Tale V: Rhythm Place Theory

Rhythm and Time

According to Lefebvre, time is the more important connotation of rhythm. Without repetition in time and space, without starting again, without returning, there would be no rhythm. Measure or time is then embodied in the rhythm of diversity. In his book Rhythm Analysis, Lefebvre divides repetition into cyclic repetition and linear repetition.

It is the dialectical movement between cyclical cycles and linear repetition that constitutes time and rhythm. In the deep structure of modernity and everyday constructions, the interplay between diverse and unified rhythms increasingly manifests itself as a violent conflict between them, with linear social rhythms altering and controlling the natural rhythms of cyclicality. As a result, modern everyday life is increasingly moulded into a monotonous linear repetition, the eternal cycle of the same becoming a fundamental feature of modern everyday life, the homogeneity and fragmentation of space and time leading to the emptiness of life. As a result, people in everyday life are caught in a paradoxical situation: they can experience ‘undeniable satisfaction’ and feel ‘deeply depressed’ at the same time. However relentless and cruel the monotony of linear time may be, the natural rhythms of the universe and vitality continue to have an impact on everyday life. Only when people are consciously aware that their lives are bound up in the ‘rhythm of appearances’, the ‘mirror image’ of life, can they return to their bodies and create a vibrant space of difference and a festive, modern everyday life in accordance with the real needs of life.

keyword: cyclical cycles/linear repetition/monotonous/diversity