18.3. Situationists and Art - and the assignment for Constructing situations

"There can be no situationist art, only situationist use of art."

"In a classless society there will no longer be "painters", but only situationists who also paint."

"We are only artists to the extent we are not artists anymore. We realize art."

International Situationists is the last historical avant-garde of the 1900ies.
IS is at the outset an artistic movement, but it's fundamental aim is to "overcome art", overcome in the sense of being both a critique and negation and taking it to a higher level, enlarge art.

Constructed situation = A moment of life, concretely and deliberately constructed by the collective organization of unitary environment and free play of events.

A constructed situation cannot be sought privately, it requires total transformation of conditions of existence.
Overcoming art manifests vital energies, inseparable from their immediate consumption; vital energies that cannot be reified, objectified, conserved in commodity form.
Not repeatable or unrepeatable.
Happening at the level of everyday life.

Assignment: construct a situation!

To note when constructing situations:

The work must be changed.
Passions (feelings) have been interpreted, now we must discover new ones.
Aim to enlarge life, not merely explain or express it.
Attack misery on every front.
Find elements for superior construction of environment, and new conditions of behavior - construct new ambiences.
Revolutionize everyday life.

Make practical use of everyday processes and cultural forms that exist, seize culture - to negate/ overcome it.

Note also what Kari reminded: constructed situations should begin from small things, details, which acquire new and disturbing meaning, overcome the establishment.

The constructed situation can be a situation that happened - or a plan or scenario for one.