles automatically connects with what they call the be- They struggle. larger this of part becomes it that struggle, workers’ lieve that the foremost task of the existing power structures is to - guar prima- the is proletariat the Supposedly, exploitation. economic antee the together ties nature, very its by Power, exploitation. this of object ry diverse conflicts. Questions of representation, they concluded, espe- cially political and intellectual representation, have become obsolete. themselves.for act and speak can forth so and prisoners workers, The But both premises supporting this conclusion have turned out to be problematic. It is true that power is distributed and that it connects, but it is also manifoldly interconnected itself. That is why local strug- the importantly, more But easily. relatively contained be often can gles link-up to a broader struggle is never automatic. Because inequality is distributed as well, it distorts what Marxists would call the class - con flict. That’s why I have used the male form when I was speaking about the workers and prisoners being able to speak for themselves. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak has famously analysed this problem in

188 Dan Perjovschi participation, 2011 M ay 2011, 02, 10:18 C P I P D nclu articipation; articipation; oli on an tics; tics; sensus; sion; P er A go j D A o emo M nism; nism; v C sch on cracy; cracy; frontation; frontation; P i op ulism; ulism; A lt ernative ernative I nt rusion; rusion;

189

Nina Möntmann D O M ay 2011, 03, 10:49 ec n th G N P C C rov on on ood ood ina isions in in isions fused with the the with fused templating templating ocations; ocations; e C M I ensorship; ensorship; mp ö A ntmann M ortance of ortance of T P he M arti ut ' T M P uality; Unethical Unethical uality; he o or cipatory sitive';

al; E th ical E mp E th I athy; athy; s s ical ical E A as r ily ily t

193 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Scandalous: This empathy, the understanding of 2 I formulated the following questions: “Recent 1 Infinitely Demanding, ‘hetero-affectivity’ is the fundamental the other and the ability to judge and act in their implies a voice search (which for ‘Good’ also which rejects any kind of cynicism), fun- approaches. moral from approaches ethical differentiates damentally Moral action is the blind compliance with a preconceived canon of In the announcement text of the symposium, , that I recently organized for the Moderna the for organized recently I that , Ethics & Art on Symposium A Museet in Stockholm, This cluster of questions highlights the central importance of ethics in different contexts in the cultural sector. Participatory art projects in particular are built on a whole series of ethical decisions. But for many art critics the ethical has a fusty undertone, which means that the most varied of participatory projects get badly reviewed, often Santiago of work the defend instance, for who, critics art of case the In Sierra, the moral and the ethical are often breath, mentioned without specifying in what is actually the meant here. The same critics of his work are then reproached, they uphold moral arguments they when attempt to expose the lack of ethical reflection inwork. much Moral obviously of his sounds more negative than ethical, and more it negative, is but at the same time there are two different things terror and abuse in all kinds of visual culture, as well as highly - contro versial debates on participatory art projects, are raising fundamental questions, reconsidering the importance of ethical decisions in art and its reception: Is there something like a good can we censorship? define the fine How line between ethics and morality? How far can provocation in art go, before it becomes cynical and abusive? whatTo extent should ethical decisions become a category - exploi provocative and violence between relationship the is What art? in participatory images and art?” tation in popular media the moral. because the ethical is easily confused with going on here. While morals follow the laid down specific collective body (for instance set the church) and do of not allow for rules of a any kind of individual or situational deviation, ethical decisions are both situational and subjective. An ethical criteria subject of any weighs given up situation the and develops or an this action. Morals into are used a as a judgement justification for an approach that distinguishes oneself from others, while ethics are based on empa- thy for the other and the defence of their rights. As Simon Critchley writes in skill of an ethical subject, that is to say an auto-affection for the fate of other groups or individuals. art scandals and the discussions they are provoking, images of

194 Nina Möntmann urudns sn CT cmrs ntle o ter houses. their on installed cameras immediate CCTV ontheir using surroundings comment and film Jerusalem East in families work the created CAMP 2009 in Show’ ‘Jerusalem ‘politi- the For canon. a correct’ cally follow to trying without and stiff and dogmatic becoming without elements these incorporate who artists of group a ex- of ample convincing a are Mumbai, in based CAMP, collective, open The rather thancarryouttheprojectfollowingapreconceivedidea. participants, other the with collaboration in evolve to readiness a and debate collective the contacts, establishing part, taking those of tion posi- the with empathy include project participatory a on working of prerequisites The work. their of part important an become decisions and reflections ethical then way, ‘participatory’ a in operating begin people, of) (groups other with working begin artists that moment The against others. discrimination on based approach an off feeds generally which rules, follows a traditional artistic convention, while in their project CAMP CAMP project their in while convention, artistic traditional a follows Sierra so doing In objectified. become projects his in participants the which in viewer, art the in effect (shock) project; a create to art aims art the Sierra’s of participants the between relationships analyses and establishes CAMP provocations. unethical with working is Sierra thereof, on a thematic level in the neighbourhood lack project a in Jerusalem, or mutuality, contemplating are CAMP While money. making for resource last their as abuse of degrees varying for available bodies he goes through the motions of showing how they will make their own social people very these Using chosen. not have a themselves they that misery of representatives as function who dollars few a of for group people a bought Sierra way, unfamiliar an in situation individual their portray to them allow would that equipment and context new a ethical decisions. While CAMP offered the eight families in Jerusalem negates or ignores consciously Sierra 2000) York, New P.S.1 brick in in wall a behind lived question in man the period this (during Hours locations, 2000), or (various boxes cardboard inside remain to remunerated paid, be cannot 2009), (Havana, People Paid Six like on projects Tattooed Line In 250cm Sierra. Santiago of work the of true is opposite The we time same the at and hear thestoriesofresidents. patrol, on soldiers and armed they’re if door their outside step only who neighbours seized, being houses see , in which eight Palestinian eight which in House, the Before Neighbour The Person Remunerated for a Period of 360 Consecutive Workers who who Workers 3 We We

195 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

4 Rather 5 hetero-affectivity prior The ‘positive’ is not understood 6 Infinitely Demanding: Ethics of Commitment, of Ethics Demanding: Infinitely On Evil: An Interview with Alain Badiou, in: in: experience of infinite responsibility at the heart of as a kind of collaborative project with changing con- 2010, with Patra Baur & Anette Krauss, Simon Critchley, Simon Krauss, Anette & Baur Patra with 2010, ES T O Badiou, Alain,   CAMP work  Cabinet, Issue 5, Winter 2001/02. stellations of people. Shaina Anand, Ashok Sukumaran and Nida Ghouse were involved in the project in Jerusalem discussed here. 3 December 3 and Måns Wrange. Jones Galit Eilat, Ronald “The ethical ENDN subjectivity, [is] a moment of what I called to any auto-affection and disturbing any simple claim to autono- Simon, Critchley, my.” 2007, p. 119. (Verso) , London/New York of Resistance Politics

Badiou’s positive doctrine does not lay the groundwork for a politically a for groundwork the lay not does doctrine positive Badiou’s naïve or simply good-natured art, in the sense of some types of com- munity-based artworks, in which the interaction is initiated with the aim of ‘healing’ a community seen as being socially deprived. 4 2 1 3 here as a naïve attempt at making the world a better place, but instead but place, better a world the making at attempt naïve a as here shows that cynicism and provocation, even in art, merely reflect the moreover lead nowhere. mechanisms of global capitalism and In no way does working with ethical questions in art fusty notions of a society adhere of incurable do-gooders, but in contrast to to a the general concern that transcends participatory art and comprises the analysis of all areas Alain of Badiou’s society. demand for a search for the ‘Good’ can be read in this context: “The Good in artistic action is the invention of new forms that convey the meaning of the world.” produce relationships and scrutinise them in terms of their quality on quality their of terms in them scrutinise and relationships produce work. of the level the thematic it contains the idea that there is no such thing as a universal concept of ethics – for instance, a woolly concept of ‘human rights’ in which the powers that pull the strings of themselves global – but capitalism instead only can the possibility of entrench dealing with specific situations. This possibility also exists in art and is here connected particularly with the possibility of being able to think in new, uncom- focusing – Papastergiadis Nikos Thus ways. radical also and promising specifically on integration scenarios resulting from global migration – sees the necessity of a productive engagement that transcends the critique of the status quo: “The ethical challenge for art today lies in the search for positive methods of dealing with questions of mobility, cultural difference and belonging.”

196 Nina Möntmann 5 6

Papastergiadis, terms essentialist and in conceived is community projects, such In Springerin, Vol. XVII,Issue2/ Spring2011,pp.18–21.cit.p.21.  Public Art,Seattle1995,pp.74–87,cit.p.86. Lacy Suzanne in: Individualism, Suzi, Gablik, healing.” and edness connect - for model a into art makes “it further, and expression” and community builds what is makes art socially responsive. Interaction becomes the voice medium of a person each “giving as Aesthetics’ ‘Connective of notion Gablik’s Suzi with corresponds rights their supporting and voice a people disadvantaged socially these giving of aim The drugs. of use or criminality, infection, HIV poverty, exclusion, social as such chosen, personally not have they the participants’ identities reduced to characteristics that that characteristics to reduced identities participants’ the Nikos, , in: in: Kunst, hybride und Ströme Globale Mapping the Terrain. New Genre Genre New Terrain. the Mapping Connective Aesthetics. Art after after Art Aesthetics. Connective

197 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation r try n o I D o nts erials; ting- oun ls he unge ce C T at ut A S H ists C '; '; M rt rt istance A A ; e for thee for r es rt e sumerism; sumerism; R ts; We ts; We ug A if L r os H on yclable yclable unge P C ; ' ention on ress H rt ec tist tt gling the of A R hael Jackson; hael Jackson; r s; s; xp unge A in E ecially for theecially for ll ll ic A H sand ay M e Been A f us M sp D M t; t; E er P av oc hou nds in F or T H ee S end to re ry of ng eticism and hr T a nt T chool o chool u I F sc ny ny e eral wds t

S ist Using H A A emo ot ot esigned rt ro ev dg as e e of of of Z’s M N C L E A S D to Want Hu ng ay 03, 2011, 5:51 5:51 03, 2011, ay h M T

198 HU FANG us with this venue. I think we’re going to attract even more attention attention more even attract to going we’re think I venue. this with us providing by endeavor creative our support to wanted he about and culture, opinions strong had always time. has Liang long Mr. department. a sales for curator my with My curator is old friends with Mr. event Liang, from Company X’s real estate this planning been “I’ve estate company? real the of part the on ploy marketing new a be just controversy this Could suspicion: same the at arrive spontaneously debate the of sides both Internet, the of rounds the make posts thousand several After life toshockusintoconfrontingreality. his the risks he as courage, immense that his embody actions Artist’s Hunger maintain hand, other the on supporters, dis- His the advantaged? of backs entire the on success the artistic his and building he audiences isn’t world, domestic to backwardness imagesof and poverty indisplaying persists Artist the Hunger if But nificantly. has sig- Z improved have people Country the of lives of the and steadily growing economy been the eliminated, be must that Artist’s problem social Hunger chronic The a remains this. hunger although is that onlinemaintain detractors raging debate the of crux The Villas, ahuge5000-acreadult-livingwaterfrontdevelopment. It’s has just launched a new marketing campaign for materials. its X recyclable Company later, years all now, that town using around knowledge common Artist Hunger the for pecially hut, temporary the The event. designated the sponsored and organized which X, Company of offices estate real the photos, houses building the the that learn we accompany that the to captions the From awareness structure. environmental modern of flavor fashionable a adds boo bam- The building. modern three-story geometrical a of roof the on view reveals that this ‘prison cell’ is a temporary bamboo hut, perched exterior An cot. a and mat a with only furnished cell, prisoner’s a as austere as is sits he which in room the that see we audience, the from him separate that bars iron the through in look we As imagination. the loincloth to nothing white almost leaving a Gandhi, like for waist his except around wound staring naked He’s upright, camera. bolt the sits into Yongfangdirectly Wu Artist Hunger emaciated severely The website. Community Virtual Tianya the on posted were event the from photographs old some when internet the and society through swept controversy of storm unexpected An performance. nal The Hunger Artist reappeared on our radar several years after his origi- ws eind n cntutd es- constructed and designed was Room, Fasting Free Spirit Leisure

199 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

hara, the seat of and debate by holding the event at a busy commercial center like this.” like center commercial busy a at event the holding by debate and Wu Yongfang’s favorite time of day is when light gives way to night. An endless stream of people surges towards the ‘prison cell’ perched on the roof of Company X’s real estate office. WuYongfang gazes out at them, silent and content. The crowds have been huge for the last his previous exhibitions. three days, much bigger than for any of He recalls the moment deep into his fast, after starvation had set in, when a rush of warmth suddenly rose up from his The reverence the audience feels for artist is reciprocated by the art- ist’s desire to illuminate the audience. First he tells them about the difference between therapeutic fasting and stresses Hunger the importance Art. of Then distinguishing traditional he hunger ers strik- from contemporary hunger artists. Hunger strikers living from make fasting in public, he their explains; they traditionally appear in social and political venues, carrying out a form of passive resistance. Wu Yongfang responds to questions from the crowd. from the to questions responds Wu Yongfang poverty?” about awareness to raise of the event purpose “Is the “Of course; that goes without saying. But we also want to focus atten- art.” trends in tion on cutting-edge “Ah, so you want to A light bulb seems to go off educate over the questioner’s head – in Country Z, the public about performance any work of art!” art that people don’t understand or don’t like is usually art.’ referred to as ‘performance “I know what you mean by performance art, but I prefer to call what I do ‘Life Art’. I use my life force as a medium for creative expression – what the final result will be.” we still don’t know “Do you know what your physical limitations are? creativity?” limits of the body define the limits of about that? Do the Are you worried “I’m not worried. You could say that I’m using the creative process to my own willpower.” explore the limits of The crowds thin out, and dusk overtakes his small cell. when It limitless is possibilities a emerge. time Silently he stands up, suddenly unsure of where in space his body is located. A hallucinatory mixture of exhaustion and extreme prolonged hunger beguiles him. waning In light, he the seems to see his own seated figure sunk deep in meditation. him, like the Zen Master Bodhidharma floating before his life force. Surging to the top of his head, it assured him willpower that had been his fully roused. His eyes scintillate with The energy. the warmth he feels. audience gazes at him reverently, intensifying

200 HU FANG tion ofcontaminated food. fasting that is healthy so smells Artist Hunger the reason the that concluded have They scent. his of whiff a catch to try to bars iron the through his at noses their stick to want also looking They body. just with satisfied aren’t people many Interestingly, day modern true Bodhidharma. a of image the consciousness their on imprinted leave may he gaze, reverential the with him fix spectators countless as that hopes only He audience. his see to wants only He sold. being are housing luxury of units many how and art his between relationship the in interest real no has Artist Hunger the course, Of reporting and event. the on when Development” Villas,” Leisure Luxury Spirit Free at at Fasting Strike “Therapeutic “Hunger provocative using as on such insists headlines, media the explanations, his Despite “I hatetheideaofperforming.That’swhyIcallmyselfanArtistLife.” genuine. completely become must I art, my of pinnacle the reach to order artists. hunger of performances the evoke to only used memory, a become no have will it rather will experience; physical a be longer Hunger future: the in like be will hunger regarding riculum cur- the what of vision a has immediately He Artist. Hunger the regard group A tator isjoking,orreallytotallycluelessabouthistory. “Yeah, crowd. was nothing left.” He explains the historical basis of Hunger Art to the there until roots, tree and weeds even disaster.find, could we anything natural ate We of years three through lived we little, was I “When relationship between selfandsociety. the of contemplation intense provoke and awareness, self- heighten and stimulate artists hunger – speak to so nostalgia, of hunger, something that most people have forgotten – arousing a sense undertake a to strike hunger the of methods traditional the employ they Rather, fasting. public their through sort any of resistance express to intend the ages bear witness to this. Hunger artists, on the other hand, do not through down passed been have that Manifestos Strike Hunger Many but at least it was green food.” It’s hard to tell if this young spec- of chattering students is led up by their teacher.their by up led Fearfully is they students chattering of contemporary creative process. By reawakening the taste of prevents the consump- the prevents I realize that in in that realize I

201 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Maybe in the beginning there was no

Free Spirit Leisure Villas, but in this case, The organizers were somewhat hesitant. They were very happy with the public response so far, but at the same time that they the were Hunger worried Artist might not be physically up to the challenge, un- an achieved had he that felt Artist Hunger the days, several Within precedented level of purification. No one was really emerged. A surprised Hunger Art when exhibition was a mounted to publicize strange a real new phenomenon he announced that he intended to keep going, and test his limits to the utmost. and unforeseen problems might arise. But steadfast in the his demand. There Hunger was an surge Artist of public opposition was to allowing him to continue his fast. But after he underwent a thorough physical examination and signed a renewed waiver of liability in the to continue the event. event of his death, it was finally decided difference between Hunger Art and hunger strikes. Maybe it was only the process of cultural development that caused them to become two differ- ent things. But they now, are being reunited in the crucible of my body to create a new School of Hunger Art. In the future, artists of the Hunger School will measure themselves but also by the extent of theirnot only by the duration of their hunger, social relevance. In this way, they will determine whose work is most powerful. the estate development called the promotional materials sensationalized the fact that the Hunger Artist was a beautiful woman. Members of the public started to ques- tion the organizers’ increasingly strident exploitation of human life for commercial gain, and a number of people started to hold protests in front of the building. After the Hunger Artist completed the first phase of his event, This mingling of the scents of asceticism and consumerism creates a experience.unique artistic After After the crowd is done viewing the Hunger Artist, they head down - stairs to the real estate office,where they are oncemore immersed in endless the and housing waterfront luxury for pitches sales breathless of the real estate market. headaches

202 HU FANG by e-flux,journal #16,May,2010. Baron. R.B. by Translated brilliance ofourcomradesin art!” the to drink Let’s everybody! on, “Come toast: a in glass his raises he Passionately Art!” Hunger in … comrades all are We art. in comrades smile appearingonhisface. “I realizedthatheandIhavealwaysbeen strange a spotlights, the under moment a for pauses He realization.” sudden a had I died, finally body his forever.When on lives image the but disappear, eventually will body the that inevitable is It life. eternal image for a long time. This final death was merely the realization of his his inside living been had He image. an into transfigured was It ago. long away faded body physical His times. countless twice, once, body Why do I say this? He had already experienced the death of his physical “Michael Jackson had been preparing for his death for a very long time. crowd, theprofoundimportofwhathesaidaffectedmedeeply: Z’s Country of godfather the School of Hunger Art. As he stood under the spotlights addressing the acclaimed been had he time, this fans. By of hordes by surrounded immediately was he appearance, an all at wasn’t YongfangWu When celebration. joyous a was it made fact, in gloomy; atmosphere the memorial, a was it though ‘Eternal Even was Life’. theme The Jackson. Michael of memory in held industry event entertainment an at was Yongfang Wu saw I time last The final “my phrase the on words,” asifhispredictionhasalreadycometopass. emphasis special a puts he speaks, he As performance, Ihopethatthispredictionwillserveasmyfinalwords.” Art Hunger next my hold I When expression. of freedom full enjoy to going is person single every us, before lies that age new this say.In to responds to questions from the media. “There’s something else I want verely limited.” After emerging from the courthouse, the Hunger Artist se- remains expression of freedom our now, even that fact the lights art. We are living on the cusp between old and of new eras. My situation high- lifetime? one work in have person a does this decades many How process. for tive preparing life my crea- my completing from of prevented deliberately was I Unfortunately, decades two spent “I ganizers tocourt. or- the took immediately he hospital, the from release his Upon ate. recuper- to hospital local a to directly transported was he and Room, organizers of his event forcefully ‘requested’ him to vacate the Fasting the negotiations, and disputes prolonged after Yongfang, Wu for As was previously published published previously was Artist Hunger The

203 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation er ve'; ve'; ow , er) P ation bo b l el A en e stituent R e Bitter, ing the of ua v tradictory D on munity te Wage tote Wage o in t W t C b ead on ta u er in er in om R C S a poralities

C S A ram ow ned testations as a nd y; y; P em elm G T it pe ts ( H on C ses; ses; O C ogestion from ductive ec er a as ut ro ge and a a ge and w cal cal A M P sen, sen, ta o M o P te in Venezuela; te Venezuela; in L S S P he stitution Brandished Was ta T olution; ver thatver ces and erk ls; ls; S estion in e on ight to the D al ev L an e Who Were Working on Behalf on of Working e Who Were pa C R er; er; stituent R onfiguration of u b S gnment; ' gnment; D li on ounci ec racas ow tog hos he he e e C T the P A T as a R to the is Both a C T Jeff Jeff Urubj a ay 03, 2011, 7:15 7:15 03, 2011, ay h M C T Au of

204 Urban Subjects life are taking shape. However, as Henri Lefebvre suggests, “life is is “life act” poetic a by suggests, magically changed not Lefebvre Henri as urban However, of shape. taking forms are alternative life and visible are neoliberalism of the where limits scale a as but back, turned being is neoliberalism where of forms site the only new not as city the to as turn also can we shape, and take resistance weakened, neoliberalism with point, this At level, bothaspolicyandarefinancializationoftheurban territory. urban the at consolidated is and down drifted has neoliberalism ways privatization of public goods (Peck and Tickell). and (Peck goods public of privatization increased that regulations neoliberal out rolling aggressively by areas and certain in participation state back rolling by state welfare the refiguring further with credited was neoliberalism state, the of equally level was that ideology an and embedded into supra-national institutions, process the state, and cities. At the a as analyzed then was Neoliberalism merged. mediations and levels where totality seamless alism inherited a narrative that stitched together its unevenness into a neoliber- process, unified a as globalization grasping about warnings the Despite spectrum. political the of sides all from reasons, different of its economic and cultural formations and failures that came, for very fading of the discourse of globalization under pressure from critiques the with coincided this scale: global the at was neoliberalism of tion resistance to it, is being rescaled. Particularly after 2001, the examina- and neoliberalism, 2007, of disaster economic world the Following various classes.”–Nicos taken out of its hands, but rather a series of social relations among the be must that State the by held substance quantifiable a not is “Power by shifts in urban governmentality tied to the national Bolivarian Bolivarian national the to movement. As DarioAzzelliniexplainsinan interview: tied governmentality urban enabled in also shifts were by level state the at neoliberalism resistance of the ofneighbourhood rejection of and wake the in emerged the forms have that self-management Caracas,Venezuela in Specifically, state. the from separated not can level urban the at shifts these state, the to neoliberalism of relationship the to due Yet,city. just and spatially socially more a propose that life urban and urbanism of of emergence forms the as understood be also can neoliberalism to ance tion into daily life (Panitch and Konings). and (Panitch life daily into tion state, to the point where the state aggressively embedded financializa- the to market the of relationship the reorganizing with credited also lack of ideas to perpetuate itself (Smith), itself perpetuate to ideas of lack a and resistance of waves crises, of series a after tottering as viewed

P oulantzas 4 at the urban level, and resist- and level, urban the at 3 attention has turned to the the to turned has attention 2 Now that neoliberalism is is neoliberalism that Now 1 Neoliberalism was was Neoliberalism

205 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Within 7 is why whenwhy is As an effect of 6 That That

5 Yet, Yet, these perspectives are quickly troubled by a barrio -- visit a community to on a the hills Caracas on the edge of Caracas -- Gramoven, where a Coca-Cola such bottling plant was as legally expropriated by the state and now is being redeveloped as a factory. brick-making centre small a and that centre, community a will housing, social have At this one urban site, two initiatives of the socio-economic transfor- mation intersect: the worker cooperative program and the Consejo Comunal (community council) movement. In 2004, the government established and funded a nation-wide initiative for workers to organize. This spurred the self- formation of 100,000 worker cooperatives, many of them small-scale, and yet many of them were seen communitydo and today operate still thousands nonetheless, failure: to be a this frame of Chavez as leader (“charismatic”, “populist”, “clownish”, and Post “dangerous”, as commentators as varied as The Washington Slavoj Žižek would have it), these perspectives that focus on Chavez leave no place for the actual agency of leave no space for the forms of self-management that are emerging in Venezuelans and, crucially, Caracas. Framing the debate as pro- and anti-Chavez also drops out and urban scale. resistance to neoliberalism at the state this focus on the national level and on a statist project, changes at the ur- the at changes project, statist a on and level national the on focus this view a by shadowed are or overlooked, often are Venezuela in scale ban move- social previous from disconnected as Chavez President sees that ments and scales of organizing, acting magically on his own. And they have started once again to rebuild the city.” And they have started currently under way in Venezuela is dismissed by its critics—on the right and left—as a fundamentally statist enterprise.” As a socialist project at has Venezuela drawn the widest possible range of characterizations – the national scale, the participatory a to take-over government strongman-led populist, from political shift in a from and revisionism, mere to revolution a from project, democratic George As Americas. the in neoliberalism to challenge a to ‘petrocracy’ Ciccariello-Maher points out, “Too often, the Bolivarian Revolution Chavez came to power he created the alcadia [municipality] of Caracas. of [municipality] alcadia the created he power to came Chavez “From “From 1981 … until 1998 when Chavez came to power nothing was invested invested in Caracas. They didn’t rebuild anything. Caracas was divided that so city the divided They city…. a wasn’t it governments, smaller into government. local a to taxes their paid wealthy, the people, business the of many housed which city, the of part biggest the far by that meant This the poorest people, didn’t have any money to spend while the rich kept their wealth to themselves and made their parts of the city beautiful…. city. the of rest the in anything invest not did rich The

206 Urban Subjects in it.” participate to right the and power, of relations social of (re)producer the as urban the of recognition the for claim a is city Hence the to production. right the of system social the includes but city, a of aries ritorial affiliation. For Lefebvre, the urban is not limited to the bound- right the as ter- to claim simple a than rather society upon claim a is to life, urban to referred also Lefebvre what or city, the to right “The call orcryforspatialaccessandjustice: a beyond extends Marxism), structural Althusser’s with arguing cally strategi- (and city the of level the at humanism Marxist of form a for argument Lefebvre’s Henri from derived city, the to right the context, city.the of life the in participation political of right the from ed this In exclud- city, the to right the from excluded historically been have who Yet the councils move palpably beyond of empowerment”.(Ellner68). large numbers of underprivileged Venezuelans with skills and a sense provided have councils community the cooperatives, the Like rank. equal of all are who leaders council community elect and decisions important all make assemblies Neighbourhood levels. municipal and bourhoods that receive financing from state agencies at national, state neigh- their in projects design and choose councils community “The 2006, 20,000communitycouncilsformed: in enacted legislation With councils. community emphasize to policy in shift a was there inefficiency, and corruption of problems the and – encouragement cultural and economic, structural, – cooperatives of encouragement the Following conditions. precarious less in homes new erect or homes existing expand to community the of use free for state the by bought then are bottling which blocks old concrete the produces of plant, area loading and shipping the into tucked tory, infrastructure and platform for the councils. In their film their In councils. the for platform and infrastructure an provides state the as even state, the of refiguration of sites also are misses the manner in which the councils and the projects they initiate quantity, their emphasizing councils, community the of clean description any Yet, life. urban of rhythms and shape the does as history, bad this to reaction a as properly in understood be to to pointed needs Venezuela often so popularism reproduction the poor: social rural the and urban for the of little cared that colonialism of form a following reproduction social of forms and grounds the are stake At do. to intended were they as work, 10 9

8 The small-scale brick-making fac- brick-making small-scale The empowerment of urban groups Communa Communa

207 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

long anti- at work 14 give us scenes 11 denied the right to Even though Harris sees 3 13 Another view is to invert this model, to 17 -hegemonic movement-system “would movement-system counter-hegemonic by those who were historically dual power and the second is the forces that act in and through “The consolidation of communal power says much about the role of the state in the Venezuelan revolution. Specifically, what about the situation Venezuelan is the is unique fact that sectors of the state are working actively to dismantle and dissolve the old state apparatus by devolving power to local organs capable of constituting a dual power. Transcending the simplistic debate between taking or opposing state power, a focus on dual power allows us to concentrate on what really transformation revolutionary the elsewhere: and Venezuela in matters of existing repressive structures.” This long march is perhaps easiest to see in Caracas. By scaling down to down scaling By Caracas. in see to easiest perhaps is march long This open keeping yet scale, urban the to neoliberalism of contestation the the relationship of the state to global pervasiveness of neoliberalism, the community councils in neighbourhoods such as Gramoven have a complex structure that operates at several levels: they can be seen both as urban forms of autogestion (self-management), but also as a form of power both aided by and yet contesting the state. As George Ciccariello-Maher argues: the state. This has the advantage of not locating change in and through in the state as well.Chavez, nor solely through the state, but see transformation in Venezuela, and Caracas in particular, as a march through the state But how to understand these local contestations as a reconfiguration of power in relation to the state in Venezuela? Jerry Harris Gramscian provides model a for such transformation in Latin America (focusing on Bolivia and Venezuela): he suggests that the movement from of community council members taking state and municipal sentatives to repre - task and demanding solutions to things as everyday scenes, as these in striking is What control. traffic and collection garbage however, is not a sense of empowerment, but a contestation based on and self-management.knowledge to movement hegemonic necessitate a long march though civil society”. Ciccariello-Maher raises two important points: the first is the forma- tion of Under Under , Construction Dario Azzellini and Oliver Ressler in Latin America, he characterizes Venezuela, and Chavez, as engaging with “change from the top”. an “effort…to reappropriate democracy from a restricted model and sta- and model restricted a from democracy reappropriate “effort…to an tist form by means of an expanded and participatory model”

208 Urban Subjects concept of its content.” ble. They hardly ever refer to it. If they spoke of it, they would empty the representatives of the state – dual power is inconceivable and intolera- the – institutions with associated men “Tothe appearance: an only as power dual for potential the saw 1968, May in writing Lefebvre, Henri and acontradictoryalignmentasitisfiguredbyLeninTrotsky. stage a both is power dual state, the of away withering the to path the “the road as toward the enduring transformation of everyday yet existence.” state…”, the by created void the in –i.e. life social of areas ‘empty’ the in “spontaneously arise autogestion saw Lefebvre t y hs ee at n cnet i it is opposite.” its into it converts and fact mere this by it proclaims that state “A interview, moments in revolutionary history and theory. As Lefebvre puts it in an an endpoint. To have them co-exist challenges the model derived from and process a both is autogestion while phase transitional a is power dual where temporality complex a see to begin can we positions these the dualpowersituationwasnottransitional,butanend in itself.” “… Cochabamba: in shape taken has it as power dual of temporality the in switch a observes Bolivia, in water of politics the about writing Rockefeller, Stuart America, Latin in moment present the to turning power.” dual of form the in all of first the and conditions, state self-contradictory create necessarily must another to class one from power of transfer the then class, ruling the revolution of a overthrow the and is rule, class of organization an is state the “If state: the regarding theory Marxian of combination complicated a as power tion’s development…”, while Trotsky (also referring to 1917) sees dual 1917 that “The dual power expresses a in asserted Lenin power,’ dual of nature ‘peculiar the On (Trotsky). ry on by Trotsky, is seen as both transitional (Lenin) and self-contradicto- the state. Historically, dual power, deriving from Lenin and hammered it”, a power which lies in the constituent masses: “Chavez is seen as as seen is “Chavez masses: constituent the in lies which power a it”, enacted that power constituent the upon fundamentally “relies that power constituted a uses power dual of structure a formation, this In power. constituent and constituted of categories Negri’s Antonio by opened being above” from “autogestion of impossibility or distrust the and power transfer to designed is that councils communal on law state-authored a between tension the sees Ciccariello-Maher power, dual for criteria Lenin’s Amending Venezuela. in shape taking power This tangled temporality does not account for the long moment of dual ety, or rather make its institutional crisis palpable.” crisis institutional its make rather or ety, Lefebvre, “the most real and active power” which can “shake up a soci- 15 Conversely, a power outside state power is, for from above paralyses paralyses above from autogestion transitional phase in the revolu- 16 Coincidentally, Coincidentally, 18 14 17 However, However, Marking Marking Through 19

209 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

closed, between action or In the present moment in Venezuela, and within an 21 This shift, which Ciccariello-Maher locates at the begin- 20 activated activated constituent power toward the construction of dual This takes us back to Gramoven, where the planning of social repro- duction – education, housing, sports, nutrition, etc. – is coordinated through a Consejo Comunal, or a community council. Clinging onto the hillsides on the edge of Caracas, Gramoven has an expansive view of the verdant valley and mountains beyond the or city. The vernacular informal houses are built next to one another in ingenious, if and the exchanges of the city do not so neatly fit into such categories, of social change. even within a theory or within a process precarious, ways and a great many of them are under renovation. At the top of a hill several army tents, local with designed was that prototype an a is home The up. set are home outdoor kitchen and model with but houses, existing the to form similar a provides and knowledge slight variations in usability and stability. The council helps provide urban framework, dual power and autogestion also complicate the relationship between constituent power and constituted power. And, as Lefebvre would no doubt point out, the spontaneity, the moments were working on behalf of the revolution. This anecdote is not to high- to not is anecdote This revolution. the of behalf on working were light a singularity, but to illustrate a social literacy that is productive of social meaning, a meaning that is in excess of (but not outside of) a relationship of power figured on open or reaction. ning of the Bolivarian revolution, is one of the few examples the constituted where power and constituent power model is not used as a rigid categorization: often analysis of Venezuela will use a top down mode of theorizing the social stituent power of transformation the masses because of that the existence of constituted rejects a power. con- In one manner this rejects the complexity of Constitution the (to Bolivarian take constituted power literally) and, significantly, it obscures the ways in which the Constitution is activated into con- stituent power. Temporally, the Constitution is both before and after constituent power. During our research in Caracas height of social optimism in about el precesso, the Constitution was not 2003, at the only a best-seller in the markets of Caracas, but it was brandished as a lever that opened constituent power: yet that power (nor its suffo- cation) of course does not lie in the text itself, but rather in how that text picks up social meaning through the productive reading of the constituent masses. At a planification meeting we attended, chaired Roland Denis, a citizen from 23 deby former Minister of Planification Enero (a nearby barrio) held up his constitution and, citing particu- lar passages, challenged Denis to provide a state wage to those who having having power.”

210 Urban Subjects mentally statist. mentally funda- longer no is and city the in reproduction social into tied place-based and is power dual for potential the way, this in regrounded power. once dual But of form a in entangled becomes so doing in and councils, community the and Constitution the both through passes hvz tts i odr o xrie oua power.” popular exercise to order in states, Chavez commander our that guidelines the and plan, national strategic the Constitution, the on based be to has obviously council] government [communal communal the and “Yes, power: dual and autogestion between relationship the indicates Victor continues, he as But plan.” that outside exist can’t They plan. that to articulated or connected be to have state the of institutions the all and government, revolutionary is that there is happens an strategic national “What plan, which is the processes: organization of the articulated as Caracas of plan city the and plan national the both of transparency the emphasized also he opened has that mocracy de- participatory the emphasized first Victor interviewed, we people the of many like housing: social for planning the and plant bottling Coca-Cola the of appropriation the enabled have that power of forms the about Hererra Victor organizer community asked had we Earlier problem ofoneistheother…” the that recognizing collective, the in cases individual the of care we take and construction, collective growth, political -- it of side human only care about concrete, that is not important, what it is how important can we help them, if they are studying, or if they are not. We don’t is the they work, if they have kids or not, what is the situation of their family, lives inside those houses. How are they doing, if they eat or don’t eat, if that citizen every of situation specific the to housing from everything of care take we plan, this In being. human the and neighborhood, the tant programs… which is the fundamental transformation of housing, We have a Gramoven. plan of Eje holistic development …this the is one in of the most Tricolor impor- Barrio program and plan the is “This lunch. nears it Milagros Afonzo,acommunityorganizerdescribestheactivity: as kitchen the in activity is there and aid, monetary and assistance for people from requests taking is Flores Captain tent army the In neighbourhood. the in home this of construction the for only be defined be only can life) new the society, new (the “socialism transformation, social men [sic] – ‘lived experience’ – change more slowly than the structure structure the than slowly more change – experience’ ‘lived – [sic] men of historical upheavals have taught us that everyday relations between century a half [1947], Now, experience. lived called is what in changes 24 on the level of everyday life, as a system of of system a as life, everyday of level the on concretely “Or to put it another way”, as Lefebvre wrote about about wrote Lefebvre as way”, another it put to “Or the political the to the people of the barrios, but but barrios, the of people the to 22 23 Popular power power Popular

211 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Antipode Dual Power In Caracas, 25 Space. Against Populist Right to the City: Politics Neoliberalizing Neoliberalizing . Deregulation Neoliberal of Myths Dual Power in the Venezuelan is Dead, Dominant, Defeatable – Then George, Explosion: Marxism and the French Upheaval. Perennial Perennial Debate over Socialist Goals Played Out The and Dikec, Mustafa. The Neoliberalism Critical Inquiry 32, Spring 2006, p. 557) which aligns

Leo and Konings, Matijn. Konings, and Leo ES T O and the City: An interview with Dario Azzellini on Contemporary on Azzellini Dario with interview An City: the and instance see a footnote in Slavoj Žižek’s Urban Anthropology 36/3, 2007) which gives a detailed overview  of dual power in Bolivia even as ‘urban Venezuela’s poor’. Likewise it see Jon Beasley-Murray’s char- denies such a possibility to acterization of ‘Chavez’s Bolivarian revolution’ as more “retrench- ment than opening” in Radical Philosophy (March / April, 2008): Venezuela, in movements social of history the of erasures are these as well as a deflection of the possibility of the urban poor as new Ibid. Gilbert, Liette Trans. Alfred Ehrenfeld. New York: Monthly Review Books, 1968: 90. Monthly Review New York: Trans. Alfred Ehrenfeld. , Revolution Monthly Review 57 / 04 (September - 2007). www.zcom munications.org/dual-power-in-the-venezuelan-revolution-by- Accessed April 26, 2011. george-ciccariello-maher.pdf. ( Temptation in Bolivia: Movement and Government Since the Election ( in 2005 con- a in been have recently only who actors social (or actors social text where their actions were not obstructed).  Ellner, Steve. of Citizenship. (Space, Difference, Everyday Life: Reading Henri The Perils of Perils (The Times York New The in article 2007 4, November a with Venezuela’s critiquing is Žižek as even Rosenberg) Tina Plutocracy, relationship to the U.S.A. See also Stuart Rockefeller, , (Science & Society 74/1) January 2010 : 63-83. , (Science & Society 74/1) January 2010 in Venezuela For  For Caracas. Arthur, Monday, February April 26, 2011. Accessed tarthur.ca/. 25, 2008. - http://www.tren  Ciccariello-Maher , Lefebvre, Henri, Fear  57 (May-June 2009): 67-83. New Left Review  Smith, Neil. 1.2 (2008): 1-3.What?, Human Geography (June 2002): 380-404. Panitch, ENDN Peck, Peck, Jamie and Tickell, Adam.

10 5 7 8 9 6 3 4 2 the spatial politics of autogestion meets the temporality of dual power dual of temporality the meets autogestion of politics spatial the in the structure of the state, but the rate of change of the state is - com in everyday life. to the rate of change plexly tied 1 of the State. And in a different way, at a different rate.”

212 Urban Subjects 14 13 12 11 15

22 21 20 19 18 17 16 24 23

Lefebvre, Henri Lefebvre, V  Lenin, Ciccariello-Maher, op.cit. revolutionary movements,Race &Class491(July2007):1-24 Jerry Harris, 2010. Dario Azzellini, Milgrom, ChristianSchmid.London:Routledge, 2008:254. Richard Kipfer, Stephan Goonwardena, Kanishla Eds. Lefebvre) 26, 2011. 1, Vol. Revolution, Leon, Trotsky, and www.marxists.org. ra Subjects, Urban interview withRoland Denis. Bitter/Weber’s Ciccariello-Maher, op.cit. Since the2005Election.(UrbanAnthropology36/3)2007:178.  Rockefeller, Urban Subjects.Vancouver/New York: Fillip/Sternberg:2009:98. Eds. Belgrade.) New in Lefebvre Henri or (Autogestion, Autogestion. Ronneberger, Op. cit.:85,90. Op. cit.:82. Trans. AlfredEhrenfeld.NewYork: MonthlyR ul oe Rvstd Fo Cvl War Civil From Revisited: Power (Dual prominent.” is welfare) of sense simple the in also but Negri, and Hardt of sense phisticated and Venezuela, the biopolitical element (understood both in the so- of democracy-from-below with national-popular projects in Bolivia against oligarchic repression…, or the attempts to articulate forms society' 'civil of self-organization the for zones defend to attempt Zapatista the model, 'PortoAlegre' the in power dual participatory of forms non-antagonistic the ignore about talking to are difficult we whether is that It one? biopolitical a power dual of theme the of recasting and recovery a for horizon contemporary the “Is below. However, Toscano does tie biopolitics and from welfare together: knowledge?) (constituent knowledge in based and mation transfor- its and life everyday into tied messy, more as Caracas in autogestion and power dual of formation the see to tend however, T Alberto Op cit. Vancouver, 2011. in autogestion .I. oscano recasts dual power as a form of biopolitics; we, we, biopolitics; of form a as power dual recasts oscano Pravda 62 June 2, 1917. 1917. 2, June 62 Pravda Disappeared Power Dual Has Stuart, Bolivia Living lu, Klaus, and Ressler, Oliver Ressler, and The But vdo ntlain VIVO, installation, video Caracas, Gramoven, . www.marxists.org. Accessed April April Accessed www.marxists.org. Power. Dual Dual Power in Bolivia: Government and Power and Government Bolivia: in Power Dual and Venezuela: the democratic dialectic in new new in dialectic democratic the Venezuela: and Explosion: Marxism and the French Upheaval. French the and Marxism Explosion: ie s o cagd aial b a otc act: poetic a by magically changed not is life (video, 2003) has a detailed detailed a has 2003) (video, Megastructures Henri Lefebvre and the Question of of Question the and Lefebvre Henri Communa Under Construction, Under Communa The History of the Russian Russian the of History The eview Books,1968:81

213 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation . Vol. 1. Trans. John Moore. John Trans. 1. Vol. . Life Everyday of Critique Critique  49. 1991: London: Verso, to Biopolitical , Islam Soft Targets vol 2.1. www.softtargetsjournal. 27, 2011.) April Accessed com/v21/alberto_toscano.php. Henri, Lefebvre,

25

214 Mark von Schlegell M M ay 2011, 05, 1:45 O C M E Widest of Utopias to to of Utopias Widest the in Worlds;Bubble S the Unconcerned with F E O M ea is nj nv cie onc pa nboard the the nboard om ark ark F hmen, oying a n isioned isioned ac T ntifictional ntifictional l ot w ern ent and and ent H t al h ad E v xt ile, ile, C on on L G A reme; on ib A M S ar T rib lw ide of eration of the of the eration taminated taminated deners and deners O S N G ays ays chl es of Bio- of es ot ot f S oo T f Uran O pe he P d ve S T art culation into into culation egell una th ee F S rthrow of rthrow D or it icipating…; icipating…; med like the likemed the F ea uation Was uation tune; at A E u ry; ut M ngin e of is Very Very is M s hority and and hority on oo eered eered itors; itors; E G n; ar . A th; th; ./

215 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

was a modified old G.A. old modified a was Fortune Good Good Fortune it was only stable for a matter of days, and Good Fortune was headed towards Uranus Station off Titania, the A moonlet melted and fueled by a Morituri/Ickles Mark IV mini- sun? An artificially cored gyrating sphereof liquid water hanging in space? An hydro-ecology, supporting mammalian and amphib- ian life, skeletized with great bones of coral crystal and ary station- pockets of breathable atmosphere, immune from Earthside Oan bubbles: fact or fiction* As long as Deary left their infoball on while she read, the Doll was ablewas Doll the read, she while on infoball their left Deary as long As to access the larger W.I.G. through the implant in his brain. Seated on the smaller relax, he explored in 2D text/image SPOD format, all the better for getting to the heart of things. Surfing came back to him In immediately. no time he had circumvented the for-pay system that attempted to block his access and there was a good chance, 70/30 might be updated any moment the ship happened to intercept an The available W.I.G. was of course not current, never exactly but current. It couldn’t be. That the was one of its W.I.G. peculiarities. was On board the it had been censored, but the Perhaps Doll didn’t think so. He investi- The on. were they ship the gated The first thing the Doll encountered after a search for ‘Oan Bubbles’ was an ever-young female (WiggrID: m-OanBuBBles) bent over back- wards with her thumb stuck in her anus. Assorted spacers were heck- observ- were they whenever and wherever from orders issuing and ling such watched had he if wondered Doll The system. inner the in her ing things before he had come to the Bubble. Now it meant him. There was only one other direct hit. nothing to exactly, in fact, that his research had gone undetected. fact, that his research exactly, in with equipped buoy a or ship outbound an from sent beam infopacket reflectorcasters. enough sensitive sails combine enormous hinged flats large Its Pusher. to drink the reflected sun off UranusIt was on a palladium one fusion plant. of the least aerodynamic designs having the seen, Doll a remembered desk chair tumbling cab- drone, pilot chaotically G.A. oblong an by distinguished through were 'legs' branching space. The extending two along protruding cylinders habitat and farms small ins, ‘spines’. The cylinder they were in, the very farthest from the engines, had been prepared to stock delicacies poached from the Oan Bubble. The would arrive within weeks. largest Moon in the Uranus system and

216 Mark von Schlegell Gas Giants and all the preliminary gear was lost in Space – about about – Space in lost was gear preliminary the all the and Giants Gas to run scouting a on died Böhringdorf Heike Unfortunately the NecessaryEliteinUpper Mars. of tables the adorn to swordfish provide day one to as so kredits, and living marine samples) Böhringdorf raised twenty trillion G.A. DNA various with and (along investment, Aquarium soliciting City lab, Luna embryonics a up Setting Concerns. Fishing came first from unsurprisingly, project, Bubble Oan the for Funding a blackhole. farm and approach eventually to mass enough in taking – spheres hydro- new seeding and water gathering space through floats that name, by Oa bubble, self-propelling a inside air-pocket traveling in posthumous nodes), the hollow planet is famously revealed as a fantastic the In weirld others. Winnegutt conceived in the universe and Wesley Dr. by forward put concept hydrosphere orbital the to ‘Oan’ term the added Böhringdorf that Dr. Winnegutt E. A. author scientifiction the of honor in was It in competitionoccursonalevelplayingfield.” of continual fulfillment and struggle,” wrote Böhringdorf, “where- “AEarth. of fate the with unconcerned large, at bubble the and life community, the of survival the survival, own their to devoted lives, entire their for System the of from off cut be biologist/hunter-gatherers would Bubble Oan the dorsaled and gilled The erasure. memory undergo to willing volunteers sought actively she time history.System from separate project Forthe a keeping of idea the formulated first needs. (2101-2144) Böhringdorf Heike Bubble’s student Wesley’s the to related idiosyncratically each monitors, and gardeners fishmen, bio-engineered of theo- tribes envisioned first rists Bubble’s the habitats, space particular for itself alter its humans. Speculating a developing humanity able to genetically tant inhabitants, at least for the first several generations, would be plankton, and all between” in the 2130s. The Bubble’s most impor- predators, i.e. inhabitants: free its of all for world true a constitute to population enough low with enough, large flow-garden, ficient It was marine biologist Nora Wesley who first postulated “a self-suf- teurs andavant-gardefishingunionsofthe‘40s. ama- spacer scientists, collaborating of effort international an of offspring secret the Belt, Kuipur the in or Uranus Neptune, off bit contamination? Some say such a thing could exist in concealed or- Opal (still going strong

217 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation the time swordfish was first introduced on Martian farms. Chances farms. Martian on introduced first was swordfish time the - first failed other the all of way the went project Bubble Oan the are this to persist rumors and found; ever was body no But Utopias. gen mermen two there’s there out somewhere Maybe knows? Who day. .... moment and not participating side of Tuna this very enjoying a From what the Doll gathered Space had changed a lot since he’d last heard news from outside. What had it been – whetherbeen had question big the history from disappeared had Doll a decade? When the Earth would survive its current troubles. The big question now, The Doll avoided learning too much about Earth. Earthside humanity and its primitive rituals sickened him. Why leave farms undefended animality insect the idiocy, dry The body? your around walls build and of it. The only thing the Doll knew about the old him, was that he was of double Jamaican descent. Though he was in fact white and orange, whoancestors imagined He man. black a being on pride took Doll the took life for what it really was, despite the injustices of their suffering. Through the poetry of Kamau Braithwaite he’d read on South Pole, If he could trust the W.I.G., it meant Oberon was prospering, relatively that speaking. They had Oberon water farms of had kept quiet. their own now, with stocks, though this was unknown, seeded from the Bubble. They were rumored to be rough Norwegian-speaking out- casts, the sort of spacers who turned pirate at little more than whim. The G.A. had still never visited. and the Doll grasped it at once, appeared to be whether Space would survive without Earth. he had discovered Caribbean culture and had longed to recorded music. Now the Doll assessed hear the current situation in space their The document had viewed only seven thousand times in Comments ten years. were uninteresting. More research Winnegutt showed fans that still Many actively supported scientifictional speculation into bubble worlds, and water-weirlds, whatever they were, were still active. Böhringdorf’s writings were known and her schematics still in been have could enough water though that believed widely was It print. found in various places for a Bubble, the skeleton would have had to be constructed under the harshest conditions and could never come to fruition without heavy transport. Apparently advances in genetics the in understood fully been yet not had spacers enterprising by made inner system. A growth-crystal such as built out of the bubble’s coral was unknown Earthside.

218 Mark von Schlegell atoms. Accidental or not, spacers were a superstitious lot and this this and lot destruction was widelylookeduponasacosmic retaliation. superstitious a were spacers not, or Accidental atoms. into Marines) G.A. of regiments two a (including it on everybody and it pulverize enough speed at Station Mars hit rock mysterious a later month A died. Hundreds farmers. thousand seven supporting ment ‘San Francisco of the Moon’. The G.A. actually cut energy to a dome seg- Only a year ago a strike had come to a head in Parsons Crater, once the There wasascrambleeverywhereforfood. valueless. turn season any might that capital hold to pay didn’t it that system. But fluctuations in technology and availability were so extreme kredit old the supporting personnel, Navy G.A. by Moon the on tained main- and divided stocks with ever, than scarcer were and currency, the as failed had metals Rare course. of on, went Life them. designed had that machines now-absent the by only understood fully were ings work- whose inventions, local new ingenious of multitude a by tled bat- were – rays cosmic water, spaceflight, energy, – problems old The trusted. be always not could them fixed who Those down. broke often Uranus. But mirror-buoys and beam satellites were easy to disrupt and as away far as unsettled still parts to speed light at sun the of force the beam satellites left by the G.A. Pioneers of the 21 the of Pioneers G.A. the by left satellites beam and Mirror-buoys G.A. the by up gathered been had and themselves among difference so-called radical for the tendency a showing computers, were singularities, traded of generation last The gone. long were asteroids, inner the of city fantasy successful the D, Tron Zek’s space. in or Kansas, over orbit geosynchronic in life Wichita High like habitats But for promising newly them of many directions, esting inter- radically in occurred had development technological space, In contaminated authorityandthetotalliberationofMoon. Elevator in ‘33, was now publicly advocating overthrow of G.A./Concern Clarke C. the of destruction the orchestrated have to believed radicals the of one Zitzko, Leah by led movement new explosive An another. the elevator fell – were as ready to repel Earth interests as to betray one before up it made had who Spacers the – million’ ‘mad The satellites. the and Moon the on law martial emergency declare to was threatening A. G. The destroyed. or plundered defunct, were environments orbital the of Most Concerns. surviving the of project great the now The situation was in fact extreme. Competition to control the G.A. was through. him helping It didnotseematallunfamiliartohim.Dearydidn’tnotice. Wailers early of bass minimal hard the with st century scattered scattered century

219 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Gates Good ’s Fortune biosphere. Opal actually authored by Opal had always seemed like the Gates for last, a book that must have been influenced ES T O Smyth’s Myths 22.12.2132 ENDN

1 How absurd he looked in air, she thought. Like an ecstatic swampwolf. swampwolf. ecstatic an Like thought. she air, in looked he absurd How His numerous arms gesticulated from a tree-like torso. Purple-black tendrils crisscrossed his doll-face. His beady hair wound round down from the head to wrap his torso like a robe of eyes glared. Knobby thorns. “The System as a whole is deteriorating,” he managed to sign. “It’s a very dangerous situation for the Bubble, and for us personally. Such was the depressing backdrop of their journey, as the Doll already Doll the as journey, their of backdrop depressing the was Such - inter to as far so went He Deary. warn to tried He Dante. into thought, her reading. rupt “That hatch leads to a conduit to the “That’s impossible.” “It’ll never happen,” she said aloud. She returned to to Gates. come It hurt so near finishingthat part of We We should get a hold of this ship existence.” spread word of our immediately. We can’t let them If someone would just visit, I could take the ship. They would never know what hit them.” Winnegutt. She looked for her place. widest of Utopias to Deary. Its sheer scope was central to its appeal. The books were laid out journey and adventures, themselves were that routes follow could according You to a map in time from one and to the space. other in any direction (backwards, most But she had fruitfully). left scheme general the In cephalopods. with encounters life real by center, book’s the At planet. hollow the of center very the place, no was presumably, by extension the center of Oa itself, hydrospherical ex- tremes occasion a bizarre flip-flop, where the Mighty Prant’s rage is instantly silent, contained by a squid swifting against the currents of an outcast Oan Bubble. But the Bubble – A head! What was going on? back? read she Should direction? of sort different entirely an in head A A short-haired youth, or was I a girl, there it is, or was I a girl strapped bulg- and triangle of plump Sails yacht? line-tight a of cockpit the into leaping seething, the of table sluicing the upon beating Hull force. ing slap- surface, slippery the across sex a like sliding Hard-pressed, brine. the Bubble?! Deary thrilled.... ping trailing glistening foam. Outside

220 Adnan Yildiz Cu T M he he ay 2011, 05, 6:29 P A A T A of D T O N to C into the the into ea ea he ra illo hall ud rt rt omi et dnan dnan cc E S S working and and working C nte asions; asions; har ience; S ubu ws; S tors, and a and tors, ult nant nant enging; enging; ong Became ong er rtainment; jah; ure; But ure; But vice; G r Y A ame W R b L ildi M A yi C it s, aB s, I uals of uals

hee ng on ng nclu D T en ri z R ving from from ving rs!; rs!; C as a as ak t, t, ding the the ding D on attle of the the of attle A S if i; C L bs ea C ferent A suming suming on om A ont

S F olutely olutely not ting ting mar ev fortable fortable g emporary emporary er of of er her her D A T t A N ub ype o ud S G re ig oc F es ai ai ience ience a and a and or ht ht ial ial ture; ture; m m f f

221 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Sharjah Biennial. The main reason for my visit to the th I had been listening to the same song all day on the repeat button, Later, the cab driver told me about the rush hours on this Due highway. to the high rents in Dubai, most people who work in Dubai live in Sharjah, just because they can afford better accommodation there. So, I was not wrong in my feelings… They are two different cities emirates, ruled by or different governments, but they are also becoming one city together for many who work in one and sleep in the other. For me, this distance was not only composed of time and speed, but also operated as ‘time-out’ to question how my participation, contri- opening the during shaped were event art an at attendance and bution week of the 10 The Suburbs (Arcade Fire, 2010), and when I landed at Dubai Airport it was still running on my headphones. By listening to it, I could feel erotic Clark’s Larry of bit little a with kids trash white of angst teen the impulse, Ken Loach’s social aggression, and Hanif Kureshi’s - narra tive The quality. company of the song became absolutely challenging when we arrived at the highway running from Dubai to Sharjah. It did not feel like we were moving from one city to another, but was more the suburbs from the city center. like we were going to A few days later I met Hassan Sharif in Abu Dhabi when I was visiting his monographic exhibition, and talked about his early works from numberthe calculated he how shows he drawings his of one In 1980s. of oil drums one needs to drive from Dubai to Sharjah, and also made a sculpture that looks like a pop-art-ish kind of oil drum as a gesture at an example. His vision of calculating this specific distance between the two emirates still survives today, when one looks at how they are socially, economically and historically connected to each other, espe- and urban development.cially due to their historical relationship Most of the residents who work in Dubai go to Sharjah in the evening to sleep. Most of us who were connected to the biennial were working in Sharjah and later going to Dubai for social life, just the other way around from how the local labor force is mostly organized there. As a critical observation of the situation that we were all in, the art crowd moved between these cities based on the accessibility of alcohol. United Arab Emirates was my engagement with the March Meeting, which was also part of the professional program of the biennial that was happening almost at the same time with Art Dubai. Thus many visitors went to both events, moving back and forth between the two was related with our lifestyles.emirates. How we scheduled ourselves

222 Adnan Yildiz asked the curators of the show about the censorship issue, and why why and issue, censorship the about show the of curators the asked one no why discussing for way a opened have might This concerns. connect political to and social with base, context local current practical a to agenda a global the as position peripheral its taken have should Sharjah in that like biennial A discussions. potential envision or presented works the on focus hardly can who professionals, blinds refresh contacts. This form of social life among the cultural managers of networking and consuming social occasions, to meet new people or fever a is there biennials During table. the from excluded just is sion and the content is mostly missing on occasions when the focus, main discus- main the becomes celebration the time the of Most involved. are professionals of other how considering projects, forms the of perception Western to related gatherings. social celebrations mostly are Openings readily not is reflected ineithertheworkoraudience. experience production of form this and installation, and preparation during happen together shows the bring that ideas and discussions intense The reps. institutional or guards, desk, tion informa- the see mostly they Thus professionals. the meets rarely and opening, the after show the to comes opening the for expected or to art the ready meet they community and personal circles. The regular visitor who is then not be invited and day, to opening the conditioned for product are their with professionals The context. art almost every in similarly operate to seem still public exhibitions making for events as openings day, the of end the at but context, specific a to related obviously was situation the and dramatic, very sound might It struc- the catching thebiennialbusestoDubai. about after air the in anxiety discussion an always was social there because sessions, satisfying tured a into when moved moment a things at arrived really never happening we East, been Middle had in what recently about talk to opportunity good a was it and region, the with connected there people many were there while that fact the enjoy about disappointed also bit a I was I and but dancing, life, and parties art of aspects social the of aware am I party... which for whom, with Dubai, to get to how Biennial: Sharjah of days opening the during crowd art the of topic main the was This drinks. parties organized by the art fair, the so art people for could have free alcoholic Dubai, Art of events the to lifts official given were We reality. social this around organized was program biennial the of Most den. is Sharjah within alcohol of possession or sale the means which emirate’, ‘dry a is Sharjah says, guide travel the As Moreover, they subsequently dominate the the dominate subsequently they Moreover, Cheers! entirely forbid- entirely almost

223 Slavs and Tatars, Friendship of Nations: Polish Shi'ite Showbiz, 10th Sharjah Biennale, 2011, photograph by Alfredo Rubio. Slavs and Tatars, Friendship of Nations: Polish Shi'ite Showbiz, 10th Sharjah Biennale, 2011, photographs by Slavs and Tatars.

Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

th The Battle of the Friendship Friendship of Nations: Polish Shi’ite Showbiz the collective One project that recently happened in Berlin was an interesting Sharjah Biennial might be an inspiration for how the and local the cultural context forms of social gatherings can be adapted into con- temporary forms of presentation. As the final station in their ongo- ing project environment composed of a tent, seating area and tea service trans- messages, stitched colorful with covered was It research. their mitting slogans and new aphorisms from the Polish and resistance the movementIranian revolution, such as “Help the Militia: Beat Yourself Up!” or “Only Solidarity and Patience will secure our victory” – trans- lated into Farsi. Rather than looking like a biennial venue, their spot was immediately filled with locals and children from with the local context.provided connection the area, and example in terms of twisting the idea of opening day and developing another way of communication with the audience. started from the city’s history of commerce, and created a social Curators at a local gallery called Grimmuseum, in Kreuzberg, Berlin, invited its visitors to vote for the better presentation of the same artist During Chan. Carson and Moulton Aaron curators, different two by list The presentation that I assumed to be curated by Carson intentionally Carson by curated be to assumed I that presentation The positioned a piece at its center, creating the whole narration around it as an architectural gesture, whereas the other (I guess, from Aaron) neu- a playing and piece each from distance critical keep to trying was for position clear no was there end, the In them. presenting in role tral me to vote for my favorite curatorial work; one dominated the artistic oth- the and meta-language, or meta-form a composing by statements the among relationships the connect to passion or power the lacked er contents. Nevertheless, the scene on the opening night was satisfying in terms of how the audience's behavior was supposed to change. the opening people were looking maps, and trying to guess which curator installed which show, to vote at the works via as their two favorite. It different motivated the audience to design, deal and created with an intense the circulation that puzzle questioned the cura- torial approaches. One might criticize the ‘battle’ for its focus: rather than the art works and their content, the curating was the center of attention. The audience will likely remember the names of the cura- tors better than the artists or the works. The installation from the collective Slavs as and Tatars part of the 10 everyone everyone was concerned about the position of the director who was ruler. city-state’s the by the Sheikh, fired

228 Adnan Yildiz in terms of how they function, and by/for whom they are mostly mostly dynamics of its social time. But serving rakı are they whom the and by/for happens, it how to related also and is critique social A organized. function, they how of terms in domi- the perspective, cultural of a from roots culture art the contemporary of question rituals nant to started really I that then was It social environmentofthatsort,heneverfeltlikegoingthere. only the a or wining, into not was he Since was event. main the as happening thing that in, looking outsider an As wine”. drink just “they walls, the on hanging was what matter no museums because, never going of art but thought them, the of most about about knew knew He he Frankfurt. in if galleries him and asked I city the in driver taxi proved Turkish a these with talking of was I none when but Once successful. space, particularly the to in them bring to attempts some been had There openings. their to coming in interest little so have to seemed community Turkish/Kurdish the why investigate to Chus Martinez, who was directing the program at that time, asked me When I was visiting the Frankfurt Kunstverein as curator in residency, would beproducedbytheshow. Itwasmorethananopeningparty. that values the share to proposing openly was It responsibilities. and regulations, rules, some to audience the connects which game, the on betting gambler of sort a became audience The audience. the with relationship alternative an establishing for opportunity an provided participants or contributors. The idea behind direct as process the into integrated not or works, the on comments direct make to invited not is viewer the time the of Most public. the with interacting of way unexpected an also and gesture, smart a was game the in audience the Including installations. the behind the ideas about concerned were and other, the to show one from moving were people gallery, the of outside smoking and drinking Ratherthan exotic fantasyof Turkey. the part of the gallery strikes me as some kind of Orientalist idea or an drink regular for mostly you interesting since drink, the of more nature the against it also is It attenders. make or community, to the public in the with bring bell a ring doesn't It community. local the from one any seen haven’t I scene, art the from Apart there. work not does from artists shows mostly serves that Turkey, Berlin in gallery owned privately a Tanas, instance, For opening. the to community Turkish the bring to when sitting around a table and chatting. This gesture on on gesture This chatting. and table a around sitting when rakı during its openings, and it is visibly clear that it it that clear visibly is it and openings, its during rakı 1 would not be a better way The Battle of the Curators

229 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Lange Nacht der Lange Nacht der Museen audience moves from , that started at 7:00 p.m. and contin- and p.m. 7:00 at started that Darkness, Our Museen were confronted by two screens and the presence of a differ- pillows, comfortable on lying were audience This audience. of type ent carefully watching the screens. They looked like they had a different audience the to offered is what setting, this In space. the about feeling is something different than they were expecting, something like what since you can never watch they all left the TV at home: channels TV, at the same time. As a result of discussions with the team and reviewing observations from previous years, we came to some open conclusions situation. about The the typical The visitors who were coming in groups for the A recent experience in Stuttgart could also make an interesting - con tribution to our discussion in terms of how alternative forms of - exhi bition/presentation can challenge audience behavior. After I started to develop the program for Künstlerhaus Stuttgart, as the new artistic director I was interested in using the opportunity of participating in inter- its challenge to Stuttgart in Museen der Nacht Lange event, big the event this For audience. the on impact its and framework institutional all the art institutions and spaces stay open till late, and the audience organizations all night long.circulates among these one place to another in crowds, and really stays only a very short ued till 3:00 in the morning. It was designed in different chapters that focused on conceptions of art and the museum, transformation the global society and of human relationships, social reality and media, body and gender politics and some other topics. The sequence of the video works might almost have been considered as a send-up of the sports, films, time, prime news, evening the which in world, television eroticism, etc., play different roles and have special times, schedules and audience strategies. As an invited curator, Viktor Neumann from Berlin developed a video- a developed Berlin from Neumann Viktor curator, invited an As program, screening time at each; the groups come into the gallery, scan everything quickly, everything scan gallery, the into come groups the each; at time and leave in minutes. Their expectation were based on tion the of consuming as motiva- much of each art event as possible in the same evening. So, the dilemma was related with another form of - entertain coming were home at TV watching been have would who people ment: to see the shows, and were moving between art spaces as if they are zapping between TV channels.

230 Adnan Yildiz h qetos eoe lae we w as cnie hw e con- we struct ourrelationshipsandproposeadialoguewithaudience. how consider also we when clearer become questions The endless. are chicks’, ‘hot and sculptors paintings, some around turn to expect you when night whole the runs that program a with angry called match boxing a like sion ten- a presents that puzzle a in lost getting or – one in all networker the for direction social and monster party – visitor biennial opposite to opposed as visitor, local the in moving behind motivations The end. to the till stay able to them convinced it not or content, whole the were consume who audience, its frustrated either conscious, screening political the the reconstructing at aimed event an As ance. perform- whole the from moments different remember would Each 1

ENDN apéritif, inparticularwithseafoodandmezze. Bulgaria, Turkey, in consumed popularly spirit anise-flavored non-sweet, A O T ES Greece, Albania, Bosnia and other Balkan countries as an

, or getting getting or Curators, the of Battle The

231 Lange Nacht der Museen, Our Darkness video screening by V. Neumann, Künstlerhaus Stuttgart, 9 April 2011, 7pm- 3am2. MARK FISHER M h ay 2011, 05, 9:44 o T T Viewers; Become Become M D D the E M or P he han W ntertainment/ ub ecide efi w ea ark ark R t M lic lic ned as an as ned at C ning ning on o not participate ed her her O ; hat hat F fidence to A ium and the ium and the pinio C isher C I

P I ommi s ' M ea nt M A anda N erpassivity; erpassivity; ud se se n n eg C E I iences ssioners; ssioners; mp T ont s s otiated' with the the with otiated' o Be o Be P tory tory I ar ar ty ty rol mp M S E C I A C ose; it xc nt es on lr ul e where e where A eractivity – – eractivity O ellence both both ellence eady Want;eady sage; ture; rt B rt sumers and and sumers ff er er ecomes ecomes M Y ore ou

233 “Cybernetic control, generation through models, differential modu- lation, feedback, question/answer, etc.: this is the new operational configuration,” Jean Baudrillard, the great prophet of our eraof participation, wrote in Symbolic Exchange and Death. The system that Baudrillard, with extraordinary prescience, saw emerging in the 1970s – and which we now take for granted – doesn’t work by suppres- sion, or repression, but through participative processes. Baudrillard identified two cultural forms – the referendum-poll and reality TV (in its first incarnation, as the so-called ‘fly on the wall’ documentary) – that would be fused in the early 21st century to produce the dominant mode of entertainment/ control culture. For Baudrillard, the opinion poll didn’t represent or even ‘manipulate’ public opinion, but substi- tuted for it. “We live in a referendum mode precisely because there is no longer any referential.” “Public opinion is par excellence both

the medium and the message. The polls informing this opinion are Waking Up from the the unceasing imposition of the medium as the message. They thereby belong to the same order of TV as the electronic media, which... are also a perpetual question/answer game, an instrument of perpetual polling.” A reality TV program like Big Brother could not function without this participative polling; its slogan – You Decide – was an om-

inous indication of the way in which ‘power’ was no longer extrinsic to N 234 ightmare of the television viewer. No longer could this viewer be considered as the passive consumer of spectacle, but was now integrated into the media circuit via their phone or SMS text. In place of passivity, participation:

a mandatory interactivity – or rather, interpassivity. P articip

Join the debate. Upload your response. These are the demands inces- santly made of us by corporate capital. Its commodities, just like the ation products of contemporary media, therefore come back to us not as objects imposed upon us but as the emanations of our own disavowed desire. Who is responsible for the commodities that bore us, the entertainment programs that fail to entertain? Not the producers, who are, they tell us, only providing what we – via demographic studies,consumer surveys, feedback – have told them we want. If we want things to improve, we must participate more effectively, more efficiently.

In parallel with these developments, art increasingly retreats from the ‘oppressive’ function of imposing itself on its audience. The strong modernist artist becomes the paradigm of an allegedly super- seded cultural arrogance. Art objects are denuded of content; art be- comes defined instead as an empty site where meaning is ‘negotiated’ with the viewers, whose participation now becomes integral. MARK FISHER sue our own projects. sue ourownprojects. pur - to us inspire can which and are, we think we what reassess to us we do not negotiate with, but which seduces us, overwhelms us, forces that something – gift a also is ‘imposition’ An want. we know yet not do we what for desires are desires powerful most the for – audience an on things impose to confidence the recovering entails This want. already audiences what than more offer to courage the have must ers a in involved be would we that but to, respond and observe only still can we that processes on back’ ‘feeding longer no were we that mean would commissioning then only to consumption from shift The public. a as constituted be commissioners; they would become and consumers be to cease ple peo- when achieved be only would ‘commenting’ dissolute of culture to become more effective consumers. As Dan Hind argues in his his in argues Hind Dan recent As consumers. effective more become to desires not were involvement greater for desires the but – desires ian egalitar- real were circuitries participative interpassive its in captured has capital what that recognizing by First, this? of out break to How , the move beyond a web 2.0 media media 2.0 web a beyond move the Public, the of Return The that was ours. Second, cultural produc - cultural Second, ours. was that project

235 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation sson il N s M P u n erks gain; T A ag a M nd A Evu & ay 06, 2011, 11:52 11:52 06, 2011, ay ||: :|| M

236 ||: :|| Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

ps ry hi ns; S pe he Ve

ermath; lity; T O ft ; cess; ptians and A ye ye uc tivity of ym nabi E gy I c S E G r A it, a Border gliness of ee tive tive and nne im I c v hr hin L A T T upied an upied an

stitutes sible Beyond; sible Beyond; ah cc he on ng to the hapsthe O os T as a ep C h his sight, oi P H M S er sent is A g; g; it G P re nian nian w hin P nt when an hthouses?; hthouses?; T sence sence ra rted I king a ft ig o- hing; hing; re L ta N P ar ome shkan ot

S mptiness f

Being- N A M E M A or or I I one one e le ay 07, 2011, 4:16 4:16 2011, 07, ay yet he cannot see H M

238 Ashkan Sepahvand crossing the road?), what your body anticipates and knows, in and of of and in knows, and anticipates body your what road?), the crossing someone is ahead, (shadows apprehend sensually you what nearby?), deer perhaps (manure, smell you what hear approaching?), you car what as (another well as see, cannot and can you what consider tly gen- to have You attention. extra pay and slowly drive to is darkness, all-pervasive formless, this through move safely can you way only the left, have you choice only The happen. to Once likely is on. accident an move again, and behind everything leave to impatience your by ameliorated less no is fact this and vision, your still from hidden They remain road. the of dips and curves invisible the to attention pay possibly can’t you then fog, the through race to faster, drive to decide instead and fog the into light shine to urge the resist you however, If, accident. an of probability the raising significantly too, with on brights by its drives car a when case the especially is This you. around all reflection harsh the by blinded you before, that could you notice than quickly less even you’ll see so, impulse do anxious you If an brights. your create on may turn to experience you vision of lack the fog, thick in driving you’re when way: different a in it explained She this hazy,undefinedenvironment. confront eventually to have would one void, the leave to order in that suggested also it hand, other the On beyond. possible a marking der bor- a limit, a has emptiness this perhaps that insinuated above foam emptiness would have to be acknowledged as my current state. But the the then analysis, fortuneteller’s the of content the determine mally nor- what are grounds coffee the of forms and shapes the If cup. the around painted foam of circle curious the out point to quick was She when thereisnothingtoread? fortune a read to How surface. its touched never had of theemptied-out coffee if as cup, ceramic thewhite Below: sandpaper. grain fine pebbled, resembling pattern latticework foamy a stubbornly, clung mocha mass. Around the cup’s rim, the syrupy remnants of the of remnants syrupy the rim, cup’s the Around mass. mocha thing had spilled out onto the saucer as one unidentifiable, unshapely every- nothing, was there time This interpretation. improvised her in fortuneteller the help that coffee smears and of trickles globs, mass forms grounds murky sticky, the read, fortune your have you when it turned normally, and inside; looked cup She Empty. the inspection. for up eye her picked towards swiftly She time. was It settle. to grounds the allowed patiently and that and this about chatted we minutes as ten around for saucer its on overturned lay cup coffee The *** crema

239 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

*** itself. itself. In any other circumstances, you would readily ignore or this form take of communication for granted. Confronted by the fog, this can you way only the is perceptions sensory your all of exertion tedious yourself. doing so, you locate unscathed, and in re-emerge The problem here, what reading that which is not written in a coffee cup so delicately articulated, is a banal one in the sense of its obviousness: This fortuitous coffee cup reading came back to ago. me As these things usually a are, we make of few them what we need monthsto in that moment, and such coincidences cannot be denied or amusedly snickered at as fleeting alignments with life. It happens that for some weeks preceding my fateful encounter with that coffee and ented friend (whose my fortunetelling credentials tal- are astutely amateur), I had felt myself to be in a deep void. I had just finished a project that had taken two years to attain its beautifully satisfying closure, the last phase of which saw an intense living and working routine with dear day. every to purpose and meaning sense, giving friends, intimate and Of course, our goal was to reach an end, was to it sudden, a of see all and did, we others: our with it share and project it present to realized, Simultaneously, been. had they as same the longer no days the finished, I had just ended a relationship that had lasted more than two years. All throughout its course, this relationship gave me strength, stability and support and yet, I could not shake my confusion as to why, after seemingly having all, I still could not feel satisfied. Things come to an like more and more feels that fact a – that about doubt no is there end, a contradiction when we begin something, with all the excitement, anticipation and joy a beginning brings. the inevitable void after the event. Sometimes, the urge is to charge on- wards, to resist the pause and immediately move on discovery. of fields new relationships, new attention, of applications other to other projects, At other times, a feeling of lack, shortcoming, or mere exhaustion accom- panies the postpartum condition, leading to an itch, a desire to divert a con- more life’s in indulging completely, go letting by depression possible spicuous pleasures. I experienced both. The fog, as so well described by my fortuneteller, still remained as a hovering loom. The problem posed a question: at what point does one see the void for what does it this perceptual is, moment lead and to? Torn between whatthe pragmatic drive towards potentiality, that voice that says “don’t stop, stop”, don’t and the stop, lugubrious don’trevelry of repose, the foot actual,is, that That present. being denying can’t was I that realized stop I beat, the to tap- ping

240 Ashkan Sepahvand led to the Egyptian uprising meeting its immediate demands. led totheEgyptian uprisingmeetingitsimmediate demands. that processes inward and affectations interior ‘visible’ lesser or complicated, ‘present’ more the missing potentially and ‘successful’, being realization of models other of possibility the endanger neously simulta- would we perhaps model, this through case Egyptian the ing the Iranian case would denote ‘failure’; and if we fell into understand- about something then success, constitutes presence If around)? way And so, what happened there that didn’t happen in Cairo (or the other journalistic reportage, and international demonstrations of solidarity. of durations prolonged activity, network social documentation, visual live streaming streets, the on people of presence a of less no lacked 2009 of elections presidential the after Iran example, for East: Middle challenge but also be challenged by other, relatively recent events in the We wondered how such a concept of success-through-presence would fectual, successfulaction. ef- an produces show this of sight the you, show enough if yourself, show you If believing’. is ‘seeing of sense the in ‘revolution’, of notion be eventually will are you If succeed.” you’ll enough, long ground your stand you “if this: like something go would maxim Cairene The created. be easily could hindsight blind romantic a here that sensed We 11th. February of success the to contributed have to of presence people, images, media The coverage and world public interest presence. was deemed as con- success very conceptualizing perhaps with was cerned postulated, we case, Egyptian The such? as as ‘success’? What are its signs, when and how are they acknowledged qualifies what fact, In combination? a or networks, media structures, bureaucratic internal interest, international people, the it is success: this for responsible is What place? another in not and succeed place of that was region the of dynamics geopolitical the to relation in posed Uprisings Spring the questions complicated more the of One Cairo. about talked We home. from far are all when near-strangers between appear to tends that ease mative our perfor- ignoring of sense natural that with beer, conversation in immersed location, of mugs large four nursed We solid. and strong We were sitting, the four of us, next to the sea at night. The waves were same thingastheall-too-feared,adamantlyavoided‘nothing’. the isn’t that And thing. no a be to happens that thing a in contemporary, . This would only reconfirm the spectacular spectacular the reconfirm only would This here. *** and stay where you are, you you are, you where stay and there : why did an uprising in one one in uprising an did why why:

241 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

*** Another Another question remained: what happens now, in the present? I saw him in the locker room. It felt like a double take, but I can’t say who took it. This wasn’t particularly special; my cruisy, gym and looking was at certainly and around with restrained demonstration of interest (whether sexual or not) was a common occurrence. It was Is success or failure a permanent condition, or is uttered, naming it the event performatively and thus, drawing it to a close? Is there a ‘day after the revolution’, or would it be best to speak of ‘days’ days, after each an actuality? The waves broke the shore, the sea reflecting the navy night, distant flickers of light untraceable: were they ships or lighthouses? In any case, at this moment all of us at the table, three we were in a void. an aftermath: and one Iranian, occupied Egyptians I started going to the gym in January. impression: The this timing was may give no a New false Year’s resolution. prescriptions are Such usually doomed self-enforced to spiral down from initial resolve to a plateau of stale apathy. The coincidence was that along with the New I Year, felt an indescribable sensation to move and feel my body. I wanted to sweat, wanted to build strength, to cultivate endurance. I embraced this ritual like a drug. Especially given my foggy circum- stances, the reassurance of labor towards a tangibly imaginable prod- uct I felt found warmly myself necessary. removed from the goings on of the outside world. The gym routine fit neatly into a simpleof sense order I was ascribing to my daily life, what otherwise appeared to me as uneventful, unsure and unsustainable. It was something to do. What ‘doing’ is it, exactly? I surely wasn’t jumping on the about strategic or organized really to I was nor plan, muscle-building a rigorous combinations of exercises I trained with. always the beginning of some game, one feigned It’s spontaneity. how you learn of at the gym, by looking, imitat- osmotic mimicry and flirta- sometimes And before. it done already you’ve if as doing and ing, decidedI So process. this in element additional an be to happens tion not. or interested be would he whether disregarding game, this play to later, minutes few A up. warm my began and cross-trainer the to went I thought I Or looked. He machine. step the for headed and out came he he did. All I remember is that I couldn’t really stop myself from look- ing – normally I wouldn’t fixate so explicitly, but I was drawn to him magnetically. Flushed from a raised heartbeat, I headed over to the mat area where he was already stretching in various poses. I felt quite courageous to take off my shoes and lay down next to him. I began my

242 Ashkan Sepahvand concept of the third eye felt right, but I felt somehow cheesy for being being for cheesy somehow felt I but right, felt eye third the of concept the experiences, recent for metaphor a As consciousness’. ‘expanding or Shekinah’, ‘releasing crown’, the up ‘opening on ruminations stoner ticles about ‘the third eye’. Typical chakra-point, om-padme-om, hippie- Wikipedia late-night a On first seeingmyself. by others see to me allowed that inwards looking a visibility, inner ing one of creating presence of body against body, was also one of practic- though there, place taking activity the me, For gym. the of experience I became friends, I felt more and more the interiority demanded by my only see him, but to see inside, seeking something for itself? As he and not to able was and opened had that eye inner an me, it was or alone To returntothatinitialmimeticgamebetween us, wasithispresence was exactly being thing done, and did what I think that something, otherwise I was do doing to way a been simply had point, until that gym, the If doing’. ‘not and ‘doing’ to relationship my around confusions articulate me helped him with encounter the – tractions at- of choreography a imitating, desiring, looking, – senses the with to find out what kind of a friendship this could become. Since it began company, his pursue to right another felt just it again, point, that At then happenstance. And coincidentally. again, other each saw We on hispart,arelievedembarrassmentmine. beautiful. Afterwards, there wasn’t much to say, an awkward gratitude was relaxation, and tension of balance his movement, of control his prise, I told him that his energy, his inner sense of calm and elegance, street. I hesitated, then ran after him. After catching him by slight sur- the towards move and accelerate him saw I steps, the down and me past quickly walked later, minutes few a out came He something. him tell to wanted I – no him, to talk to wanted I satisfy, to enough been not had looking The soon. out come would he that knowing cigarette, a smoking entrance, the outside waited I workout, my finished I After was lookingatwhatIdoing. he whether see to doing, was he what see to him, at eye my of corner the of out look and distracted be help couldn’t I moment certain a at mentally feltcorresponded.Iguesswasabitself-conscious,because mixed with subjective interpretations of combinations and flows thatI classes yoga took actually I when back from muscle-memories partial postures, yogic vaguely on variations personal of routine post-cardio I came across some New Age-esque ar- Age-esque New some across came I dérive *** thing? nothing?

243 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

important *** The Shape of Time: Remarks on the History of Things of History the on Remarks Time: of Shape The The affinity of the pineal gland to our compose eyes isthe pineal gland strong.are very similar to those The cells that that line the eye’s retina. These are receptor nerve cells, quite sensitive to intensities of light and shade, responsible in the eye for collecting the our data from visual apperceptions and sending them to the brain where a attracted to such a wishy-washy pop culture reference. I did notice, how- notice, did I reference. culture pop wishy-washy a such to attracted ever, that the third eye also referenced a gland some time biologists to understand have properly: the taken pineal gland, located smack in the center of the brain. The gland has been shown to primarily regulate the release of a hormone named melatonin, crucial for the proper func- tioning of our biological clock, of our body’s sensation of night and day. This affects our entire metabolic cycle, as our body needs to maintain a it should rest.its energies and when it should exert sense of when coherent ‘image’ is produced. As I wound my way through the multiple the through way my wound I As produced. is ‘image’ coherent Wikipedia links, I read that recent studies have shown that in fact the di- is turn, in This, melatonin. produce to darkness needs gland pineal rectly related to this third eye’s nerve-based perception of immediate actively gland pineal The world. outside the from phenomena sensory our hormone the generating by darkness of sensation the to responds body needs in order to know when it is time to do what it needs to do as well as to not do, in a mutually reciprocated cycle of actuality and I found potentiality. it particularly interesting that when we are in the darkness of the void, that this is the very moment when an inner eye opens and releases its generative, sustaining energies, in fact ensur- next day has arrived.ing that our bodies will know when the “Thinking takes time”, “Understanding so comes with delay,” said a another. Many of the ques- dear tions I’ve been asking of myself and teacher the world for a while now inevita- of years many student a mine as assigned was I book little a to back me lead bly once said. ago. I didn’t read it back then, only later, finding myself returning to it in moments of wanderlust or intuition. I guess what makes George Kubler’s for me is the problem of the problem as a way of thinking about what we do and not do, when we do something and when ingly there is nothing, seem- and how this fits into a sensation of timeof temporary, tentative solutions, strung along as a series like a precious chain. My teacher told me that thought he was dying (he didn’t, at least not then and Kubler there). Wedged wrote the tomorrow, of arrival the unsure the and today of heaviness manuscript the between when he

244 Ashkan Sepahvand with the exuberant realization that it is time to wake up. with theexuberantrealizationthatitistimetowakeup. begins, body my where there it’s And recall. the and relay the trusting senses, the by transmitted are they as problems to responding dark, the in resting inability, active is being-present of activity the Perhaps fog. blinding the through leading road curved the around way my ing look- on insist can I on, brights metaphoric my turn I if that thinking no thing at all. I am reminded of how I resisted the present-void at first, yet one can sense it, in the way that sensation exists as a real thing, but well: imagining it depends on the memory of the immediate past, and as does it to word giving fails, present the Touching presence. of lack a by present the characterizes which nothing, ‘describe’ adequately to failure inarticulate the in nothing, imagine to required imagination of leap the in nothing, of thingliness the precisely is it But thing. no A thing. a of absence the emptiness, lack, nothing, concept: negative a of application the means here Negation events.” between void the is It happening. is nothing when pause interchronic the is “it saying by ending watch, a of ticks the between split-second the lighthouse, a of flashes the between darkness the is: actuality what of examples – is actuality what ing stat- by continue not does He negation? by mean Kubler does What answer isanegation.” the that suggest to be it unless riddle, the of solution the to closer no now am I and since, ever me with been has question The Haven. New in died he when Focillon, 1943 to Henri 1940 from teacher days black my the during obsessed especially – life his of question capital and final the – question this years For l’actualité? que Qu’est-ce donc c’est m’échappe. que l’actualité Mais l’actualité. connaître ne qu’à passé sert “Le condition: own my to corresponds familiarly that tion self-reflec- of moment a encounter I book, Kubler’s of section one In anticipation ofanimminentendcangiveacrystalclearvoiceto. whose someone only suppose I that interiority demanding its and void the of traces the all bears book this reading from gather I sensation ; rather, he gives a few – by now often quoted quoted often now by – few a gives he rather, not;

245 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

ping ids K ee ; K eractive ; ple o T nt ses to I eo sideration; e ecide P en sibilities of ound on D av S R os C H o- ll P o- C A ot ot ll cipation G usting; A N

ry- itions; s er arti xha oe ake E racted an by P rad T M M D T tt s P o t’ A I T nvitation to icipatory in I re cratisation into thing A art rcome rcome cess; P rue ting a in T ve emo

e ro ome it D S O B P Us Busy; Who S A Wolfgang Zinggl Wolfgang ay 08, 2011, 12:33 08,ay 2011, Bread and M

246 Wolfgang Zinggl the audience to play a role within the performance mean they were were equally involved intoallstepsregardingdecisions? Notreally. they mean to performance the invitation within role the a play does to audience But the process. interactive an by attracted are who people with audience, an with together working of sense the in In the contemporary discussion of art, participation is participation art, of discussion contemporary the In implicitly onthetopicofart, butthesubjectyourartisdealingwith? not laymen, with not discuss to non-essential are it isn’t they And elaborated. yet while brainstorm a during arising thoughts many the explain to exhausting It’s participation. by help any without whatever We the Renaissance orintheBaroque? in workshops the like groups, peer with together process a in works art producing of method the in tradition long a there isn’t And past? the from heritage on based being without invented actually is What be calledparticipatory? of ‘participation light’. Is an artwork created by an artists’ collective to concept same the with maybe but calculation, same the without haps and otherwise keeping us busy. The same goes for the arts, though per- platforms, special at proposals our post to us on calling referendums, the manipulative announcing by us, to sing citizen participating the of lullaby to likes often politics market, the with hand in Hand tion. direc- its control they thinking merry-go-round a on – sitting say kids a like have we that believe us make opportunities more and More in. trapped ourselves find we participation of illusion the is it Mostly between beingpartofsomethingandaparticipatoryaction? perform- difference the interactive is What intention? original its an co-decide to mean ance in part taking Does decisions? political in co-decide to chance a having mean voting Does meaning. precise this discourse in politics as well as in the arts, it is hard to find it realized in a of subject the is participation of understanding latter the Although co-decide. sometimes to invitation true attend, a as used it to is rarely a only means but share, to sometimes participate to offer The ways. different many in used is participation term, other every Like strategy tomakethemfeelpartofthegame:participation. new a be to needs there downloaded, be have to games and who bread enough ones privileged the for Nowadays games. and bread with calm kept were Rome ancient in citizens the taught, been have we As

all

have had have good experiences creating, composing or designing designing or composing creating, experiences good

mostly meant mostly

247 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

The

different to find the lots of

as crucial

due to the fact that the concept the that fact the to due good fun at a jolly gathering, It’s like

Of course, Of

reach your goal, it is To To

bored reading about new trends in art: breaking century romantic ‘genius creator’ aspect, and to take all th we feel

nightmare is that you can find a recipe for methods to get the best practice for it, for your effort or your target. cases, situations and necessities where artists can complement one another? Where the participation of people from outside absolutely could necessary? be right method as it is to think about the little use of aesthetic tools. which outdoes itself through further excesses, and can always take on collapses. it until forms new Nevertheless – in the absence of having a voice in society, a vast com- munity has created its own world where everybody who can has participate. access This was made possible through the technology the of internet. And now – alongside other examples which showed us at least attempts at how participation could lead to more democratic solutions – we have had the chance to witness how politically intoler- able situations in some Arab states could be changed with the help To sum up: you can no more render a judgement on the benefits or advantages of teamwork in general, as you can make an all-inclusive statement about participation in art. Aren’t there traditional concepts, thinking about new methods to or generate developing art, their criteria? of art is always under socially determined construction, we be have aware that definitely to nothing in art is fixed for all For eternity. this reason asserting the claim that participation is the only true method consid- or possibilities its denying as wrong as is trends upcoming for erable advantages. technologies.of the participatory opportunities of communication Don’t Participation Participation could be one strategy, but despite all the praiseworthy efforts it is still in it’s very when early stages the of development. artwork Especially is aimed certain at target social engagement, group. it Immediately addresses in decision making or not surfaces. should be involved the a question of whether they the possibilities of democratisation into consideration. thing But does some- not have to be traditions. participatory Strategies to in improve democracy all are desperately senses needed. to overcome It is indeed a great step forward which is going on within art, to rid of get its 19

248 Stefan Heidenreich Beyond Beyond M ay 09, 2011, 1:31 User- T a T S O C E T R Up; xc hi here he ep tephan tephan nd the 'What'; We 'What'; nd the al rg s or eption but the the but eption led led anization; laced by D F F low o emo ri I s A P endly endly R S ar not A omething between Us Us between omething ep cratic cratic M liament Would Be f H her her I resentation nf ei I F ns T ormation ormation or denreich he Whole he Whole T C titutions of titutions al m of ap R king king ule; A italism; re re D emo F L N ac e T ot t ft with with ft ra e; P cratic cratic T re sh sh o Be C he he M lea sence; or D ump e e

ned ned

249 Democracies around the world still organize participation based on the technical means of the 19th century. But we do not have to fill out a paper anymore for banking. We are forced to carry a machine read- able passport. Soon the police will be able to monitor and identify people in public through face-recognition. The advertising industry creates online profiles of our wishes to facilitate the placement of their ads. Participatory platforms know whom we befriend, what we like and what not.

Only one area in public life, it seems, stubbornly resists the introduc- tion of new techniques and media. This is our so-called democracy. The system of public decision-making operates largely based on technolo- gies known from 2000 years ago, when the democracy was first intro- duced. We have a parliament, we have parties, we have people talking

and engaging in a theatrical display of discussions once in a while. Waking Up from the

Every four years or so our state wants to know what we like or dislike. Facebook wants to know it every second. But actually the state does not want to know what we like. There is something between us and the ‘what’, between our opinion and the decision taken. They only want

to know whom we like. Instead of voting on an issue we are left with N 250 ightmare of a choice for this or another talking face. Notoriously these faces talk something else before the election than after the election. A bold “yes, we can” turns out to result in “no, we can’t”. But that actually is not the

core of the problem. The problem is that they can do that without any P risk. articip

This situation stirs up two major questions. How does it happen that ation the political sphere is only reluctantly introducing new technologies? I am not talking of parties finally setting up their web-page, but of the replacement of the whole party system by another more – let’s say user-friendly – form of democratic organization.

And the second question : if we would take democracy seriously within the given media possibilities, what could it look like?

The popular mythology with a slightly conspiratory leaning would answer these questions by denouncing the evil politician who enacts a public theater, talks from both sides of his mouth, and in the end serves the interests of big industry. Once the whole trash dump called parliament would be cleaned up and populated by loyal, or at least honest people – but not politicians – the whole mess could be rear- ranged. This popular mythology relies strongly on the power of single Stefan Heidenreich surrounding our politicalinstitutions. lobbyists of thousand and hundreds the mostly and also but zations, organi- non-governmental of kinds all includes This operations. their in intervene society of parts other let to practice common a become parliament and the elected bodies act completely by themselves. It has the that mean not does public the of passivity this hand, other the On most importantpoint–inthe endthispublichastoremainpassive. the forget not must one But public. the to presented and discussed ly Of course, from within the political are system, a lot of issues are constant - deciding interference. public of from independent practices degree large these a to that maintained more once state it to because them, enough of is all name to need no is There making. of decision process the in active institutions political of hierarchy finds complex one a public so-called the of intervention minimal this Around at if even the mostminimallevelconceivable. served, was democracy of was form very there The that participation. claim no can nobody vote, a cast frame of Having mere and the participation. than established other is nothing politics gives It to confirmed. relation routinely symbolic a ritual this With year. second every once vote her cast to voter the asks Representation representation. of idea the stands system political our of core the At lines oftheseconsiderationscanonlybebrieflysketchedinthispaper. out- The analysis. of bit a requires beyond mythology political Leaving of mererecipes,opinionsandparty-politics. rather might look for means of repair on one a systemic level, and not on participation the level of model backwards our given contrast, In figures, with thepersistenceofunderlyingstructuraldefects,ifnotworse. of replacement the than more much to lead not likely most will and power, of organization and structure given the accepting with point leading to a change. From the very beginning this approach starts key the be would representatives whatever or non-populist neoliberal, non- socialist, communist, fair, by government corrupt our of ment and its solution on the very basic level of single actors. As if the replace- question the situates It it. cracking to comes it when as conspiracy, a up building to comes it when much as system, given a within actors new technologies? Why isthepoliticalsphereonlyreluctantlyintroducing

251 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

What could democracy look like given the current media What could democracy look like given situation? Also, the issue of consensus importance. versus antagonism is not of major So, there is a parliamentary and administrative structure involved in making decisions. A very small part of this structure faces elections. The most urgent political issues, the financial politics, is even left to the institution of the central bank, whose democratic legitimization - representa of representatives of chain triple a by shielded doubtful, is tives of representatives. But we realize more and more that economic decisions do not only concern the maintenance of economic flow, These is nothing futurist or utopian in envisaging a decision making process that profits from web-based techniques. One needs neither that of Processes up. it build to crowds of stupidity the nor wisdom the type are in place in the financial markets, in huge institutions likethe ICANN, or even in platforms like Facebook. Over the last few years, issues surrounding huge amounts of public money being spent never entered the political process, and were basi- excep- only The institutions. democratic basic bypassing decided cally twice asked were people were Iceland, in happened have to seems tion if they agree to pay the bank’s debts, and they resisted twice. Thus, The political sphere seems to be divided into four parts: the institu- tions of state finance, shielded by a double layer oflayer;. single a by public representation;.the from shielded state, the of institutions the represent- our to access ample given interests, monetary of sphere the atives though lobbying; and the sovereign people, which is kept in the decision making process because its function has been handed over to representatives. but the financial well-being of sions are left to the whole experts, says a common claim. population.What does that mean These deci- in reverse? Decisions of that type do not allow for the dirty process of democracy? And, on the other hand, the decisions left to democratic of minor importance?representatives are a democratic capitalism would most likely establish a form of finance where the risk-takers eventually take the risk and are not allowed to transfer it to the taxpayer, as happened without any vote in all other in the financial meltdown.so-called developed democracies during

252 Stefan Heidenreich The core issue remains the idea of representation. It needs to be be to needs It representation. replaced bypresence. of idea the remains issue core The a regimeofsecrecy,quiteimpossible. contemporary way of policy making, which is to a large extent built on our render would This disposal. its at it have and information of flow complete the command would people, the sovereign, the democracy, a in case the be naturally most should it As rule. the but exception the ency. The flow of information brought to us by Wikileaks would not be transpar- total of rule the under happen course, of would, this of All decisions. of bundles around grouping strategic a as rather but representatives, of association an as not but survive, might organization of form nant domi- the as party The volition. can own his/her willing on discussion the is enter whoever where presence, of institutions by be replaced to need would representation of institutions the All completely. almost system this dismantle to need would communication of tools and media contemporary the on based making decision of process A but infactoperateasmechanismstokeeppublicpresenceatbay. – polls press, elections, can be read as rituals that on the surface serve – the transition of power, involvement. participation public democratic of of modes clear The process political the keeps basically which system political self-enforcing a in engaged parties and tions To begin with the later. Over the centuries, most of our existing institu- making, ofdecision the process and thetypeofgroupsinstitutionsinvolved. information, of flow the means Organization process. political the of organization very the is stake At

253 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

kins ace - ns; S ee m T mbr ro E ream F uments; D our our ging and upying Y on er ards 'Being ly cc n M ends, M O ep ow tics the of ri T ot i ot n; n; atives of R erience; erience; F oli G P ct' oo xp arr o S E ries; ou ou N ng Up on a a ng on Up g a a g es and w he Y ; to T T ivi ubje oo oo S o' T S ptures and T G M hap g P S aitin cul attoo l S T umental shing; shing; w A ellin T ic ic A la on ter to jected lpture; lpture; te a Bit ming C l l M an an et

ubl ta cu ub or ike a ike L and F S S L P or or C tay S A this 'Being

til ay 09, 2011, 2:11 2:11 2011, 09, ay A S M

254 C an Altay Obviously one Obviously http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tattoo-20110422,0,1399043.story). - member gang a of record body-mug-shot a through solved being case murder 7-year a of story this reading just was (I best at henchman’s Mafia Russian a or member’s, gang veteran L.A. an of that resembles city the of skin the attached, map the from see you’ll ending-at-the-wrong-tattoo-parlor, this project is in Utrecht, where, as leave it there, or learn to live with it in a or sense. it, Far destroy from a or teenage erase night- to choose may You be/have. to wanted or were, but it still is a relatively permanent mark or representation of what you age, current your at it of ashamed be or hate might you teens; your in got you tattoo a like is sculpture public that me telling was McCrory Sarah Recently, is. it what and been has it what as more even maybe sue of public sculpture. Not as much as what it could or should be, but am I ing talkingtalking. talk- of years past the in point some at left have might we feel I things, several on touch-base, a for zone another make to able be would we probably not so broken after all, or is it only my skepticism?), I do hope (though challenged heavily been has quo status the where zone a in is you of one and aspects) beautiful other with along recognition legal a two here. Considering one you of you is in a stately zone (it with is after all quite up start to want I discussion a simply and questions some are letter.There this via embark I years, couple past much the in time spend more to chance the got have two you that fact the of Jealous a clearly '90s twist, made this analogy between cinema (“going to the the to (“going cinema between analogy this made twist, '90s clearly a in Pardo, Jorge monument. a of idea the thing: same the about talk am I as things when I say public sculptures and monuments, but in a sense they also same the to referring are them of neither course Of seem tocauseusforgetthe future.” monuments new the monuments, old the like past the remember to Smithson, in a clearly post-WWII essay says that “Instead of causing us of the things memory and people they were set or to commemorate. Another Robert, history the erase they how rather or are, monuments invisible how indicates essay, pre-WWII clearly his in drawn. Musil, ever Robert is line a such whether or drawn, is line that it) with live to having (or sculpture a encountering of actuality the in where know line between monuments and public sculptures, but I personally don’t in Turkish same the and one are (they monument the or memorial the and tion, currently working on a project where I am trying to tackle the is- the tackle to trying am I where project a on working currently Anit, I guess also in of you worked a lot with this notion of commemora- of notion this with lot a worked you of Denkmal? Not sure). And there is a clear

255 Fig.1 Google Map of Public artworks and monuments in the city of Utrecht, Gemeente Utrecht. Fig.2 Can Altay, Proposal for Trainee Monument, 2008. Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation , Roulette Pigeon Monument in Cairo). These were Green River, to the monuments of Thomas Hirschhorn Bataille, et al.). Regarding the Utrecht context, there is a Spinoza, Then jumping from this ‘being subject’ towards ‘being subjected to’, we can perhaps talk about sculptures in public, on the one hand how they end up there (placing) and on the other how they get to live with them. with live to getting up end people the and infrastructure city the My position here is not that of questioning the processes of imposi- tion or autonomies or oppression or suppression, but more the ‘what happens’ part of the story of sculptures and monuments in cities. recent Manfred Pernice project worth checking out. This is where he built rails inside a roundabout; on the rails were concrete pedestals (designed by Pernice, looking not unlike his many sculp- tures), and periodically selections of ‘public sculptures’ from around the city were placed on these pedestals as until different through time constellations, the compositions get reconfigured to the degree that it is more or less only the pedestals that remain – now stacked – becoming the sculpture they are, along with the transformed context of the roundabout (as it is located in relation to newly built suburbs). Or how could one not mention the wonderful Clegg & Guttman take on public sculpture (Monument for Historical Change - Fragments from the Basement of History, 2004) in Berlin, just in front of Bar Drei, did I that monument a is It there? from out thrown were we when it see first brings together elements from five historical monuments to reach its form. Here, perhaps the late ’90s and early ’00s attitude significant questions. still By this poses I mean projects some that range from Olafur Eliasson’s ( movies” movies” to be precise) and a monumental experience. A - monumen tal experience for him is what involves a ceremonial, submissive ac- tion that functions by means of a continual return. I have previously tried to tackle this by making proposals for two monuments (Trainee Monument in Liverpool and both an attempt at traversing the relation of a certain audience (who become subjects to the monument) to their subject (I think a fetish object, just by being that, becomes a subject). Both were proposals to do this via repeating that submissive, ceremonial action that involves a continual return, but ending up with a glorious mess for the public, as well as a stripping away of the desire and dominance (in the case of pigeons) and addiction (in both cases) for those more defined and definitive subjects. At the same time celebrate they the enthusiasm that allows intense and shared zones for its enthusiasts. Temporary, Zones.possibly Autonomous,

258 C an Altay shapes and occupying skins and telling stories. So I guess there is is there guess I some ‘healing’involved,but‘hurting’too. So stories. telling and skins occupying and shapes forming and merging tattoos the like bit a maybe ways, different in call re-assembled and assembled be Or also assemblies. further create and for might that sculptures the like or people, like us, like parts spare those also but process, the in up made is or city the up makes with’ sculptures, and the assembly refers to everything that constantly ‘living this touching also is cohabitation now, But adapt. or adhere to having of celebration some just not problem, political fundamental a me for is that cohabitation the to referring but rehab, like sounding I called the project or givinguponadream-statebittoosoon. we are trying to wake up, we might be waking up to another nightmare, while So them. to adapt and adhere others to need things) living and (people the usually and ‘placing’), (and formation of moments their of forms and realities political to comply maybe or participate selves them- objects the limited: quite is participation of acts and concepts to relation their however either, powerless be to outcomes the claim can one No form. naive most its in even charged-up most the clearly is it innocent; be to art public claim can one no all, After timeframes. certain in skin the of parts certain pierce they how similarly or time; through boundaries, draw sculptures these of collection the how of city like Utrecht (which is partly what I am looking at with this project) a in especially tattooing), (marking, stake at marcation territorial a is there that, alongside And charge’. in ‘officials the and artists the by both placing and making the of sculpture, the of politics the is There spect to a total refusal or dismissal. These are all simultaneously there. re- ceremonial a from them; on shitting birds to encounters, random are There things, themselves forminganassembly.and objects of abundance this of all also is there But claim. might object singular the which inspirational, quite is which sembly, as- for calling thing the of phrase Latour used frequently that is There potential narratives of embrace or clashing, ranging from from ranging clashing, or embrace of narratives potential COHAB: an assembly of spare parts.

Cohab I thought

259 Fig. 3 Manfred Pernice, Roulette, 2006-2009. Courtesy the artist. Fig.4 Clegg & Guttman, Monument for Historical Change - Fragments from the Basement of History, 2004, Courtesy the artists. Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation 1

he y T nl he paque italism; O

T rage O

ap ONFLICT he ve titutional titutional C T tical munity; C A

ated and ns ns F I al al I oli NAL om re icipatory rly P O ersect; C C

ritorial andritorial ai lob art nt TIO F I er G P ticality; haps U T t- ri ion; ion; er C os ot P z gics PACES P N elf a Question?; elf a Question?; o t; t; S I ion of the of ion L

ts NSTIT I I M N ot

P llic; I s orit

I N N

E dy sparent M I A O

rmality the in umental snationalization of owerment of the of owerment italistic ce; Wherever Wherever ce; n; n; QU ran mantled under tique T lia lia on TES is bno ap ri pa ITI mp u ran ow nsisting on D E M to the or A T C S T I C J ay 09, 2011, 4:29 2011, 09, ay NO CR M

262 Julia Moritz Arts in 1993 this question in his catalogue essay for an exhibition at American Fine posed Meyer James – Critique? Institutional to happened Whatever ent criticality. As any typology this aims to simplify. The project of of project inves- Its object. The an onto light explanatory shed to seeks simplify.transparency to aims this typology any As criticality. ent transpar- and opaque – light and knowledge of couple metaphorical old be the with examine Critique Let’s distinction? Institutional this to by according measured applied methodologies the can How ages acertaincivicfunction. Bourdieu emphasizedthesocial structureoftheinstitutionasitman- that Pierre contrast, By governance. of purposes mechanism political particular serves disciplinary all-encompassing an entailed oftheinsti- tution notion Foucault’s Michel naturalize. and control, affix, to agree on this point: institutionalization hinges upon the capacity to stability. of degree measurable a And in fact both of the two current assess conceptions of the institution seem must it Clearly Critique? stake, at ologies method- the among are destabilizing interrogating, questioning, If criticality'. These struggle. 'institutional of challenge new social the are believe, I spaces, contradictory and change political profound undergoing places geographical in institutions its and art of understanding our sharpen we inquiry, its furthering and friction its Maintaining itself: towards Critique Institutional of question the turn to have we art, of renegotiation political and perception contingent culturally ination, tion of institutional space? In order to tackle the geographical - dissem transnationaliza- the address projects artistic contemporary do How to themeaningofanartwork,asitscontentandform. much as contribute circulation of patterns the And space. stitutional in- transnational increasingly an witnessing are We reach. graphical geo- its of terms in also but content, curatorial and artistic of the range or support, financial diverse formats, presentation multiplying of terms in only not expanded has world’ ‘art The surrounding. tional is what Today, institu- inclusive more questions. ever an faces the Critique Institutional as accommodate known to as so surfaces its adapted has it decades, and years the Over responds: institution The pose itsconflictualconditions? ex- to pressing art, of institutions the above hovering mark question a ing it, insisting on it. Perhaps Institutional Critique is itself a question – 2 . Some 18 years later, I am quoting this question, reiterat- what do these tell us about the object of Institutional Institutional of object the about us tell these do what

263 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

4 she notes that a comparatively 3 , in NineteenEighty for the streets of Santiago, of streets the for NineteenEighty in Happiness, of Studies Let’s look at an example: When Alfredo Jaar conceived his first piece, These conflicts are notnecessarily new imperialism elsewhere. are scattered all The over spaces our Thus transnationalized wherever of the territorial map. and capitalistic logics intersect to produce for- institutional the counter practices artistic asymmetries, vital their or transparent criticality. mations with the specific tactics of opaque the the space of conflict was a very concrete one: It was the urban space of Chile under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, and free speech was greeted with disappearances. Under these conditions Jaar’s dicey homage to Hans Haacke’s ‘MoMA Poll’ of 1970 was inevitably tinged with doubts regarding the possibilities of two transparency. decades later, When decided to he,participate in the public art exhibition ‘Public Safety’ this skepticism continued to resonate – but mingled with a curiosity about the far-off place, the Southern Swedish town of Skoghall. small group of artists now travels certain parts of the world in order to deconstruct particular institutional settings – however, their pacity for ca- critical contextualization is corrupted by the lack of time, tight budgets and the different levels of participation found at each A “New Imperialism”, David Harvey claims “arises out of cal a relation dialecti- between territorial and capitalistic logics of power… What constitutes the scarcity of these resources?location. What constitutes the Each logic throws up contradictions that have to be contained by the developments, geographical uneven for created here is basis A other… geopolitical struggles, and different forms of imperialist politics.” tigatory tigatory analysis involves the factual, an earnest endeavor of research Both of these are powerful models of course. They can be evaluated of rubric the Under critique. of context specific the to regard with only project-based the discussed critically has Kwon Miwon site-specificity, practices of recent artistic positions: and display. Thus, translucent claims. Opacity criticality by contrast ultimately is a quality makes of impenetrability, the truth tactic of obstructing the distinguishing qualities of light while rearranging the place of the other from within. Applying techniques such as mim- icry, masquerade or camouflage, opaque criticality thus constitutes practice. a rather poetical

264 Julia Moritz relevance from the linkage of ethnographical reference – such as the the as such – reference ethnographical institution-critical of linkage the its from relevance derives project Jaar’s town, mill paper the as such context, industrialized its In king. the sacrifice to right primeval Swedes’ the to resemblance uncanny an bears also soul, societal and economic town’s the mill, paper the by donated and produced ture the ambiguous ritual of public burnings. The immolation of the struc- to sphere public burning field the of notion provocative the symbolic from reaching adense opens Jaar fire, of sign loaded the Choosing function oftheartinstitutionasaspaceexoticistprojections. the towards and town Swedish Southern the of by boundaries the yond But art. of proper presentation be- hints also Jaar position, outsider an of potentialities the reflecting the for claimed ever s was no where pace exhibition art public a instigating community, sioning to contribution His Mouffe. commis- the of inconsistencies the towards Chantal points thus Safety Public of terms well-known the – in antagonistic as defined be can that Skoghall of town idyllic the to funda- the mental negation of oppositionality introduces a how notion of the political of awareness Jaar’s is condition transnational own its negotiates that criticism institutional of example productive a is of challenge transnational the about Critique? Institutional us tell that does what Now, the architectisAlfredoJaar. surprisingly, Not Konsthall. permanent new a planning on agreed cil the small community was sparked – and productively so: the city coun- for institution art an of necessity the scrutinizing debate A here. end – minutes few as was planned with the fire officials abeforehand. But the story doesn’t only in down burned spectacularly exhibition and on fire. Despite the protest of the Skoghall people, the fragile structure hours later, a fireman accompanied by the artist set the paper pavilion 24 Exactly event. festive the for Saturday sunny this on gathered nity commu- local entire the Konsthall2000 the in When inaugurated was and wasdedicatedtotheartofpaper. artists Swedish emerging 15 featured It there. held be to exhibition first the curated Jaar Simultaneously, mill. paper local the from per pa- of out completely built and planned be could Konsthall the – mill the from resources financial and material the raised successfully Jaar council, cultural Skoghall the of help the With born. was Konsthall Skoghall the housing space a for proposal the of – venue exhibition absence any the was town average fairly the in abnormality only The One of the reasons why I believe this project project this believe I why reasons the of One

265 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

I take it as a call to reconsider - to call a as it take I So what has happened to Institutional Critique in Spaces of Conflict? The conditions of uneven geographical development can be produc- tively exposed wherever the logics of territorial and capitalistic power intertwine. ‘Spaces of conflict’ are still mainlyThey ‘conflicts involve the of space’. representation and thus appropriation of value. By reconfiguring the concept Institutional Critique towards a geopo- litical self-positioning of its artistic practices and hosting institutions we can grasp the impact of social struggle and political change for convertit into the institution fragile – he question materialization whether to critique of the material tations - manifes of an the institution or the actual immaterial institutional realm, cultural can thus not be a simple one of either-or. ness Jaar of exposes the the institution precarious- and creates an awareness of the tional way institu- bodies are constantly created and capitalism. dismantled In this under regard, the global destruction of the Skoghall Konsthall anticipates actual institutional demolitions in the the region, Copenhagen Youth House, that such (in 2007) led to as fire in the streets of Nörrebro in return. The various tactics of opacity and transparency employed have gen- erated complementary modes of for institutional further analysis criticism of that the spaces call of institutional space.engages the renegotiation of transnational aesthetic display that actively the very institution of art, and beyond. Only by immaterializing the cautiously materialized piece can he ing the anthropological dimensions of institutional criticism, but also but criticism, institutional of dimensions anthropological the ing under experienced have institutions these that transformations the of neo-liberalism. Rapidly transgressing material boundaries and - anni hilating values in a glimpse of an eye, the burning Skoghall Konsthall cherished a presence should be invoked. The offers an absence where vernacular of paper that enabled identification from the community was suddenly experienced as loss, its void – as with any other success- a post-partic- self: the of hypertrophy the with filled be to – sacrifice ful the after only possible is that community the of empowerment ipatory self-sacrifice of the conventional concept of the monumental notion very object of Institutional Critique.of the institution, the The art institution as sacrificial object? sacrificial as institution art The dialectics dialectics of worship and waste in sacrifice – to an artistic critiqueof of late-capitalism. context contradictory in the authority

266 Julia Moritz 1 ENDN 2 4 3

 ee, James Meyer, markus “dear  warmly, julia.” some sort of a fragmentary notepad. into let me know if it makes sense. thoughts these compiling with experimented i – manifesto with that methodology. for your book – and inspired by the nOffice grapple to tried have i conference program studies independent cal implications. in a paper at the whitney museum of american art spatial discourse towards a ‘geography of art’ with its full geopoliti- incorporates productively that history’ art new after history ‘art an but image, an as things ‘read’ to order in everything of flattening thus and textualization the on relies longer no that history art an history, art contemporary of one the is here view complementary the transnationalization. and critique institutional on thesis own my to prologue a actually is participation on thesis your to script each other. so what i want to share with you with regard to the complement post- quite they think i because great, that’s and – ferent dif- are methodologies our yet generation’. ‘our like something of stakes the are these seems it contexts, intellectual and mentors similar from drawing criticality. of claim epistemological rogoff’s and theory at- political mouffian shared operationalizing actually our of is tempt particularly me struck what contribution. my Harvey, DavidTheNewImperialism Locational Identity,Cambridge/MA2002. Miwon Kwon,  American FineArts/Paula CooperGallery,NewYork 1993. OT ES and nina, first of all thanks for your patience with with patience your for thanks all of first nina, and Whatever One Place After Another. Site-specific Art and Art Site-specific Another. After Place apnd o h Isiuinl Critique? Institutional the to Happened , OxfordUniversityPress,2003.

267 May 12, 2011, 3:21 PM

Andrea Phillips

A short plan for art institutions post-participation

Asked To Act Differently; The Formal Constitution of a Viewing Public; Waking Up from the Staging Public Democracy; They Offer More of the Same; A Specific Part to Play; Taking Participation N 268 Literally; Everyone; Become a Literal ightmare of Viewer; Scale Up; Dismiss the Objects; Retrain; P articip ation Andrea Phillips d. c. b. d. c. b. a. a.

object relation, the fact of participation and engagement in a a in engagement and participation of fact the relation, object rather Thus, alternative, they offermoreofthesame. an offer not do galleries and museums participation encouraging In staging. this of audiences and artists of part the on rejection a than rather extension an is differently, act to asked are viewers ies dissipation  The around itslocale,etc.) mocracy (this is both public art and Public Art, inside the gallery or art Public structures. regulatory public’s to subservient particular, in is, It large. at lic pub- the of embodiment micro-performative a thus is public art The scene. aesthetico-political any of as art of viewers as identity their publicness, their by determined are that rights have people, of collective unnamed the as public, The elsewhere. as gallery the in instated, be to democracy of systems enable to basis formal a al-psychological framework of democracy. A public is necessary on tory. It is part of democracy. It constitutes the aesthetic and cultur- The construction the But, the viewingsubject. of emancipation the for way the clear to supposed is author the of is claimed for a new politics – one in which the quasi-disappearance dispersal,  This disperse viewing. superficially, that, ways in move eat, read, stand, sit, to differently; act to asked often now are museum, or gallery the of hierarchies once  Viewers, name ofparticipation. the in methods, experiential other with looking of acts together for Institutions 1 The Problem  2 formal the constitution ofaviewingpublic. – of creative – upon reliant is that one framework, ic econom- cultural its within participation of remit institutional the between relation contradictory the to due largely is This broken. subject-object relatioship, however dissipated, is not not is dissipated, however relatioship, subject-object institutions have these functions of staging public de- public staging of functions these have institutions than a radical critique of the artwork-viewer, subject- artwork-viewer, the of critique radical a than ascribed a relatively steadfast role in the formal formal the in role steadfast relatively a ascribed enacted at various scales and in various densities, densities, various in and scales various at enacted the arts are changing in form and content, mixing mixing content, and form in changing are arts the of viewing described above, in which in art galler- art in which in above, described viewing of of a viewing public has a specific democratic his-

269 Robert Morris, Bodyspacemotionthings, Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, London, May 2009. Andrea Phillips order torenderitcomplete. in literally participation taking mean would This distinction. no be will there participates everybody eventually If immeasurable. become density and scale participates, everyone As spectacle. unidentifiable be will all proposed, Baudrillard and walls, Debord As outside. its from inside outside is which that from institution any divide that ries bounda- the of destruction eventual the inevitable in renders fields participation all of production the of logic of The production. sites artistic specific other and museums galleries, within tool political and artistic an both as participation en- of continued sustenance the and of hancement outcome logical the on based is entropy This extinction. towards inexorably moves wares) their publicise variously to exhibitionism participatory of mode the use that forms all (indeed The logic of current practices of participation in art and its institutions rela- tional andnetworkedproduction. choice-heavy building, capacity to self-reliant, out of meted shape these the in acting, us public of forms new coordinates learn spatial we the which provide in They invention. new this van- of the at guard are that institutions also but artists simply not thus it It ing equallydispersedformatsofartisticandcuratorialinvention. distributed in provid- by up upheld catch institutions our so patterns, work immaterial and viably longer no are governed lives grandparents’ that our commitments temporal-spatial the as change, sure lei- and work of patterns As democracy. liberal under of rubric changing general the themselves in are governance of forms that tions, institu- art of part the on slow, perhaps recognition, a marks culture visual through governmentalisation democracy’s of extension This 3 Everyonean Audience. 2 EveryoneanArtist. 1 Overdoit. The Plan: 3 The subjectisstillremindedthatshehasaspecificparttoplay. gallery is a further governmentalisation of democratic hierarchies.

271 March against the higher education cuts, London, November 2010. Andrea Phillips the plan. With help perhaps I could make the plan longer than the the than problem. longer plan the make could I than perhaps out help set With better plan. and the longer is problem the that noted be to is It economy? contradiction the and its shoring up together in the name of art’s (cultural, ontological and fiscal) hold to participation of name the in spectator the continue of dissolution the between we might how For miss theobjects. from the social proposition. Take your participation seriously and dis- staging artful the Remove image. an or object an of form and shape the in is democracy of sign The remain. must always relation dential evi- the democracy, name) (in participatory in as art, participation In economic structuresandreproposedemocracy,etc. Reinvent policies. border new and regulations tax new stitution-state in- your Give Zone. Economic Special a Become touches. it all and art in making policy fiscal and legal new for opportunity an as institution super-size the seriously Take Society. Big a be Really disappear. tion institu- the of boundaries the that scale large a such at Worktogether by rid ofyourself. Becomealiteralviewer. indistinct relation subject-object get the don’t object, an completely.become subjectivity Don’t embracing make says, Rancière As 6 Retrain. 5 Remove/Refuse theEvidence. 4 ScaleUp.

273 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

n le ot N oub he or D e into S o Be i T le t b duce aduce manent he om T ption/ C ro er P P em o tha do tinue ot S o A ' Question, N end Upwards T on ns E C xt ndstill; ow E H ta sch, sch, S ler, ler, ir ansion; culation; tent Will H ositions; o a ül xp ays and M E pe s s on P pp M S C u O ; mohalla mohalla - nks of thenks of ' ome t ome idew tion; emporary the and S er C on hel hel hi T se of T sion in n somethingn expands, b N ic aking ikola y e dap en he en t to C M T A M I as S H and 'What' 'Where'; or T N ay 13, 2011, 5:02 2011, 13, ay it eats into something else something into eats it Whe M

274 Nikolaus Hirsch, Michel Müller, Cybermohalla Ensemble what theHubis:aproposal,speculation. Hub and what is in it, one is in doubt about whether it really exists exists really it somewhere, orisitanimaginationofaplace. whether about doubt in is one it, in is what and Hub the sees one when that so way a imagined, the and real the between tion between Nikolaus Hirsch, Michel Müller, Jeebesh Bagchi and the the Cybermohalla EnsembletookplaceatSaraiinDelhi,2010. and Bagchi Jeebesh Müller, Michel Hirsch, Nikolaus between tion conversa- following The 2007. since Delhi in Hub Cybermohalla the on collaborating been have Ensemble Cybermohalla the and Hirsch, Müller Michel Nikolaus network. young Cybermohalla 450 the to constituted have close people 2001 Since Education. in Alternatives for Society Ankur: and Sarai-CSDS by up set was ur- and Delhi, different in neighborhoods in ban studios and labs media self-administered of out work ing Cybermohalla, a word that updates the Hindi and Urdu ‘how’ question, not‘what’or‘where’. the of thinks he or she Hub, the of version any encounters one when that So duration). long a over investigating and (thinking adhyayan continuing others’ for and our for Spaces something. of making the of process a of conclusion the not practice, in be to others for hosts become can Hub the of versions the Similarly, ongoing. something of sense a give rather but thought, a of conclusions not are they – write we texts the with same the It’s something. about and: further converse to or write, print to invitation an a it in leave make we broadsheet, a we like publication when even instance, For self-concluding. not are L N Az N work out a movement between the two? work outamovementbetweenthetwo? we Can conditions? different in thing one as but non-oppositions, as permanent the and temporary the of think we Can in? already are we for consolidated structure and expand the temporary condition which aim the up give we Should megacity. the of periphery north-western the about the on parcel meter 6 Delhi, x 3 a on Hub Cybermohalla of the of construction Corporation Municipal the MCD, museums negotiat- still the in are with we ing prototypes Delhi in of but world, number the around a biennials and built have we writing and Hub? mohalla o ikola ikola v ra ‘ neighborhood’ e A T n u u a s s b ass H H irsc irsc Cybermohalla practices are often ‘incomplete’. They They ‘incomplete’. often are practices Cybermohalla u After years of collaborative workshops, discussions, discussions, workshops, collaborative of years After m: , is a network of young researcher-practitioners who who researcher-practitioners young of network a is , h: h: We could do something which keeps a doubt doubt a keeps which something do could We To produce a sense of speculation, which is also also is which speculation, of sense a produce To o cn e otne u wr o te Cyber the on work our continue we can How ‘ mohalla’ , mean- ­

275 Nikolaus Hirsch, Michel Müller: Cybermohalla Hub at Manifesta 7, Bolzano, 2008. Nikolaus Hirsch, Michel Müller, Cybermohalla Ensemble By constantly constructing, changing and expanding? By constantlyconstructing,changingandexpanding? continue? we can how so – finished be to project the want not do we if dictions andconflicts seemstoimplythetemporariness ofapavilion. of the building. A weaving together of ‘living’ and ‘moving’. When When ‘moving’. and something expands,itexpandsintoelse. ‘living’ of together weaving A building. the of space the into other, the to version one from another, to location one N Az N Az N M and: L N ways andcontinuetobeinmaking. evolving. Even after its construction it could extend upwards and side- us to make the building with the artisans who will build it. us tomakethebuildingwithartisanswhowillbuildit. always remain in movement. always remaininmovement. to in come will it Instead standstill. a to come to it into come not will content that implies also it directions, all in expand will it that tion laborative production. col- a for allow parts other and – professionals require infrastructure labor. of distribution certain and parts structural work, foundation as such a work, of types Certain realized we Then grow. they to how it to according want it making practitioners the with time over to building the grow slowly can it that wanted so itself, practice group’s had the of part become we Initially back. coming are which then becomesaninvitationinto something,amovement. Expansion space.” my into Expand expand! “Yes, instead, say people building, expandable this seeing where ambiance, different a creates Hub the if interesting be will it So expansion. in tension double the is side, there is another saying: break the wall and take the space in. This in- But tension. continuous a is there and else, something into eats it expands, something when So else. something into expansion always There is a saying in LNJP (a squatter settlement in Delhi): Expansion is o ikola ikola ikola ikola ichel ichel v ra ra e A T T a n a u u u u M b b s s s s ass üller: ass H H H H irsc irsc irsc irsc u We could incorporate the travel of the building, from from building, the of travel the incorporate could We u m: m: h: Also, we have been thinking that we would like all of h: h: h: When space is built together, and with the concep- The idea of expansion and of its necessary contra- Expansion always comes with its contradiction. contradiction. its with comes always Expansion There are ideas from the beginning of our work our of beginning the from ideas are There How would we keep things moving? It seems as as seems It moving? things keep we would How The Hub could be continuously changing and and changing continuously be could Hub The

277 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

padaaw steps/ The structure is actually a masonry technique : This is also why a pavilion/prototype is impor - So the pavilion/prototype also becomes a work- H If the seize of the material changes, the structure This building is neither a home nor a shop. It is nei- This way our sense of the building will be like how we irsc ller: H ohli: s K Mu u n A esh Bagchi: esh Bagchi: esh e b b v ichel ikola akhmi o stages of the Hub's construction can become more possible in way. this When I was making the first floor of my house, I wanted a structure toldI When walls. my of one on Hub the of version Stockholm the like the mason this, he replied, “Oh, so you want a cupboard”. I clarified “But said, He sizes. different of are boxes/shelves different the no, that you.” to close too feel room, the crowd will It then. cluttered look will it want don’t wall, a want don’t I that – argument my exactly was that But a separation from the outside; rather I want connectiona in be to wall this on things different wanted also I world. an extension into the makes possible. with each other, which this kind of a structure ther selling anything nor is it a place to reside in. So the way this place builds will be important – people will draw possibilities from it into incorporating for thought produce can Hub The build. they spaces the elements of how space gets built into our lives. Secondly, this - experi mentation in the present tense – that is, always being in the making – to which we all contribute, also allows for thought on how we build. The Hub gives clarity and an image to this thought and how it can be brought into a building. It allows us to think of the act of building in interesting ways. Connectivity between the different sense our body – where can we put weight, how much weight can we take, how much we can stretch, which part is strong, which etc. is weak changes too. M N L Jee L and: Jee that allows for a geometrically flexible model. It functions like a 3-D wall paper. tant. Movement and expansion can be done only if we are making a pavilion/prototype. pavilion/prototype. It would be very difficult to do this in a permanent situation. shop-like situation to make and think the building. shop-like situation

278 Nikolaus Hirsch, Michel Müller: The geography of the Cybermohalla Hub, Stockholm 2011. Stockholm

New York New York Copenhagen Copenhagen

Ghevra Community Hall Ghevra Mini Lab GhevraCommunity Hall Mini Lab Ankur Open SpaceCommunity hall Ghevra Ankur Open Space Mini lab Community hall Ankur open spaceMini lab Ankur open space Dakshinpuri Studio Dakshinpuri Lab DakshinpuriStudio Vienna Lab Vienna Studio Dakshinpuri Lab Studio Bolzano Lab Bolzano

Sarai Sarai Delhi Delhi LNJP Sarai LNJP Sarai Delhi Lab Delhi Studio LNJPLab Ankur LabStudio LNJP Ankur Studio Lab Studio Ankur Ankur Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

It can adapt to changing geometries and - mate h: The non-recognizability of the hub is the first thing, I am also thinking of the idea of adoption/adaption. irsc H If the Hub is made like it is being proposed, it will break s ai: u n n R A A li e e b v v ikola o o Supposing Supposing the Hub, after it is made, is given to three from, say, from older my neighborhood, for women a week, will they make a home will how week, a for it adopt they if is, That else? something or it, of out they adapt it? and is very crucial. Because it is non-recognizable, the question as outside and content as inside. have is not of the building we rials, rials, adapting and exposing the conflict between structure, use and display. L and: Ba L and: N the idea of how a building is made and also get incorporated into the daily act of making and building in different neighborhoods. There is between making and inhabiting. no separation here

280 Jan Verwoert COL M NOT ay 13, 2011, 5:49 A Jan Ver V T R E C A T E R Wants; N T M o ra xp he njoy oice and with oice and with edu ep olle rt Quantity and Quality and Quality Quantity rt nx ew ult LA ES D nsference; anded; ious ious ertoire of of ertoire F is itude of itude ctive ctive cible to cible to F ment; re

B appoint; ON am ORA edom to to edom P P ra w ily ily ro P

E M gmatism gmatism oer M ner ductivity; ductivity; TI M I E es ndi P V I em ach nt gies towards an towardsgies an ra T E M sianic o t S erpreting the the erpreting

vidual vidual ctical ctical P ber; an pe

I nt O ROD H y; ak with ak with the roduce a roduce a T elp T A T he o P o O ut r like U os s; C bs K hority; 'We' 'We' hority; A CT F han ee or sibilities sibilities re re O essions; essions; O ION ce of a edip p the p the T N ne ne nel nel hat F ot at

al al her; her; ; ;

281 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

we are free to work alone, we tend to overlook the realize the practical possibility of working with oth- for a musician to record and perform music, by oneself, by music, perform and record to musician a for produced produced by one person can speak with (and for) a - multi fields of art, music and literature alike the growing demand there is a quality to be defended, it lies in the freedom to choice. choice. For instance, for a musician to play in a band is first fact that working by oneself is the only option the existing systems of support are still prepared to accommodate. In order to keep the solitary performer as the professional norm.the solitary performer as the professional Believing that the repertoire of practical possibilities broader, it is therefore cru- cial to (publicly) remind the people who provide support that col- ifchoice, of mode working a is) (and be still can production lective this avenue is not to be closed down for good. to professionalize one’s creative practice has not only increased the pressure on the individual to deliver a clearly branded, read- ily recognizable product, it has also established the role model of ironic: It’s using little more than a personal computer, originally the implied freedom to own the means of production and travel Now that this easily. working model has become the norm today, to get someone (a venue, label etc.) to pay progres- become has do they what for live and travel perform, record, an entire collective to sively more difficult.  In the However, to speak with one voice and with many, by oneself and with others, in others, with and oneself by many, with and voice one with speak ers today – and to insist on this possibility still being practically So if or solely an individual. In art quantity and quality are not reduc- ible to each other like that. A higher headcount won't necessarily give you true polyphony. Any ideological agenda superior morally or different inherently being as production that group promotes denies this basic fact, and therefore usually looses track of every- thing that is artistic (i.e. fun, engaging, provocative, - transforma be it solitary or collective.tive) about art production, constellations that become engaging not because they are mor- ally justified, but because they are possiblea particular in situation – and relevant and for make life a little but better in that situation. more complicated viable – does have strong political implications. A  work The decision to collaborate with others is not a moral but a prac- tical because Just voice. one with speak can group a as just voices, of tude there are many, or just one, doesn’t mean you have a multitude of all a practical possibility rather than a moral issue. than a moral rather possibility a practical of all

3 1 2

282 Jan Verwoert 6 5 4

A helpful A leadership reclaiming while denyingitsexistence. effectively standing, man last the be will end the in who promise, messianic the embody could it like feel group entire the make to power the claimed initially who person the be to tends usually it Ironically, wants. ‘we’ the what say to is who over contending group the in people several or one of guise People It hastobefacedifthingsarenotgoinggopear-shapedquickly. question. pressing a always is be people to of group is a authority within handled how of question the them in because simply quite political, the of experience the up makes what of heart the attempts  Moreover, and sustaininganexpandedsenseofpracticalpossibilities. profession of politics a of terms in people different by shared and maintained created, are duction and while a in once equipment for own one's down power to So, person who receives it receives who person the by as well as mandate that authorizes who group the by both understood be then should of It plaisir. master de a maitre of or ceremonies role the in execute, and embody to mandate the receives someone which function operative an as defined be clearly should other, each to listen also but speak just not to people meeting, as well as the task of moderating a discussion and getting a terminate and initiate to authority The possible. manner matic prag- most the in authority of structures formalize to is forms) its  ones” imagination shared of level the onto displaced rarily Experience shows that the force of authority that is thereby tempo- onto the group as a collective subject, rather than on an individual. practically only means to project the belief in a messianic authority however, ideal, this propagate To authority. of structures around itself organize to need any without spontaneously, act and form  tures frombeing chargedwithpsychological projections. struc- operative basic protect to helps Pragmatism suspended. is position power this embodying of forms charismatic acknowledge - messianic, group’s for need the the that so exist, should of structure such some that indicative ment it bestowing solely of is act someone the on that and structural, only is moderator a time go and produce in a space where the conditions of pro- of conditions the where space a in produce and go time a – still like to invoke the utopian notion that a collective can can collective a that notion utopian the invoke to like still will sooner or later reappear in re-personalized form in the means of countering the messianic imagination (in all all (in imagination messianic the countering of means to produce collaboratively inevitably touch on on touch inevitably collaboratively produce to – that the power thereby bestowed on the the on bestowed thereby power the that – is a political act of reclaiming reclaiming of act political a is – “we are the the are “we – –

283 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

or revolt – default mode that groups tend to fall back on of charismatic tyrannical leadership in the field the father, the members of the group will, indi- self-discipline self-discipline from everyone involved in the - proc Traditional forms of ensemble production, in theater and cinema (from Brecht to Fassbinder), rely heavily on this model of oedipal (But it has equally been transference. taken up as a contemporary management technique in purportedly ‘flexibilized’ dynamic working environ- ments.) Traditionally, too, the most insidiously effective strategy to enhance the productivity of a group fixated on interpreting the desire of the father figure, is for that father figure to create an In interpreting vidually or by gossiping among themselves, seek to find out not only what they may be expected to do, but very the much standards may also be what by which they will be judged. The primary force at the heart of the group’s dynamic is then the desire to read the father and figure out what it means to please him when they seek to determine their desires and focus their gies, ener- is that of oedipal transference: to this end, one member of the group is singled out as a father figure. Most often that person has already been designated for this position as such by virtue of heror him to assigned initiator) or leader project the (e.g. rank the father the out singling In framework. institutional given the within figure the group confers uponthat person the task of incorporat- ing the general demand for them to be someone thing. The and question what a general do audience may expect from some- the group is thereby transformed into the question what the figure might father want from them. Ostensibly, this makes addressing the question easier. Instead of speculating on the nature of an as yet disembodied demand from future audiences, one can proceed to observe and interpret the actions and reactions of one person only – the designated father figure. together are sovereign individuals in their own right, who don’t look for someone to embody power for because they know how to them, do so for themselves on and are therefore their behalf, able to easily relinquish their power position when a pragmatic them to. arrangement permits Unfortunately, the against him. The energies that the group subsequently generates are strictly contingent on (and constrained within) the constant interpretation of its own workings. ess. Ironically, the likelihood of a collective cooperating together on this level tends to be greater, not smaller, when those who get To To structure authority in a pragmatic fashion however demands considerable

8 7

284 Jan Verwoert 9

ihu doubt,  Without recreate similarworkingconditionsindifferentplaces. name and signature opens the doors for them and permits them to on to another institution tends to be easier for them, because their the collective energies they channel, to leave one setting and move on be may figures authority single as Dependent director. that of is steered by one director and therefore first of all boosts the career ensemble the of machinery neurotic the end the in manipulated, astrong while Yet, the films). and manipulator the his between exists therefore co-dependency of cast the on else everybody much as as himself exploited arguably Fassbinder like ensemble. director (A the in person single every manipulating relentlessly through experience the orchestrates includ- who figure together, authority the ing hell through journey same the takes involved working This or cutthemdowninfrontofeveryonethenextmoment. ensemble, i.e. by picking favorites one moment, only to drop them the of members the criticizes and/or rewards he which in manner the in inconsistent purposefully being by instance for read, to cult identify as a clear target) will therefore do all he can to remain diffi- could they something against revolting from people prevent (and rannical leader who seeks to elicit this kind of anxious productivity ty- charismatic A demand. opaque the satisfying and determining – figure authority the please will what about ever, their jobs,nothingmore.People whoareperpetuallyunsure,how- them are very likely only to deliver just that; they will play it safe, do strategy is fairly simple: people who understand what is expected of this behind logic cruel The insecurity. permanent of atmosphere of transferring that responsibility onto the person in charge). of transferring thatresponsibilityontothe person incharge). everyone involved to take responsibility for their own desire (instead for means it Literally, figure. authority internal the of medium the via mediation prior without group, a as and terms, own their on ly, someone and do something as something they need to face direct- single member in the group recognizes the (outside) demand to be every where situation a towards work to needs one Instead, cost. through one authority figure therefore has to be counteracted at all option. possible In worst rejecting this model, the internal the channeling of a artis- group’s energy is of model oedipal goal the a production, as tic emancipation in believes still anyone, who For however, ensemble. an within dynamics incredible unleash will remain anxious enough to keep trying out ever new ways of of ways new ever out trying keep to enough anxious remain will model can create strong loyalties because everyone everyone because loyalties strong create can model forms of charismatic tyrannical leadership can can leadership tyrannical charismatic of forms – and what won’t won’t what and

285 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

). Such characters then form then characters Such Gambler). The Four Four Weddings and a Funeral), or the shamelessly moments moments when a group emancipates itself and faces good way to interrupt the cycle of oedipal projection whom no one expects anything are in a unique posi- road to an emancipated collective, the task of interrupting to do, not least because, again, ironically, the facilitators, Those from tion to channel collective energies towards bypasses and exceeds the an moral economy of oppressive demands enjoyment that a third party that operates outside the binary system definedexpectations and the anxiety to interpret and fulfill them. by  Moreover, a and transference is to diffuse the family logic at the bottom of this process. One way to do so is to introduce a new who family doesn’t member fit into the binary parent/child pattern, let’s say the equivalent of the Scottish gay uncle who suddenly appears at the wedding (as in she what does and says unapologetically who grandmother honest Dostoevsky’s in (as wants the processes of transference and preventing the establishment ofestablishment the preventing and transference of processes the an authority figure as the medium for the group’s- self-interpreta tion may paradoxically, however, end up being the first challenge that the person otherwise designated as the authority figure will have to actively take on. In practice, the first unavoidable step to take is to disappoint the expectations of a group that you should embody the outside expectations for them. play- just on insist to but favorites, pick To nor judge neither to means disappoint here ing the moderator who deflects and reflects the question “What is desired here? What do we really really want?” back to that of success the The again… group, and again and again it, raising by simply disappointment can only be measured in terms of how complicat- ed it is to recover from it, for people do hold it against a designated  On the by virtue of their central role in shaping the group, will most likely be the ones to be dragged back into precisely the position of the representatives (of outside demands and internal to abolish. they seek desires) that mandate only to renounce it.authority figure if that figure uses the the public without the intermediary of a central authority figure, and performs with the force of a multitude of sions individual projected obses- outwards from the multiple hearts of sheera the it’s headless liberating: radically is outcome the machine, neurotic Show, Muppet the in moments divine [e.g. play at gods weird of fun Circus, The Selecter performing live…] Monty Python’s Flying However, in To To facilitate such a process of emancipation is one of the hardest things

11 10

286 Jan Verwoert the experiment! worth totally it’s that shows Experience ball. a have can everybody then and whatsoever, role appointed no has who someone with of the facilitator of the game, they may still happily go out and play role the appointed were you because you, with play won’t people If In other words: if all else fails, bring in friends with strange habits. that. for compensation ample be to tends uncle the and Granny with all for had be to fun divine the Still, disappoint. must who tor modera- the of position cop) (bad the in up end still may Granny anarchist or uncle gay the) of (equivalent the invites who one The contract. oedipal the by governed not is that relation a into enter let and them with to is same, the do to take they pleasures the by inspired be oneself To bond them. fulfill to attempts guilty and

287 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation IOGRAPHIES B

288 BIOGRAPHIES ing includ- publications numerous in issues philosophical related and art contemporary on extensively written has Bueti Möntmann. Persekian Nina and Jack with co-curated 2009, Jerusalem, Art, Contemporary – Syndrome Jerusalem The Middelburg; Vleeshal, Lubjljana/De Museum Brétigny/City CAC with collaboration in Rome, Mobile, Arte Radio VOCATIONRAM, #10 , ance by Tris Vonna-Michell, Marino Marini Museum, Florence; including: projects curated Bueti www.journalment.org. politics. and art culture, contemporary for nal jour- …ment, of editor-in-chief and in member founding Academy a is She American Rome. the by commissioned less/express, and org), (www.pianomagazine. PIANOmagazine magazine online the directed and founded Bueti curator. and writer independent an is She Berlin. in works and lives She 1982. in Italy, Scilla, in born was Bueti Federica Nuremberg, anddirectstheNomadicMastersProgram. chair of Architecture and Urban Research at the Academy of Fine Arts, the holds He Berlin. in brandlhuber+ of founder Brandlhuber, Arno reconfigurations within systemscontinuetobesomeofhismaininterests. unpredictable and meaning, and function be- tween overlaps and clashes The gatherings. for constructs and spaces proposes he where work of body a setting’, a ‘setting through space public of notions and ideas, of production the investigates further He co-habitation. of models and organization of systems unauthorized impro- studies support, of structures hidden as well as city, the in architectures vised Altay environment. different urban the incorporate on research photographs of forms and books mappings, of installations videos, His Turkey. Istanbul, in living artist an is Altay Can Anna-Catharina Gebbers,SilvanLindenandChristianPosthofen. Brandlhuber, Arno by organized is c/o Akademie intended. is what is this production, spatial and architecture instrumentalizes politically and is ideologizes psychologizes, what perspective such through when and relations If social built”. to order “giving as but elements, constructive and economic aesthetic, of addition then as here ceived the in spatial of production questions with dealing seminar public a is c/o Akademie F A tay C A Surface Tension #4: Manual for the Construction of a sound as device device as sound a of Construction the for Manual Tension#4: Surface ederica B ederica rno Brandlh rno kademie c/o an A l u eti Sail rdcin s o per- not is production Spatial Republik . Berliner ub , Al-Ma’mal, Foundation for for Foundation Al-Ma’mal, #1, Project Sound er a perform- a Illuminations , Wasteful Camere Camere

289 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

based in Berlin, Autobiography of a Jessy Cohen project and Juliaan Lampens at the Witte at The Kitchen,The at State of Reasons For Hilchot Shechnim series, Liminal Spaces Unknown Pleasures at the Stadtgalerie, Bern, Weizman Weizman , Rally the Persona Persona in Meno at the Fondazione Sandretto Re ampens C e qu anon D Free , Radicals ang F

ngeli yal yal Hu E A City in Jaffa (www.jaffaproject.org). art, He culture is and co-editor media Schools of Art. teaches at the Midrasha and Kalisher magazine of Maarav the (www.maarav.org.il.) online and Hu Fang was born in 1970, in China. He director is of Vitamin co-founder Creative and Space in artistic Guangzhou - (www.vitamincrea tivespace.com) and The Pavilion in Beijing (vitamincreativespace. project, Eyal Danon is director and head Digital curator Art, of Holon. the He Israeli curated Centre and and for projects co-curated including various the exhibitions more (www.digitalartlab.org.il). He is director and founding member of the AYAM association that operates the project blogbus.com). His daily practice focuses on the process of initiating diverse spatial models though intensive dialogues and collaborations Chinese the in independence of negotiations the through artists, with context in particular, to open up new possibilities of planting ‘species of spaces’ within contemporary art context. He in various has international art projects been including Documenta involved 12 maga- zines in 2007 as coordinating editor and Yokohama Triennale 2008 as co-curator.Fiction writing is his parallel practice to individuals explore perceive and how try to build up the relation with the world. curated the solo exhibition with Kasper and she Akhøj co-curated at Wiels, Brussels, Rebaudengo, Italy. She was assistant curator for the Belgian Pavilion sec- a curated She 2009. Biennale Venice the for Geys Jef artist the with and Severen) Van David Geers (Kersten Office with 2009 Watou in tion co-curated and Smets, Bas Bureau New (2008). York Other projects include Zaal, Ghent, 2009, and the at History Art in degree master’s her earned She 2007. Switzerland, University of Ghent. Angelique Angelique Campens is a Belgian-based curator and writer, working for non-profit galleries and public spaces, and one of the correspond - ents for Domus. She was a Whitney Museum of American Art ISP fel- low in New York in 2007-08. Recently she co-curated to elaborate social connection (published by Errant Bodies and Atelier Nord).

290 BIOGRAPHIES – magazin fürpolitik, theorie,alltag. and curatorof the projectspaceBibliothekswohnung; editorforPolar director curator; and writer independent an Gebbers, Anna-Catharina Recent Art(Yale UniversityPress,2009) Mousse, and he is a co-author of and Site Domus, Artforum, as such publications in appeared has writing Laima Kreivyte, with and, (2008); Sweden Konstmuseum, Malmö the at Mind of Gonda. www.mariafusco.net and on a screenplay with Austrian artist Ursula Mayer for the feature film novel, a on working currently is Maria (2009-10). London Gallery, Whitechapel at Writer-in-Residence inaugural the and (2008-9) Paris Foundation, Kadist Art the at Critic-in-Residence inaugural the was She methodology. as Tutti Fanni Cosey musician and artists of possibilities the on lating organised and devised She writing. art experimental about and for journal annual semi- a London) Works, (Book Hypocrite Happy The of founder/editor the is and London, of University is Goldsmiths, at Maria Writing Art York). of director New & Berlin Press, (Sternberg published been cently in based academic, and editor London. writer, Belfast-born a is Fusco Maria Literary City Institute, London. the and London of University Goldmsiths, London, of East University the at teaches He k-punk.abstractdynamics.org. at blogs he and Wire, The and Sound and Sight Frieze, Quarterly, Film for regu- larly writes He 2009). Zer0, (both Jackson Michael of Demise Resistible of author the is Fisher Mark Contemporary internationally including exhibitions for organized Institute has He Nordic Finland. Helsinki, – in was Art NIFCA he at 2006 residency In York. in New curator in Program Study Independent Museum Bolzano, Whitney in the in Museo Fellow Curatorial Galleria Rubinstein Helena kunst 2008-2009 A ar/ge Italy. of director the is Fassi Luigi His recent novel Press andVitamin(www.hufangwrites.com). A M M Lu nna- aria ark igi , about a vervet monkey and a Hi-Power Browning pistol, pistol, Browning Hi-Power a and monkey vervet a about Sailor, , her first book of short stories, has re - has stories, short of book first her Copula, Mechanical The for the Third Prague Biennale (2007). His His (2007). Biennale Prague Third the for Mythologies Baltic F C F , a one-day event at the ICA in London, specu- London, in ICA the at event one-day a Complex , Cosey t SP Nw ok (2009); York New ISCP, at Practice Theoretical assi Fu isher atharina sco Garden of Mirrored Flowers is co-published by Sternberg G e bb ers n te dtr of editor the and Realism Capitalist Time Out of Joint: Recall and Evocation in Archaeology Archaeology The The

291 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

unit- (Selected Three Perspectives On University, 2011), was published by MIT , 1998/ Art, of Promises The (Flipflop. On Digital Culture, Über Universität ( h Meaning Liam Gillick More Money, 2008). He is currently working The Wood , Way Whitechapel Gallery, London, Politics, Politics, Identity and Public Space - Critical Was verspricht die Kunst? ( die verspricht Was la Flipflop. Digitale Kultur u irsch H eidenreic H ann illick Mehr Geld ( Tell Tell It Like It Is - Contemporary Photography and the Lure H G A short text on the possibility of creating an economy of equivalence, of economy an creating of possibility the on text short A ichael ika tefan tefan iam M S M L on the upcoming publication He has taught at various art schools and participated and in Documenta universities X (1997) as in a member of Germany, the Jackson Michael Hirsch (b. 1966) is a philosopher and political scientist. He lives and works as an independent teacher and writer in Munich. Press (2009). An anthology of his artistic writing titled Allbooks also was published by Book Works, London (2009). In contributed addition to many he art has magazines and journals including Parkett, Liam Gillick Frieze, Art representedMonthly, October and Art Forum. Biennale in 2009. Germany at the Venice Stefan Heidenreich was born in 1965 in Biberach/Riss, Germany. A critical reader titled is He Berlin. in lives critic, and curator lecturer, writer, Hannula, Mika Applied Fine, of Faculty the in research, artistic for professor currently and Performing Arts, University of Gothenburg. publications Among his Expothesis are: Art, latest Contemporary of Practices the Through and In Reflections 2009, and 2011. , Art Monitor, University of Gothenburg of the Real He lives in Berlin and works as writer, include books His journalist and theoretician. Writings 1988-2006) was published by JRP-Ringier in 2007, alongside the monograph Factories in the Snow by Lilian Haberer (JRP-Ringier). paperback 2009), 2004) and Liam Liam Gillick is an artist based in London and New York. His solo Palais Palais de Tokyo, 2005 and the retrospective project exhibitions exhibitions include 2002; and a short scenario, Witte de With, Rotterdam, and MCA Kunsthalle Chicago 2008-2010. A Zurich major exhibition of his work opened at the Kunst und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in April 2010. In 2006 he co-founded the free art school project ednationsplaza in Berlin. Liam Gillick has published texts a that number function of in parallel to his artwork. Proxemics and teaches at the Architecture Department of the ETH Zürich. and teaches at the Architecture Department

292 BIOGRAPHIES Trap] (Theater Oberhausen), (Theater Trap] include (2010) works RecentFestwochen Vienna. the Hamburg, Ruhrtriennale and the Ruhrfestspiele in the Ruhr, and the Wiener Theater, Thalia the Oberhausen, Schauspiel Theater the Cologne, Köln Hannover, Schauspiel the Münchner Munich, the Kammerspiele Berlin, Volksbühne Hamburg, the Schauspielhaus Zürich, the Schauspielhaus for the himself) in appears and writes often he (which plays staged has and WDR for plays radio numerous ferent format. Schorsch is also an artist in his own right, has produced called Sat 3 on series television a presented he mid-nineties the In organisation. renowned the the of singer band lead and founder the is He Munich. and Hamburg in works and lives and people best 14 the of one is Kamerun Schorsch curated has Tiravanija’s Rirkrit for structure studio a and Delhi in Hub Cybermohalla the are projects current his Among Latour’s Bruno as and (ZKM) Public Things Making such exhibitions, Kunsthalle, for structures European Forsythe), numerous Vidokle), and William Anton Document (with (with Hinzert Theater Unitednationsplaza Depot Synagogue, Bockenheimer Dresden Center, in- acclaimed work University, His the Philadelphia. Gießen in cludes at Pennsylvania of Studies University Theater the London, and Applied in for Association Institute Architectural held the has the He at 2010. positions since academic Frankfurt the of in director Portikus the and been has Städelschule and architect, an is Hirsch Nikolaus Symbolic Commissioner,NewYork/Berlin 2010 (ed.): Kunstverein Grazer / Grammel Søren in WorkingFreedom, in (Co-editor); 2009 Stuttgart Postdemokratie, der in (2009); 1 Nr. Inasethetik in: Politik, und Kunst über Thesen 2007; Stuttgart Gegenwart, der Theorie (Co-editor); 2003 York/Berlin New German-English, Impossible), the of Possibility (The include: publications His Pollock Bar (Theory Installations) with the work He istheauthorofOnBoundaries, Berlin, S N chorsch chorsch ikola and together with Rocko Schamoni runs runs Schamoni Rocko with together and Zitronen Goldenen Die in Istanbul and Istanbul in Agencies Cultural u , that resumed in 2001 with a slightly dif- slightly a with 2001 in resumed that Overnight, Pudel at Volksbühne at Urban the of Representations ErsatzStadt: s in Hamburg and a theatre music music theatre a and Hamburg in Klub Pudel Golden H K irsc amer Die zwei Seiten der Entpolitisierung. Zur politischen Zur Entpolitisierung. der Seiten zwei Die h u n Adorno. Die Möglichkeit des Unmöglichen Unmöglichen des Möglichkeit Die Adorno. Vor uns die Sintflut die uns Vor (Serpentine Gallery). Gallery). (Serpentine Highway Indian Track17andInstitutionBuilding. Subversion und Widerstand. 10 10 Widerstand. und Subversion at the Portikus. the at Time/Bank . Nikolaus Hirsch Hirsch Nikolaus Land. The We Aim to be Amateurs. [Offside [Offside Abseitsfalle [The Deluge Before Before Deluge [The Concrete Utopias of of Utopias Concrete Der Staat Staat Der The The

293 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Decolonizing Civil Society Must Be, tnik ra The Wrong of Contemporary Art: Aesthetics Why Art? The Primacy of Audience, for Global w Holt mich hier raus (ich bin hier vor der Wand) DA at the International Rotterdam Architecture Educations Sentimental and Unsentimental: olo K alik DA) in Bethlehem and London. Parts of Nina’s thesis, inden You Are Here You for Manifesta 8 (2010); M L an v hail ina Valerie ina Valerie il Su S N [Get Me Out of Here (I’m Here, Kammerspiele). In Front He of the is Wall)] (Münchner a (2010/11). Künste in Munich Bildenden visiting professor at the Akademie der Suhail Malik is Reader in Critical Studies Recent writings include: at Goldsmiths, London. Silvan Linden, co-founder of Büro für Konstruktivismus in Berlin, Art Forum, Dubai (2011), and Political Indeterminacy (with Andrea Phillips) in Reading intellectual space of critical debate on the spatial futures Her Palestine. most recent articles are published in Graz Architecture of Israel- Magazine (Springer Wien-NY), darabZINE (Columbia University, NY) and Sedek Magazine (Zochrot, Tel Aviv-Jaffa), all 2011. Currently she is collaborating with Studio Miessen, has been awarded a Fulbright fellowship, and is pursuing the Curatorial postgraduate and program Conceptual in Practices Critical in University, NY. Architecture at Columbia editor of die planung a terv and a cultural producer in various fields. Rancière (2011); 2010; Biennial Taipei for Education and Art of Politics the Repositioning Screw (Down) The Debt: Neoliberalism and the Politics of Austerity Mute, in 2010; Destroyed in Sanity Assassin (2010). Like, Totally Kafr ’Inan – Images of Presence for a Landscape of Kafr Absence. A Spatial Re- reading of Question the Refugee (2010) Palestinian have been exhibited in collaboration with Architecture ( Biennial, the Istanbul Art Biennial, and the University 2009. of She Exeter is part in of the online platform arenaofspeculation.org, an Nina Valerie Kolowratnik is an architect educated at Graz University of Technology and Aalto University in Helsinki. Since 2008 she been investigating has a spatial practice in which the architect interferes in socio-political space as a critical agent, to open up possibilities for Hilal, Sandi with worked has she research this of course the In change. Alessandro Petti and Eyal Weizman on their project Us] (Thalia Theater),

294 BIOGRAPHIES and ArtItsInstitutions(London,BlackDogPublishing, 2006). umes catalogues. and readers essays Her Hamburg. Farockiin Harun with project a curating currently is she Society, Civil the of Art an for was a research fellow at the Museo de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid. in Sofia Reina Arte de Museo the at fellow research a was project research and art Palestinian Persekian). East Coast Europe (Sternberg Press, 2008), Architects in 2010), the Struggle for Institutional Space (Sternberg Press, 2009), Press, (Sternberg in Leipzig and Kunsthalle Zurich. In 2005 she joined the founding founding the joined she 2005 In Zurich. Kunsthalle and Leipzig in Kunst Zeitgenössische für Galerie at worked she University Leipzig from graduating Before curator. and historian art an is Moritz Julia and in 2008), Toronto, Plant, Power (The community of (mal)functions show group the curated she 2008/09 In Stockholm. in Art of RoyalInstitute the at Ideas of tory His- the and Theory Art of Professor and curator a is Möntmann Nina Miessen titles: other collaborations, amongst published, has various In Berlin-based nOffice. and practice London the cultural architectural co-founded and he 2007 practice in spatial and for inquiry, agency collaborative a Miessen, Studio up set he 2002 In writer. and architect an is Miessen Markus Politics in the Middle East (Bidoun, 2007), 2007), Press, (Sternberg at DbiKwi) wwsuimesncm www.nOffice.eu, www.studiomiessen.com, www.winterschoolmiddleeast.org (Dubai/Kuwait). East Middle School Winter the founded he 2008, In Main. am Frankfurt Städelschule, the at Practice Spatial Critical for professorship new a Karlsruhe Gestaltung, für (2010-12), Hochschule the (2009–10), Rotterdam Institute, Berlage the (2004–08), London Association, Architectural Shenzhen the as and such institutions at positions (Murcia), acdemic held has He Manifesta Biennials. (NY), Performa Venice, Lyon, the at including widely, exhibited and published been has work His (MIT Press, 2006), and

2009 J N M u ina ina

ark New Communities lia The Jerusalem The M u M Geneva (2010-12) and – in October 2011 – will start start will – 2011 October in – and (2010-12) Geneva head,

have been published internationally in internationally published been have s öntmann As a As orit M iessen curator of the New Patrons, the European Platform Platform European the Patrons, New the of curator z Spaces of Uncertainty (Müller+Busmann, 2002). (together with Jack Jack with (together Syndrome Jerusalem Show: (Toronto, Public Books/The Power Plant, 2009)

With/Without: Spatial Products, Practices, and and Practices, Products, Spatial With/Without: If we If

Recent

Institution Building: Artists, Curators, Curators, Artists, Building: Institution She participated She can’t get it together. Artists rethinking the the together.rethinking it Artists get can’t ulctos nld te dtd vol- edited the include publications h Ngtae f Participation of Nightmare The , and in 2010 2010 in and Spaces, Liminal Did Someone Say Participate? The Violence of Participation in the long-term Israeli/ long-term the in

numerous critic numerous

al al

295 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Judgment and Contemporary Vancouver Vancouver Art and Economies Institutional Critique in Spaces in Critique Institutional she was director/curator at Artspeak, (with Lisa Mazza) was shown was Mazza) Lisa (with Complicity Critical ilsson From 2004-2010 ’Brian

N O t s u u a N elanie agn M M Jan Jan a Interested in the possibilities Power of The at Programs of Head & Curator currently is O’Brian Melanie embedded institutional critique, Plant, Toronto. Vancouver. Vancouver. O’Brian has organized exhibitions and offsite projects in Vancouver and internationally. She has written extensively ited and numerous publications ed- including Magnus Nilsson is a registered architect, urban theorist and writer. Magnus Nilsson is a registered architect, He is a founding partner of nOffice, a Berlin and London-based prac- tice situated at the crossroads of architecture, art and contemporary degree Architecture of Bachelor a received Nilsson Magnus discourse. with high honours from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and completed a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University in New York. He has received awards numerous for his work, and the work has been published and exhibited internationally. (Arsenal Pulp Press/Artspeak, 2007) and Art Criticism (Artspeak/Fillip, 2010). Jan Nauta (b. 1982) graduated from the Architectural Diploma Association’s School in 2011, winning the AA (with Scrap Prize. Marshall) of He the Public is Occasion Agency, and the independ- founder ent events bureau. Nauta worked for nOffice in Berlin, designed the Moet technical school in Burkina Faso, and coordinated the Beyond Entropy symposium at the Biennale Venice 2010. At present he works as an architect, writer and organiser. team team of the European Kunsthalle in Cologne, where she co-published Question of the Day (with Nicolaus Schafhausen, 2007). Moritz at Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna and Editor. Currently published by Moritz Schlebrügge lectures Lüneburg University, where in she is also the curator of the research ex- contemporary art history university gallery. at Kunstraum, the hibition Demanding Supplies at co-organized co-organized the German Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale and was Assistant Curator at Manifesta 7 in Fortezza, Italy. As Program Studies Independent Museum Whitney the a at Fellow Studies Critical dissertation her started she York New in of Conflict that was completed project exhibition Her in 2010, publication forthcoming.

296 BIOGRAPHIES architecture. Phillips is currently developing a series of international international of series a developing currently is Phillips architecture. sions that forefront critiques of participation in contemporary art and and research, tion to contemporary art, the future rela- and implications its of practice-based and space transnational of formatting aesthetic the include projects research Current publics. and institution-making architecture, politics, art, on internationally speaks and contem- practice, and art porary philosophy politics, artist’s on journals, collections architecture and monographs and art in widely publication. publishes and Phillips exhibition an in resulting curating-architecture), (www.gold.ac.uk/visual-art/ display public of concepts and curating architecture, between relationship political and aesthetic the gated investi- that Department Art the in based Doctoral think-tank a Architecture, the of Curating Art, of director director was of she 2006-2009 From and Department Programme. Research the London, at of Art University Fine Goldsmiths, in Reader is Phillips Andrea the received Perjovschi George MaciunasPrizein2004. 2007. in University Duke at Art His of Museum 2005. in exhibition, Biennial retrospective Istanbul first 9th the and Vienna, Foundation, Paris and the 52nd Venice Biennial in 2007, New Europe at the Generali 2008, in Liverpool and Biennial Sydney the 2009, in Biennial Lyon the including shows group in participated has He 2005. in Cologne and 2006; in Frankfurt Portikus and London Modern Tate at Drawing Room The and York 2010; in Institute Art Francisco 2011; in Over Not include exhibitions solo His Bucharest. in works and lives He Romania. Sibiu, in 1961, born was Perjovschi Dan Dieter Brinkmannandstudentpolitics. Rolf writer German the on published has He science. of history and philosophy poststructuralist art, and literature experimental include the and interests Research Konstanz Athens. of of University Kapodestrian German University and National the studied at previously Philosophy He and Literature London. in College, Goldsmiths Studies, Cultural for Centre the at studying currently is Paul Morten A D M an ndrea orten orten at ROM, Toronto, and Toronto, ROM, at News Late P at Kunsthalle Basel in 2007; 2007; in Basel Kunsthalle at Exhausted am I Exotic not am I er j P P o hillips a e o pbiain ad discus- and publications of set a Democracy, Building a v u schi l The Magelanic Cloud Magelanic The , was held at Nasher Nasher at held was Mind, of States at MoMA New New MoMA at US? to Happened What at Ludwig Museum, Museum, Ludwig at Drawings Naked at Centre Georges Pompidou Georges Centre at at the San San the at Institute Drawing at at Hand Other the On t Tate at Floor Fifth at MACRO,at Rome,

297 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

No Soul for Sale at the Tate, (after Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Recipes Recipes for an Encounter at the Dorsky Komma

a v thofen odes P os P eed ee L R hristian ristina atricia atricia P C K Patricia Patricia Reed (b. Ottawa, Canada) is an artist and writer who has par- ticipated in several research and residency programs including: CCA Centre Banff Stuttgart; Solitude, Schloss Akademie Japan; Kitakyushu, for the Arts, Canada and the CCA Ujazdowski, Warsaw. Her practice reflects on structures of co-habitation, the ways in which we dwell Christian Posthofen is a philosopher, publisher and He bookseller. is of field the in teaches and Bibliothek Kunstwissenschaftliche of editor applied philosophy. together, and the playing out of ticular interest in the disagreement contingency of systemic ordering, therein. Reed’s work With par- seeks to destabilize reified notions of operabilitysymbolic), (both through actual artistic and and philosophical means. internationally, with She recent shows at Botkyrka Konsthall, Stockholm; exhibits 0047 Projects, Oslo; Limerick Art Gallery, Vancouver; Ireland; Audain Gallery, and Württembergischer a writer, Kunstverein, Reed Stuttgart. ing: has Shifter Magazine, contributed As Fillip, Art numerous Papers, The C publications Finnish Magazine, Framework: Art includ- Review, YYZ Bio-politics to Noo-politics Essays, And The Seasons: They Cognitive go round and round. Architecture: From www.aestheticmanagement.com. Kristina Lee Podesva is a Vancouver-based artist, writer, and editor symposiums symposiums for the Dutch Foundation for forming Public a Art, research SKOR, unit and into the Aesthetic and Economic Impact of Contemporary Art, based at Goldsmiths. Art, based of Contemporary of Fillip. She was the founder school dedicated to of the speculative and collaborative colourschool research of five (2006-2008), a free inaugu- the also was She brown. and yellow, red, black, white, colours; ral artist in residence at the Langara Centre for Art in Public Spaces. Her artwork and writing have appeared in exhibitions, projects, and publications in screenings, Canada, the United States, and Europe. Most recently her work appeared at London and in the exhibition Gallery in Long Island City, NY. Her writing has been Fillip published in and Bidoun, as Contemporary Art well Criticism, as in books such as Judgment and Got His Gun), and 100% Vancouver.

298 BIOGRAPHIES Pavilion attheVenice ArchitectureBiennale. British the curated he 2006 In Prize. Sustainability RIBA the won and Straw House and Quilted Office), which has been extensively discussed (The Street Orchard Stock 9 building, Wigglesworth pioneering their Sarah on Architects with worked he architect, an As environment. built the in creativity and scarcity on project research EU major a ing lead- currently is He www.spatialagency.net. website accompanying an with 2011, summer in Routledge by published Schneider, Tatjana and Awan Nishat with architecture, doing of ways other Agency: Spatial Research.is for book Award recent President’s most RIBA His the won and 2007) Press written extensive His includes 2008. work since Westminster of University the at Environment Built the and Architecture of Dean been has Till Jeremy tional artworld. Merve Verlag, Berlin. He writes and publishes regularly in the interna- works critical the and and (2009) Berlin, Realometer Verlag, Seitz & Matthes from (2011) novels fiction and science (2005) the of author is Schlegell von Mark provides alltheresistancenecessary. body his that sensing and signals transmitted relaying echoes, for ing listen- people, the watching is he Currently, there. and here between route en stations way night, the spend to places for together search ones loved his and He schoolbook. a on Natascha friend dearest his with collaborating Berlin, in autumn an and ones, no and someones goings, and comings of thought sea, the at stared he where Beirut in year a love, in fell he where Tehran in summer a commune, utopian Damascus amongst artists, tourists, and secret agents in in a temporarily months few a spent has He 1984. in born was Sepahvand Ashkan of Museum (Antwerp MuHKA at curator Contemporary Art) and an editor of Afterall journal. He lives in Berlin. a is Roelstraete Dieter Jeremy M A D shkan ieter ark v R on 20) rm Semiotext(e), from (2009) Station Mercury T oels S ill epah (with Tatjana Schneider, Architectural Architectural Schneider, Tatjana (with Housing Flexible S (MIT Press 2009), both of which which of both 2009), Press (MIT Depends Architecture c traete hlegell hlegell v and (Fall 2011), from from 2011), (Fall Mainstream the Dreaming ih Wichita High Venusia

299 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation

Tell Tell Me What You Want at the Vancouver Art Gallery at the Vancouver Momentarily: Learning from Mega-events WE: Vancouver WE: Vancouver or Henri Lefebvre in New Belgrade, with a previ- s (MIT Press/ (MIT Miraculous the of Search In Ader: Jan Bas ect oert w Subj erk Autogestion, Tu an . Currently Mega-events. Global After Cities Was: World the Where b a Jan Ver Jan Ur Evs they are working on a project on new forms of autogestion in relation to the state in Caracas, Venezuela. Urban Subjects do not work on a consensus model. (Western Front, 2011). For Front, 2011). For (Western they wrote a manifesto concerning the historical endurance political of imagination the of revolution, and a manifesto for of the future, the with geographer poetry Neil Smith. With Cate Rimmer, of the Charles H. Scott Gallery, they are developing an international exhibi- tion on artistic projects related to the urban affects of Olympics and Expos, What You Really Really Want (Sternberg Press/Piet 2010). He plays bass and sings in La Stampa (Staatsakt/Berlin). Zwart Institute Afterall Books 2006) and the essay collection Jan Verwoert is a critic and writer on contemporary art and cultural editor of frieze magazine,theory, based in Berlin. He is a contributing and his writing has appeared in various De the Rotterdam, Institute Zwart Piet the at teaches He monographs. journals, anthologies and Aviv. Tel Art, of School Ha’Midrasha the and program curatorial Appel of author the is He Urban Subjects is a by cultural Sabine research Bitter, collective Jeff formed Derksen Canada, and Vancouver, Vienna, Austria. they Together develop inter- and in Helmut 2004 Weber, and based disciplinary in artistic projects focusing on texture of global-urban cities, and on civic issues, imaginations. They devised the and edited the book ously unpublished manuscript by Lefebvre (Fillip/Sternberg 2009), and Press, collaboratively produced a book with Bik Van der Pol and Alissa Firth-Eagland entitled After After international experience in New York, London and Chicago, - ar an as both works She Berlin. in works and lives currently Tuerks Eva Advanced in Science of Master a received Tuerks Eva artist. and chitect Architectural Design at Columbia Architecture, Planning and and Preservation, a New Bachelor York, of University Graduate School of Honors at the Illinois Institute of College Technology of Architecture, Chicago, USA, and visited the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. her with as well as individually exhibited, internationally been has She practice. She has received numerous awards and her work has been published.

300 BIOGRAPHIES film. last curatedthe Taipei BiennialwithHongjohnLin 2010. Bard Studies, College NY. Hewrites forfriezemagazineand otherpublications,and Curatorial for Center the at teaches Zolghadr Tirdad head oftheboarddirectors oftheMuseumModernArtinVienna. is and 2004, since parliament Austrian the of member a been has He (1997-2004). topics cultural on debates for Vienna in venue a “Depot”, the of director and (1998-2001) department cultural UNESCO’s of ber was federal curator for contemporary art in Austria (1997-2000), a mem- Zinggl Netherlands. The and UK the Macedonia, Sweden, Ireland, US, delivered has 31 it date To deficiencies. socio-political to improvements effective cooperative small, at aimed proposals art concrete develops WochenKlausur tutions, activist the founded he WochenKlausur (www.WochenKlausur.at). On invitation from art 1993 insti- In universities. lectured ous he career and art his in During graduated psychology. and Austria, Vienna, in lives Zinggl Wolfgang in works and lives currently Frankfurt amMain. who artist an is 1984) (b. Zach Phillip of director artistic the Künstlerhaus Stuttgart. is He Berlin. and are Stockholm connections Istanbul, major whose with curator and writer a is Yildiz Adnan University ofToronto. artist and ings Question Biennial in practices historiographical and mentary of concepts exhibiting, of practice and theory the 1800, around knowledge of culture the and architecture garden include focuses Research Madrid. de Autónoma Universidad the and at philosophy and theory Felix Vogel is an art historian and curator. He studied art history, media HEAD Genève, Free Genève, HEAD T Wolfgang Zinggl P A F irdad Zolghadr elix Vogel hillip Zach dnan dnan Among his most recent curatorial projects are the 4th Bucharest Bucharest 4th the are projects curatorial recent most his Among ae perd in appeared have

at the Handlung. On Handlung.

oorps V monographs. Y

projects in ildi Rumänska Kulturinstitutet Stockholm (2010). His z

Academy Producing Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Japan, the

the University the aiu journals, various ogel taught seminars and workshops at at workshops and seminars taught ogel

Bucharest, Universidade Bucharest,

Possibilities of Arts and Design Karlsruhe Design and Arts of

anthologies, catalogues catalogues anthologies, and

(2010) and (2010)

otmoay art contemporary authorship, and authorship, ulse a vari- at published de Lisboa and and Lisboa de

The R The ealism ealism docu-

writ- and and

301 Waking Up from the Nightmare of Participation 78-94-90474-00-3 N: 9 A olophon olophon C N/E B S Copyright all image copyrights. In some cases, have tried our utmost to include We were not clearly stated.this was unfortunately not possible as copyrights In case you are a copyright holder of an image presented in this volume, please contact us. Thank you. I Print Zwaan Printmedia Graphic Design CLEVER°FRANKE www.cleverfranke.com Publication Coordinator Luc Janssens Copy Editors Rogier Brom, Nikos Doulos, Luc Janssens Translator Ben Fergusson English Editor Don Mader EXPOTHESIS is published by EXPOTHESIS is published Expodium www.expodium.nl and School of VIsual Art and Design MaHKU, Utrecht Graduate www.mahku.nl Editors & Markus Miessen Kolowratnik Nina Valerie EXPOTHESIS Space Research and Public Series in Art

302 acknowledgements

Nina Valerie Kolowratnik and Markus Miessen would like to thank Luc Janssens and Bart Witte, Henk Slager, Ben Fergusson, Søren Grammel, all contributing authors, all contributors and students of Markus Miessen's October 2010 workshop at Expodium in Utrecht, and our partners, Nina Miessen and Johannes Pointl.

Maria Fusco would like to thank Giles Eldridge.

Expodium thanks Gemeente Utrecht, Mondriaan Foundation, Stichting DOEN and SNS Reaal Fonds for their support.