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subject of articles, social media posts, twitter hashtags, and conversations across the internet.
Expanding outward from the realm of U.S
politics and into broader questions of global relations, knowledge production, creative thinking, everyday conversation, cultural myths, imagination, artistic research, media and representation we ask:
The 3rd edition of the Raumzine magazine is an attempt to look at the term ÂŤalternative factsÂťboth in its current uses within the political realm as well as...
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Vicky EditressInCharge >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> It’s not about what is or what isn’t alternative, proto-alternative, post-alternative, pseudo-alternative, or meta-alternative. It’s about the alternative-alternative. ............................Seen Johanna DateMachineOperator >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! ............................Seen Lin TimeMachineOperator >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Become a spy in real life! Open door! Be the best in unmasking lies and untrue facts. Necessary tools for this undercover operation are a toolbox full of irony, a bunch of humor and the strength to look things up if they appear strange to you. Good luck, my dear spy. ------------------------Delivered Katya AestheticSecretary >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The magazine speaks about the postcolonial consequences of the alien exploitation of the people of Earth and the proceeding resistance from their control over the human mind. ------------------------Delivered
was our original plan, but things change. We could tell you not going to. You can draw your own conclusions.
these pages is a series of investigations, opinions, We tried to realize our intentions, but then we realized that our intentions changed, shifted, and led us elsewhere. So #SorryNotSorry, and let you know that we might or might not be:
Uroš JackOfAllTradesMasterOfNotYetDone >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> It’s about calling bull. I insist we include the bull emoji. ------------------------Delivered
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> What is the magazine about? I actually have no idea. I’ve seen none of the submissions. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Failed to send
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This zine is a compilation of important information, suggestions, tips and more that has been kept away from us by those who are bexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Failed to send
the raumzine #3 editorial board is: victoria anderson (editor-in-chief), johanna gilje (managing editor), lin nowicki (creative editor), cover artwork and graphic style by katya elizarova raumzine was founded by the raumstrategien study program at the weißensee kunsthochschule berlin
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From: Victoria <vict***********> Date: July 21st, 2017 Subject: Re: Editorial Letter Dear Johanna, Thank you for your letter. It was quite interesting for me to read your thoughts and experiences regarding our most recent US election. Something that crossed my mind when reading your letter was that since the beginning of our online communication we have used Facebook Messenger almost exclusively. I wonder about the implications of sending such a letter through Facebook. As we both know, the US government is now well known to be demanding social media passwords at -
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would win the presidency seemed a somewhat moot point, as both candidates promised little in the way of that much fabled hope and change. However, I also made the decision to stay up to watch the results come in. The day of the election I contacted all the Americans I knew as well as other friends to see if anyone was interested in watching the reporting. Not
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When I awoke the next day, I reached immediately for my phone, as has become my good morning ritual, and found a stre-
skeptical when too many people clutch to an idea so strongly, especially when this belief in the idea is just that, belief. It is this skepticism that prevented me from reacting in an emotional way to the election results, and the unthinkable prospect of Trump as president. I used to watch his helicopter land at the helipad next to my high school while I smoked joints and
Xo Vicky
From: Johanna <joha***********> Date: June 23st, 2017 Subject: Re: Editorial Letter
Dear Vicky,
From: Johanna <joha***********> Date: July 21st, 2017 Subject: Editorial Letter Dear Vicky, Your
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student body was diverse in all senses. The moment was just after the spectacle of the United States 2017 elections. I couch in Wedding while eating a bowl of noodles. Stephen Colbert had been my main guilty pleasure during that time sheepish to admit is my primary news source. If you listen closely you can hear a particular political lilt in the voices of the announcers...the white middle-class grammar, the luke-warm criticism, the even keeled tone which soberly considers
I needed comfort those days because the U.S. election and its fallout had been so upsetting for me. Ask my Colombian
The consists of me and a friend from my hometown. It was put in place to help us console ourselves about the strange feelings we were having, being expats during a time when our country was going through...all this. My friend sent me cons-
My
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already bought tickets. We partially watched the gigantic screen but mostly stared deadpan into the sea of Democratic ded to go home. We watched our laptops in our pajamas until the sun came up. Half asleep, I heard her Skyping with her
A
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interviews with the press which made me think also about the ways that I am using language online and in my personal life and what it even means to be truthful or honest anymore. And the drama and wondering how the hell any of this could be addressed through an artistic practice. The fact that I was in health care) did not comfort me at all. Rather it made me feel supremely awkward. The awkward thing was something I wanted to deal with. And so I responded to the email thread. More soon, Johanna
From: Victoria <vict***********> Date: July 21st, 2017 Subject: Re: Editorial Letter
Dear Johanna, Thank you for your letter. It was quite interesting for me to read your thoughts and experiences regarding our most recent US election. Something that crossed my mind when reading your letter was that since the beginning of our online communication we have used Facebook Messenger almost exclusively. I wonder about the implications of sending such a letter through Facebook. As we both know, the US govern-
Having
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situation seems to be something that is unlikely to change any time soon. Maybe I have a negative outlook on the future, but I think for me it
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14 Natalia
A c e v e d o
The Transmuted Spanish
El Español transmutado N a t a l i a
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*This writings contain footnotes which I advice to refer to while reading.
Chibcha is the indigenous language of the Muisca people, one of the many ancient cultures that inhabit my country. The Muisca people live in the Altiplano Cundiboyacence, a high plateau in the eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes. The Altiplano Cundiboyacence Plateau spreads over the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyaca, where Bogota is also located. Today, the Chibcha language hides itself within Colombian Spanish, where it mixes with many different words and expressions. These words frequently have a completely opposite meaning to the original Chibcha. This strategy to invert and obscure meaning was used during the colonial period to make the people disgusted or offended by their own roots so they would adapt or “convert” more easily to Spanish customs.
I was born in Chibchombia. Chibchombia is the word that I and many of the people of Colombia choose to name our country. This wonderful mutation of the name first came into use approximately 20 years ago. Some people recall hearing it for the first time on a popular and highly critical TV show called „El Siguiente Programa“. These days it is heard frequently used as slang between friends and family, but never in a formal setting. The name comes from the mix of the word Chibcha and Colombia.
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In this tittle the word “Spanish” is used both as a demonym for someone that is born in Spain, and to refer to the Spanish language. It Is not a claim about race but about nationality. 15
I am Chimbchombian. Between the ages of six and eighteen I attended a girls’ Catholic School called “Colegio de las Esclavas del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus”, or “School of the Slaves of the Heart of Jesus”. This meant I had to pronounce that I was an “esclava”, or slave, at least once a day- when singing the school hymn, in church, to my friends and family or perhaps during a competition or sporting event (our cheer was something like “Slaves, slaves and clap five times” or “Go Slaves!!!”). The word “slave” signifies the discrimination and oppression of a human being while at the same time obscuring their personhood, yet it’s meaning was transmuted from a person that is purchased, owned and forced into labor to someone like me while playing a volleyball match. When looking up the definition of “slave” (esclava) online or in a dictionary you will never find “school girl” listed as a possible meaning, but for 12 years that’s exactly what it meant to me. It’s easy for me to forget and even replace the negative connotations of the word with more positive ones. To me it meant girlfriends, lunch boxes and math tests. The word slave being used in the name of my old school was supposed to represent the self-sacrifice of the nuns that ran it, who had devoted their entire lives to Jesus. And I, as a schoolgirl, was of course never once treated like a slave, but the use of the word as a way to name and designate us remains.
Song for the Chibchombian Guaricha Are my mother and grandmothers being a Guaricha could take the best of me, my body, my soul, my magic, being guaricha touched by the gods. being a guaricha could be the best I could be body, soul, magic being guaricha touched by the gods. gua ri cha wua ri cha wua ri cha
you, son of a Wuaricha you, daughter of a guaricha
Sing this song with me. 2
2
The metamorphosis of the meaning of the word “esclava” is quite astonishing. The Spanish we speak now a days is accredited by the Spanish Royal Academy (RAE) and yet Chibcha derived words and concepts are barely sighted in dictionaries, thus the invisibility on paper of indigenous terminology or vocabulary contributes to its gradual westernization. Hence the importance of taking part of the changing processes of language, as it is us who are writing history, not only with pen and paper, but also through oral transmission. It is through spoken our surroundings. It is these words that we learn in the early stages of life, words that have the cawoman and a prostitute.
Cancion para la Guaricha Chibchombiana Seré una puta? tu eres una puta? son mi madre y mis abuelas también putas? ser Puta podría tomar lo mejor de mi, mi cuerpo, mi alma, mi magia, ser puta tocada por los dioses. ser una puta podría ser lo mejor que puedo ser cuerpo, alma, magia ser puta tocada por los dioses. quisiera ser aquello que no tiene nombre pu ta pu ta p u tu, hijo de Puta tu, hija de puta, t canta esta canción conmigo. a
Guaricha in Colombian spanish means prostitute of filthy/untrustworthy woman. This word comes from Wuaricha which in the indigenous language Chibcha used to describe a Sacred, beautiful and wise woman. 16
Song for the Chibchombian Whore
Are my mother and grandmothers whores being a whore could take the best of me, my body, my soul, my magic, being a whore Touched by the gods. being a whore could be the best I could be body, soul, magic being a whore Touched by the gods. a name who re who re who re w h o r e
you, son of a whore you, daughter of a whore
Sing this song with me. Song for the Chibchombian Goddess Am I a sacred goddess? Are you a sacred goddess? Are my mother and grandmothers sacred goddesses too?
being a goddess could take the best of me, my body, my soul, my magic, being sacred Touched by the gods. being a goddess could be the best I could be body, soul, magic being sacred Touched by the gods.
go dd e I want to be something that I wish didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a name go dd ess ss g godd o ess d d e s s you, son of a goddess you, daughter of a goddess Sing this song with me.
Songcion for la Chibchombian Whuatare Amoy In whuatare? Arees tou whuatare? Arees myi modre ynd grabmodres whuatares toombien? bereng whuatare coddria toker tlo mestor do mi, myi copry, myi salma, myi magica, bereng whuatare touchada bor tlos godses.
bereng whuatare coddria ber tle mestor Io coddria ber copry , salma, magica bereng whuatare touchada bor tlos godses. Io waria ber theso Io wisaria no hadiera a nambre w whu a ta re h whu at are u whu a at t are a r e
tou, hino dof a whuatare tou, haitera dof a whuatare cinga thesta cosong cinth mego.
17
STORY by
Victoria Anderson
Chapter I had to cut and paste, to borrow and steal from the wealth years old. I had saved up enough money by selling chia seed lemonade on the balcony of my apartment. I would tweet when I was open, luring in customers with data
attacking fat cells in the inner thigh area. I spent those
so desperately to make my own facts, to generate my own content, but I was stuck with just what the others had come up with. I felt helpless, useless, and worst of all, irrelevant. The ten-year-old tastemaker in me was lying low, biting its nails and biding its time until it could emerge onto the scene with the best facts that ever were or could be. turned. It was late November and the temperature had
pation. The prospect of being able to generate my own the subterranean tubes breaking free from the earth and crawling their way up through our high rise, holding me fast to my bed with their warm plastic casings. The dream happened nightly. I found myself trapped in a world where I could only consume and not create, the pressure to be my own me crushing in from all sides. selling point. I needed to bust out, to break free. And just
In my ten years of wading through content, picking out my favorite truths, memes, convos, and pics and assembling my own personal world in True Life 2, I had 18
that year and my mother had told me to get rid of all my clothes that suited only temperatures between 12 and 27 degrees. Like the year before, the gap between the this was normal, a part of our yearly routine. I once saw a pdf of an old book on 20th century housekeeping. As I scrolled its pages I came across a chapter on someseasons faded gently one into the other and apartments needed to air out cupboards and beat up rugs to prepare your home for the things you would do and the guests
concept of hosting was mostly left up to giant servers
frost and now was here, with me, waiting to be plugged
and old people trading pictures of their cats on ancient, bug-laden message boards.
it would make as I booted it up, the singular tone letting me know it was ready. I sat still, taking in the moment a day I would always remember, I told myself, and I needed to note every detail. And so I commit to memory every dent, every scratch, and every sticker, name and There was one thing that, looking back, should have
There were even those who refused to generate con-
collecting of data on all aspects of their personal lives, had become so vicious that a new algorithm was put from seeing any even mildly oppositional content in their feeds.
bers. It was so uncreative. Their facts were those in the old sense, those that relied on the outdated concept of metrics. Their facts could only represent, not be present. They were dead facts. They had no ability to change, alter, or shift. They were stagnant and stale, a hangover was still in its infancy and physical labor still held some economic value.
promised by the in-hour delivery guarantee on the epay specks of brightly colored plastic peppering its perfectly
have been if I had paid more attention to it. Lost in a landscape of postal stickers, transit scars, and bits of recycled soda bottles, it was there, hiding in plain sight. I imagine it now lazing smugly in the corner, a wry smile upon its lips, a devious knowledge of the mischief to come, watching me, sizing me up, as I offered it only a passing glance.
It was resting there, that tiny name, small and simple, scribbled faintly above the return address in iridescent purple marker. It was written in a scrawling script just barely catching the shining light of my computer monitor. Had my screen have been off, I might have face that I was so determined to retain far back into my catalogue of impressions.
ing them up like building blocks until they were so high unleashing all my facts at once like a subatomic blast
guess who had sent it. Strange though, as a Tainer purpose was to create content, and content meant data, the machine from their rebellious child, and perhaps
in and out of circles, looping up, down, around and back again with the speed of a rollercoaster. I was drunk on hand. Should I wait longer and continue to savor the mo-
seen many videos online of Tainers frenziedly beating
a ceremony for the opening, a grand unveiling preceded
furniture parts. It was illegal to burn the machines or any other data-producing device. Supposedly it was about resources, but really we all knew it was a law intended to prevent the horrors of censorship. That was the incredible thing about the world we were living in. We were completely free to speak our minds and create our own truths. The thought of an or challenged, was completely absurd. We were all the authors, the makers of our worlds; there was no singular, inscrutable truth. We lived in a state of fully liberated
and all for me alone to make! And then suddenly, in the split second it takes to move
toward the container of this new unknown. The power of creation was almost tactile, when a second later I snapped back and was present again in my body, full of -
The name, in case you were wondering, was meant as a -
met her. The name was Pandora.
ing the cold of the newly arrived package on the tips of 19
21
in der rden zurzeit Elemente „Alternative Fakten“ we n Akhe lic ch ns me hen den Kommunikation zwisc widerder objektiven Welt zu teuren genannt, die ht soge r Konstruktivismus sprechen scheinen. De Welt e“ tiv s, dass eine „objek wieso schon davon au er jed ern nd so werden kann, nicht wahrgenommen von on kti tru ns ine eigene Ko in seinem Gehirn se ch heldeshalb bei dem Versu nn ka Er Welt besitzt. lt zu eine gemeinsame We fen, eine Grundlage für schaffen. Entichkeit löst sich auf. Die Die gemeinsame Wirkl Ges da n ge eu entlichkeit erz wicklungen in der Öff it se t ers ht Nic n. he s Faktisc fühl des Verlusts de kte Fa n griff der alternativen Kellyanne Conways Be chen tis n, dass wir im postfak wird davon gesproche kten Fa ver ftauchen alternati Zeitalter leben. Das Au Bon de n tio en Kommunika enzieht der zielführend ll, so n ise we be n klar, wie ma den. Es ist nicht mehr irk „W r de in ht nic n“ en Fakte dass diese „alternativ von en d, wenn man vollkomm lichkeit“ verankert sin l eine füh Ge s Da . ist gt eu erz ihrer Unrichtigkeit üb h auf. sic t keit zu haben, lös gemeinsame Wirklich dialer me von mmt nicht nur Diese Entwicklung ko Fordie ch au igt 20 Jahren ze Seite. In den letzten ss da , en aft ch ns se r Neurowis schung im Bereich de de für n den und zu beweisen Wahrheit herauszufin deutet. iges Unterfangen be Menschen ein schwier . Eine elt nd mer subjektiv beha Tatsachen werden im anine ke t gib stiert nicht. Es andere Möglichkeit exi nn We 1] n.[ he sc n Einzelmen deren Akteure außer de in ng mu eh hrn Wa en der eigen aber die Grundlagen raPlu kann man dann der Frage gestellt sind, wie deren ern und Moral und an lisierung von Weltbild gen lun ick omenen und Entw postmodernen Phän ter„al r de m man dem Proble begegnen? Wie kann en? nativen Fakten“ begegn
ftigt nstruktivismus beschä Der philosophische Ko ht nic r de den Konsequenzen i sich schon länger mit dre von d Realität und wir objektiv erkennbaren ge ten ep nz ko erten Theorie unterschiedlich gelag uNe r de e iss ntn s die Erken tragen. Das sind ersten logie sondere der Neurobio be ins n, fte rowissenscha usihrnehmens, die die Pla des Erkennens und Wa die s en s unterstützen, zweit bilität dieses Ansatze h lic eß hli sc truktivismus und Philosophie des Kons die d un tze sä nschaftliche An auch kognitionswisse mtheorie. ste Sy e damit verbunden
22
DAS SELBSTREFERENTIELLE Gehirn Das selbstreferentielle GEHIRN
utzunstruktivismus wird he Die Philosophie des Ko Welt die als Spekulation über tage nicht mehr nur ern nd so , ennen betrachtet und menschliches Erk geab en ng ische Forschu durch gehirnphysiolog wis uro Ne r de im Bereich stützt.[2] Forschungen e ng hä en mm sa Zu dass die senschaften besagen, n nesorganen und Gehir Sin , elt nw ße Au zwischen Sin die Außenwelt durch nicht so sind, dass die ge ein rt do transportiert und nesorgane ins Gehirn die d wir n hir ut wird[3]. Im Ge treues Abbild aufgeba n die sentiert“. Vielmehr gebe prä „re Außenwelt nicht aber , ab ize Re en dig notwen Sinnesorgane zwar die gionen lbst findet in Hirnre die Wahrnehmung se sind, tzt Sinnesorganen verne statt, die zwar mit den en. ftig hä sc mit sich selbst be sich aber sehr viel mehr d un m ge rin ge g“ wird nur in [4] Die „Wahrnehmun n ne tio ma for ltin den Umwe lückenhaften Maße von tur uk Str r de von h uptsächlic beeinflusst. Sie ist ha schon d den verschiedenen un t lbs se ns des Gehir ig.[5] ng der Verarbeitung abhä vorliegenden Ebenen und rt nie r Struktur determi Das Gehirn ist in diese die ], )[6 eit hk iswelt“ (Wirklic baut sich eine „Erlebn ukStr en ern int r ationen de sich mehr aus Inform inse ne Sin en ern ext als aus turen zusammensetzt da rt s nalen Aktivität reagie drücken. In seiner neuro f sich au lbstreferentiell“, d.h. Gehirn größtenteils „se d Eleun en fgebaute Struktur selbst, auf bereits au mente.[7] man jes an sich selbst, wenn Erleben kann man da ch an unterhält und sich dana manden trifft und sich lche we e sah die Jacke aus, kaum was erinnert: Wi huSc e lch war die Nase, we Augenfarbe, wie groß ch kli wir ht nic ? Das alles ist he hatte die Person an tte ha em tzd tro men worden, bewusst wahrgenom sich vollständige Person vor e ein l, man das Gefüh dig än im eigenen Kopf vollst zu haben. Diese war ten ch rei sächlichen Person konstruiert, von der tat nn ngsinhalte.[8] Nur we mu aber wenige Wahrneh lt ha sin ng mu einem Wahrneh das eigene Konstrukt ut. ba ge Konstrukt um widerspricht, wird das on „im wohl sie als Konstrukti Diese Struktur wird, ob ßen, au ßen projiziert und als Kopf“ steckt, nach au be fga Au ichkeit erlebt.[9] Die als faktisch, als Wirkl bil ch Na kte die möglichst exa des Gehirns ist nicht in itiv gn ko ein ist Das Gehirn dung der Realität.[10] tentSystem, das nach selbs es en ss sich abgeschlo nale prüften Kriterien neuro wickelten und selbstge
Signale deutet und bewertet. Es kann aber keine Aussagen über deren wahrer Herkunft und Bedeutung treffen.[11] Unser subjektiver Eindruck, dass wir kontinuierlich in einer vollständigen, verstehbaren Wirklichkeit ohne „Löcher“ leben, kommt daher, dass diese Wirklichkeit neuronal genau so konstruiert ist, uns dieses Gefühl zu geben.[12] Nur wenn es Widersprüche oder „Löcher“ in dieser Welt gibt, wird dieses Konstrukt angepasst.[13] Die objektive Wirklichkeit bleibt verschlossen Unabhängig von diesen Forschungsergebnissen hat sich in den letzten Jahrhunderten die Philosophie des Konstruktivismus als Denkrichtung angekündigt und nach Piaget auch ausgebreitet.[14] Die Kernthesen der Konstruktivisten drehen sich um die Frage, ob das, was wir als Wirklichkeit aufgrund unserer Sinneseindrücke und deren Verarbeitung im Denkapparat vorzufinden glauben, etwas von uns Erfundenes sei, etwas, was wir selbst konstruiert haben.[15] Wenn wir die „Natur“ beobachten, Hypothesen aufstellen, mit diesen sich Voraussagen treffen lassen und sie sich somit zu „Naturgesetzen“ entwickeln, dann können wir keineswegs sagen, dass die Natur so beschaffen sei und sie auch diesen Gesetzen folgen würde. Erstens haben wir nur eine Theorie, die bisher nur nicht falsifiziert wurde und zweitens bedeutet diese Theorie womöglich nur einen von mehreren gangbaren Wegen, uns eine sinnvolle Welt zu konstruieren. Es könnte auch noch bessere Wege geben.[16] STÖRIG beschreibt diese Perspektive auf den Menschen folgendermaßen: „Wie ein Kapitän, der bei Nacht und stürmischer See eine Meeresenge durchfahren muss, von der er keine Seekarte besitzt, von der er nicht einmal weiß, ob eine befahrbare Route existiert, ist der Mensch vor die Aufgabe gestellt, aus dem auf ihn einstürmenden Sinneseindrücken eine Systematik und Ordnung zu „konstruieren“. Wenn dem Kapitän die Passage gelingt, dann kann er trotzdem noch nicht sagen, er kenne das Seegebiet. Er hat eine gangbare Route entdeckt und es ist wahrscheinlich, dass es noch andere und bessere Durchfahrtsmöglichkeiten gibt. Der Kurs des Kapitäns passt, er ist (in der Sprache der Konstruktivisten) viabel, er ist „operativ tauglich“.“[17]
Viabel bedeutet, dass sich die Konstruktion im Hinblick auf bestimmte Kontexte und Probleme bewährt hat. In diesem Sinn ist Erkenntnis ein Instrument des Zurechtfindens und des Überlebens in einer Welt, die aber nie „an sich“ erkannt werden kann. Die objektive Wirklichkeit bleibt verschlossen. [18] Da alles, was wir von der Realität zu wissen glauben, Konstrukte sind, ist die Summe dieser Konstrukte die „Wirklichkeit“, in der wir leben. „Realität“ selbst ist ein Begriff dieser Konstruktionen. Das „Wissen“ ist weder „richtig“ noch „falsch“ im Sinne eines „richtigen“ Erfassens einer unabhängigen Realität. Es sind mögliche, „viable“ Sichtweisen, die für einen bestimmten zeitlichen, lokalen Kontext nützlich sind und deren Brauchbarkeit immer wieder überprüft werden sollte.[19] Da jedes Wissen konstruiertes Wissen ist, kann kein Wissen Anspruch auf Privilegiertheit erheben. Auch Fakten sind nur Möglichkeiten. Wissenschaftliche Erkenntnis und Alltagserkenntnis unterscheiden sich dabei nur graduell. „Wissen“ wird so lange genutzt, wie es sich als tauglich erweist, solange es „gelebt“ werden kann, viabel ist. Das heißt aber auch, dass alternative Fakten grundsätzlich immer existieren. So ist zum Beispiel Newtons Raummodell ein alternativer Fakt, der aber im Alltag funktioniert. Alternative Fakten sind Fakten, solange sie sich als gangbaren Weg erweisen, solange sie „viabel“ sind.[20] Das kann für jedes Individuum und für jeden Zeitpunkt anders aussehen. Die Probleme in diesem Zusammenhang sind nicht neu und nicht erst mit dem Begriff alternative Fakten entstanden. Dass die Welt in jedem Kopf anders aussieht, erfährt man täglich im Umgang mit anderen Menschen, sei es bei Meinungsverschiedenheiten in der Beziehung, in einem nachbarschaftlichen Unverständnis oder beim Versuch nachzuvollziehen, wie man auf die Idee kommen kann, Europa stehe kurz vor der Islamisierung.
DERDer EINZIG WEG einzigGANGBARE gangbare Weg Wie kann man auf dieser Basis überhaupt dem Problem der alternativen Fakten begegnen? Grundlage des Konstruktivismus ist, dass wir die Wirklichkeit nie als das erkennen können, was sie wirklich ist und was dieses „wirklich“ überhaupt bedeutet. Die Erfassung und Abbildung einer „an sich“ seienden
23
Realität oder W ahrheit im men schlichen Erke ist prinzipiell nnen unmöglich. De r Wahrheitsan ist aufgegeben spruch , aber damit ni cht der Unwah anspruch. Die rheitsViabilität besa gt ja, dass eben jedes Weltbild nicht zur „Welt“ pass t. [21] Und darin der einzig gang liegt bare Weg:Da er kennbar ist, w se Welt NICHT as dieist, kann man si ch dadurch de nativen Fakten n alternähern. Kollidiert der al ternative Fakt mit einer Auße die seine Nicht nwelt, existenz bewei st, muss das je subjektive Geh weils irn diese Wahrn ehmung in ein Konstrukt aufn neues ehmen, um „via bel“ zu bleiben, nicht andauern um es d mit kognitive n Dissonanzen zu haben[22] od zu tun er, um im Bild vo n STÖRIG zu bl das Schiff unte eiben, rgehen zu lass en. Konfrontie diesem Widersp rt mit ruch sollten sich alternative Fakt bestenfalls in Lu en ft auflösen. Dies en Gedanken fin man auch bei det POPPERs Wisse nschaftsphiloso Tatsachen könn phie: en nicht verifi zi ert, sie können falsifiziert, also nur widerlegt werde n. Durch die El nation der fals imichen alternativ en Fakten blei Fakten übrig, di ben die e die Grundlage einer gemeinsam Weltsicht bilden en können.
KOMMUNIKATION Kommunikatio IST KEIN n ist kein- PROB"SICH-AUSTAUSCHEN" „Sich-Austausc hen“ – LEME BEI DER UMSETZUNG Proble me bei der Ums etzung Der St rukturdetermin ismus und die sind Teile der Systemtheorie konstruktivistis chen Theorie. nen lässt sich Mit ihdeutlich mache n, warum es trot so schwer ist zdem alternative Fakt en als Widersp zur einer gem rüche einsamen Wirk lichkeit zu en und durch eine tlarven Wahrheit zu er setzen, die wen Widersprüche iger erzeugt.
Im Diskurs über alternativer Fa kten tauchen of Begriffe Filterb t die lase oder Echo kammereffekt besonders im Zu auf, die sammenhang mit den sozialen dien diskutiert Mewerden. In den Biotopen der Fi blasen gedeih lteren alternative Fakten besond da sie vor eine ers gut, r Konfrontatio n mit einer wid chenden Tatsac ersprehe geschützt si nd. Der Nachric feed (z.B. bei Fa htencebook) beruht auf Algorithmen die eigene Mei , die nung so wenig wie möglich in stellen und da Frage s Konstrukt de r eigenen Mei struktur unterm nungsauern und erha lten. Dieser Vo rgang
24
einer selbstve rstärkenden Ko nstitution, die durch eine Ob nicht jektivität determ iniert ist, ents dem Grundbedü pricht rfnis des Mensc hen und außerd dem Konzept de em s Strukturdete rminismus in de gnitionswissens r Kochaft. MATURA NA und VARELA die Hauptvertre [23], ter dieses Ansa tzes, postuliere eben solches M n ein odell der Inform ationskonstruk Es bestimmen tion. nicht die Umw eltreize, sonder schon vorliegen n die de kognitive St ruktur das Verh eines Organism alten us. Diese Strukt ur erzeugt die mation, die sie Inforverarbeitet, bz w. sie bestimm hereingelassen t, was wird, was viabel (passend) und Strukturerhalt dem (z.B. Wahrsch einlichkeit des lebens) dient. ÜberEin solcher Or ganismus oder ches System w ein solird als autopoie tisch und oper geschlossen be ational zeichnet.[24] In diesem Zu sammenhang entspricht au Mensch einem ch der autopoietischen Nervensystem System, dess en in seiner Arbe itsweise als de niertes System termimit operationa ler Geschlossen funktioniert.[25 heit ] Das heißt, be im Menschen scheidet die St entruktur des Geh irns, welche de gelassenen In r einformationen si ch wie auswirk Autopoietische t.[26] Systeme benu tzen ihren vorh strukturellen erigen Zustand bzw. die Ergebnisse Operationen al ihrer s Grundlage fü r weitere Oper nen. Durch äuße atiore Einflüsse kö nnen diese Syst nur „verstört“, eme angeregt, irriti ert oder „pertu werden, und nu rbiert“ r die inneren Zustände ents den darüber, w cheielche dieser „P ertubationen“ System auswirk sich im en. Autopoietis che Systeme kö nicht kausal in nnen struiert werde n.[27] So ist es was ein gespro nie klar, chener Satz be im Gegenüber Kommunikatio auslöst. n ist in diesem Zusammenhang Sich-Austausch kein en, sondern ei ne bloße Anre zur Konstruktio gung n oder Rekons truktion. Befin sich alternativ den e Fakten in der Struktur des Sy gibt es keine lo stems, gische und imm er anwendbare lichkeit den W Mögiderspruch zur Wirklichkeit de zu machen. utlich
DasPSYCHISCHE DAS psychische unUND DAS d das soziale SSYSTEM SOZIALE ystem Die Systemtheo rie nutzt die Th eorie autopoie selbstreferent tischer, ieller Systeme und weitet dies eine allgemei e auf ne Systemtheo rie aus. Sie be sich auf keinen zieht spezifischen G egenstandsbe reich
mehr, sondern generell auf Systeme als beobachtbare und beobachtende Ordnungsgefüge. Durch das reiche und breitgefächerte Nervensystem des Menschen erlauben die Interaktionsbereiche das Entstehen neuer Phänomene durch Herstellung neuer Dimensionen struktureller Koppelung. [28] Das Kommunikationskonzept LUHMANNs[29] trennt daher zwischen dem psychischen System, das Gedanken aus Gedanken produziert, und dem sozialen System, das Kommunikationen aus Kommunikationen produziert. Soziale Systeme (somit auch die Medien und die Massenkommunikation als Biotop der alternativen Fakten) bestehen nur aus „kommunizierender“ Kommunikation, nicht aus psychischen Systemen (Menschen).[30] Psychische Systeme haben keinen Zugang zu Gedanken anderer psychischer Systeme. Soziale Systeme und psychische Systeme bedingen sich gegenseitig und bedeuten die wechselseitige Umwelt. Sie sind so miteinander gekoppelt, dass der Kommunikationsprozess im sozialen System das psychische System in Abhängigkeit seiner Struktur anregen, verstören oder perturbieren kann und umgekehrt.[31]
DIE KOLLEKTIVE Die kollektive Konstruktion KONSTRUKTION DER REALITÄT der Realität Im Kontext alternativer Fakten lässt sich die Systemtheorie folgendermaßen interpretieren: Wirklichkeitskonstruktionen, anhand derer man denn Wahrheitsgehalt von Fakten überprüfen könnte, finden als Ko-Konstruktionen im sozialen System der Kommunikation statt. Wie alle anderen Inhalte sind alternative Fakten Beiträge der Kommunikation.[32] Sie müssen sich in diesem autopoietischen System bewähren, indem sie als Kommunikation aufrechterhalten werden. Die einzelnen psychischen Systeme werden durch diese Vorgänge perturbiert und bestenfalls so verändert, dass der Energieaufwand durch die Perturbationen minimiert wird.[33] Der Mensch als psychisches System will das Gefühl haben, den anderen zu verstehen und Irritationen zu minimieren. Das führt nun dazu, dass die eigene Konstruktion der Wirklichkeit durch Perturbation des sozialen Systems auf Widersprüche überprüft wird. Um soziale Isolation zu vermeiden, artikulieren Menschen ihre Meinung in Orientierung an der wahrgenommenen Meinung anderer, die sie im
direkten Umgang oder über die Medien erfahren. Wenn sich das wahrgenommene Meinungsbild im Kommunikationssystem verändert, werden dadurch Anpassungsvorgänge ausgelöst. Sie können so Modelle der anderen Systeme nachzukonstruieren versuchen und erlangen die Möglichkeit zu gewissem wechselseitigen Verstehen durch strukturelle Ähnlichkeit. Die Nachkonstruktion, angeregt durch die Perturbation von der Reaktion auf eigene Aktionen, kann die Schnittmenge der einzelnen Weltkonstruktionen erhöhen.[34] Offensichtlich können sich die dadurch gebildeten Schnittmengen trotzdem im Vergleich mit anderen Kommunikationssystemen grob unterscheiden. Dinosaurierknochen z. B. gelten bei manchen Menschen als Beweis dafür, dass Gott ihren Glauben testen will und nicht als Nachweis für die Existenz der Dinosaurier. Diese kollektive Konstruktion der Wirklichkeit macht es oft auch wichtiger, dass die eigene Konstruktion in Übereinstimmung mit der des Umfelds steht, als dass eine falsifizierte Tatsache wirklich als Unwahrheit anerkannt werden muss. Das Gehirn entscheidet oft danach, was weniger Energie kostet. Das Leben mit einer Lüge wird oft einem Leben im Widerspruch mit den Meinungen des sozialen Umfelds vorgezogen. Diese Meinungen müssen mit Fakten grundsätzlich nichts zu tun haben. Die Perspektive auf die Welt im Sinne der Systemtheorie und Kognitionswissenschaft macht deutlich, dass es keine klare Reaktion darauf geben kann, wenn alternative Fakten im sozialen System auftauchen. Auch wenn sie theoretisch durch Falsifikation widerlegt werden könnten, kann dies beim einzelnen psychischen Systems nicht den gewünschten Erfolg erzielen. Es besteht zwar eine gewisse strukturelle Koppelung der psychischen Systeme an die Umwelt, die aber nicht determiniert, was im System passiert. Es besteht das Potential, dass der alternative Fakt als „Unwahrheit“ erkannt wird, garantiert werden kann es nicht.
KONSTRUKTIVISMUS ALS Konstruktivismus WERKZEUG als Werkzeug Dass die jeweils eigene Vorstellung von der Welt die einzige Wahrheit sei, ist ein weit verbreiteter
25
n glichkeite somit Mö t u z te t ie te b s us erü truktivism n der Zeit besser g ft a h c s it Der Kons nge ere usforderu größere B r e E in . e lt r a e lf b den Hera rdert a der Vie fo z r n e ta , p n e e z Ak d auf begegn ation und it alles Wissens un ik n u m m gke gssyszur Ko erzeugun ie Vorläufi b d Ü f u d a n t u is verwe issens wischen W Toleranz z temen.
tet sich eshalb bie ug an, d h c u a enau rkze er Fakt. G uktivismus als We assung alternativ tr s Erf n e des Ko ehen. Die die Theori ven Fakten umzug alität im R ti ienden e a e s rn “ e h lt ic a s mit möglich. „an zipiell un ung einer n d ri il p b t b A is d un t ist aber ennen en Realitä gehen v chen Erk ti li k h c je s b n o e r m “ der kt. Kritike h gechwinden raßmann scher Pun ti sic Das „Vers a n Dominik F m a le s b u ro m p is v in ti e uk für viele rheit und er Konstr n der Wah nn wir s, dass d te u k a a F n o n v e a v e d ati tziehen. W die altern ndlage en wie solnauso wie , ru n G e n ie n d ö ung en k s e Verständig ch Objektives wiss nn n, wa kli rechen kö p s r e b rü nichts wir da ann noch len wir d ? re ä w g chti ehen, gut und ri icht übers n it e k h c Basis ögli an die M vistischer m ti k te u ll tr o s s n i egriff f ko Dabe eißt, der B hrheit au h a s W a h D . ic n s n dass sen ka . mmen las rt werden neu besti ers definie d n a s s u m Wahrheit ilität der ei die Viab b a d s s u ls erfolgnm ahrheit a tigt werde W h ic ie s d k c b o rü oll oder Be tet, los, sinnv as bedeu tz D u . n it r e e rh d o h Wa lich us ist eine lglos, nütz ser Art Relativism o rf e , h ic re ezugsysdie diesem B cheint. In t k rs e a x s e lo n in sin it. Alterna ültig “ relativ g ahme zu dieser Ze it d e in rh s h a ie „W nn m. S r dieser A en diesem Kriteriu . tem unte h d nützlich c n re u p ll ts o v n e n n in s te t initive Fak n Kontex uss zu m bestimmte den Einfl rn iae v d n u in in einem ls rh ns ve tion a e a s k n ifi o K ls a n F rch ividuUm ihre an sie du elnen Ind z m s in s e u n e m , d ei rden, mieren n. Ob sie b ahrgenommen we re ie z ifi s s w bel kla ahrheit h als Unw en dadurc ch. dem fragli nstrukbleibt trotz ge der Ko hen n ä rg o V ber die hiedlic sstsein ü it untersc rschiedDas Bewu ie Möglichkeit, m n u te t d n Sinn mit te s e it tion biete e Wahrheiw und die nen (im o n ti e k h u e tr g s u mz Kon nstruktibildern) u zu setzen. Der Ko lt e , W n e lich nau weiß olut mehr abs f, dass man nie ge t h e b ic n ie tr n te rau welche An rweist da r nken und e d vismus ve n e och imme h c s bleibt jed re Men e s d E ie n . d a n , e s e b a ri w ha eo Aktionen n einer Th macht. sie für ihre eit der Konstruktio ar b h ie z voll chk eren nach der eigenen Bedie Mögli d n a r e d lten s egt es an das Verha einung de gelingt, li t h ic n lschen M s a fa n r e e rd d e n w Wenn d a t nicht gelös r d e n s u s e it b e grenzth n Konflikte erst gar nicht. So könne rweise anderen. mögliche n e h te ts n oder e
ßmann
26
SINGER, Wolf (2002): Der Beobachter im Gehirn Essays zur Hirnforschung, Frankfurt a.M.
ROTH, Gerhard (1997) : Das Gehirn und seine Wirklichkeit: Ko gni biologie und ihre phi tive Neurolosophischen Konsequenzen, Frankf urt a.M.
ROTH, Gerhard (1996) : Schnittstelle Gehirn – Interface Bra in, Bern.
LUHMANN, Niklas (1987): Soziale Systeme, Grundriss einer allgemeinen Theorie, Frankfurt a.M.
MATURANA, Humbert o und Francisco VARELA (fünfte Aufl age, 2012): Der Baum der Erkenntni s. Die biologischen Wurzeln mensc hlichen Erkennens. Deutsche Übers etzung von Kurt Ludewig. Frankfurt a.M .
LITERATUR: GLASERSFELD, E. von (1996): Radikaler Konstruktivismus: Ideen, Ergebnisse, Probleme, Suhrk amp, Frankfurt a.M.
ra Dominik F
27
[1] Vgl. GLASERSFELD , 1996, S. 344 [2] ROTH, 1997, S. 317 [3] Ebd., S. 252 [4] Vgl. ROTH, 1996, S. 53f [5] Vgl. ROTH, 1997, S. 253ff [6] ROTH, 1996, S. 54 [7] Ebd., S. 53f [8] Vgl. ROTH, 1997, S. 266 f [9] ROTH, 1997, S. 50 f, 76 [10] SINGER, 2002, S. 80 [11] Ebd., S. 78f [12] Ebd., S. 81 [13] Vgl. zum Thema: SIN GER, 2002, S. 72; ROTH, 1997, S.3 26 ff [14] GLASERSFELD, 199 6, [15] Vgl. GLASERSFELD S. 56 ff , 1996, S. 320 ff [16] STÖRIG, 1998, S. 698 [17] Ebd., S. 698 [18] GLASERSFELD, 199 6, S.96 (Grundprinzipien) [19] Ebd., S. 360 f [20] Vgl. GLASERSFELD , 1996, S. 330 [21] SIMON, 2013, S. 71 [22] Ebd., S. 71 [23] Vgl. Der Baum der Erkenntnis, MATURANA, 2012 [24] SIMON, 2013, S. 34 [25] MATURANA, 2012, S. 146 [26] Ebd., S. 185 [27] SIMON, 2013, S. 53f [28] MATURANA, 2012, S. 192 [29] Vgl. Soziale System e, LUHMANN, 1987 [30] LUHMNANN, 198 7, S. 234 [31] SIMON, 2013, S. 88f [32] LUHMANN, 1987, S. 237 [33] SIMON, 2013, S. 88 [34] Vgl. hierzu auch das Beispiel des Physikstudierens in GL ASERSFELD, 1996, S. 356 f
STÖRIG, Hans Joachi m (1998): Kleine Weltgeschichte der Philosophie, Frankfurt a.M.
SIMON, Fritz B. (2013) : Ein die Systemtheorie und führung in Konstruktivismus
Alternative Things Alternative Instrument
Alternative Vacuum Cleaner
Alternative Fork
Alternative Plug
Alternative Motivation
Alternative Club
Alternative Stone
Alternative Finger
Alternative Time Keeper
Alternative Potato
Alternative Vibrator
Alternative Jam
Alternative Butter
Alternative BathTub
Alternative Friend
Alternative Rehab
Alternative Cushion
Alternative PalmTree
Alternative Coping Mechanism
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Alternative Paper Weight
Alternative Juice
Alternative Pet
Alternative Sex
Alternative Condiment
Alternative Baseball
Alternative Slipper
Alternative WalkieTalkie
Alternative Frizbee
Alternative Medicine
Alternative Chicken
Alternative Pude
Alternative Education
Alternative Self Defense
Alternative Future
Alternative Resource
Alternative Orgy
Alternative Witness
Alternative Sword
Alternative Kink
Alternative Raspberry
by Johanna Gilje
Alternative Mood
Alternative Escape Plan
Alternative Dragon
Alternative Sock
Alternative Skill
Alternative Throughline
Alternative Sibling
Alternative Taxidermy
Alternative Therapy
Alternative Storage
Alternative Duck
Alternative Igloo
Alternative Poodle
Alternative Home
Alternative Lawa
Alternative Economy
Alternative Po
Alternative
Alternative Perspektive
Alternative Candle
Alternative Nature
Alternative Stick
Alternative Beach Ball
Alternative Arithmetic
Alternative Energy
Alternative Landscape
Alternative Flotation Device
Alternative Buggie
Alternative Internet
Alternative E-mail
Alternative Headphone
Alternative Condo
Alternative Dildo
Alternative Parking Spot
Alternative Log
Alternative Politician
Alternative Window
Alternative Pedestal
Alternative Barometer
Alternative Whistle
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From: Victoria <vict***********> Date: June 23st, 2017 Subject: Editorial Letter Dear Johanna, We
reawakening caused by our current political climate, with leaders conjuring the ghosts of the early 20th century, and
exchange unfettered by regulatory institutions. Yes, it is true that these facts are presented as truths, or also rather as alternative or additional truths, and are held up as such through belief rather than empirical evidence, relying on appeals to the emotions of groups of people and the masses using appeals to their ideas of identity. I remember once reading an opinion piece that argued that The Internet is performing a new, curious function in allowing people from across the globe to connect through their interests, no matter how obscure, and build communities based on, in your own preferences, feelings, and worldview. There becomes less room for considered debate, and compromise for the greater political good when one has a gang of like-minded thugs to back one up. There is strength in numbers, and perhaps this is a core characteristic of the proliferation and acceptance of alternative facts or the state of postworth perhaps noting that our Greek forebears recorded history through mythology in the Homeric tradition and only
events has never been objective but rather a subjective and often politically motivated action used to manipulate the subjects of those in power so that power can be retained and the status quo protected. During times of political upheaval the use of alternative facts: that which is presented and distributed as truth despite contradictory evidence,
sponsored content, to see that alternative facts carry within them all the trappings of propaganda. If we are to understand alternative facts as facts that rely on emotion and belief as being foundational to their construction, can we not see this phenomenon in further reaching areas of our society outside of their use by government, Can we not see them in the work of advertising agencies and corporate marketing puppeteers selling us on ideas of how to be happier, healthier, and cooler through the consumption of material goods as well as those of the experience
Is it not in their appeals to our identities as modern, liberated and intelligent members of society that we pay more for community of caring when we engage with share economy platforms while we cut in the middleman, celebrating the
Will
social media feeds, and more fractured and various, relying on snippets from curated feeds brought to us courtesy of one or many algorith-
new idol in all its variant forms seated on a throne made of money, and commanding from on high with a scepter bearing the inscription: Thou Shalt Internet. I tremble and quake at its feet, lost in a sea of avatars that look just like ordinary people. And I wonder to myself how it is we got here, and shudder thinking where it is we will go. I sit still, breathing deep and remind myself quietly, beware false prophets.
[1] The “Brony” subculture consists of adult men with a passion for the animated series My Little Pony. They and their female counterparts “Pegasisters”, engage not only in online discussion and exchange, but also attend conferences in Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, and across the United States. Tomatoes are Evil is a website with information, games, a comment board, and merch shop. You can throw tomatoes at Trump, share your opinions on the evils of tomatoes, or pick up a “Jesus hates tomatoes BBQ apron.” http://www.tomatoesareevil.com ….
From: Johanna <joha***********> Date: June 23st, 2017 Subject: Re: Editorial Letter
Dear Vicky, been thinking a lot about what you wrote about alternative facts being appeals to emotion, and about the link that you made to belief. What struck me the most in your letter was your thinking about the role of belief in government tions. These questions lead me to become more curious about emotional appeals which sway opinion. When brushing up
manipulate a reader based on insubstantial evidence. It example, telling people who have lost their jobs that he will give them employment without explaining how, or telling It occurs to me that when writing an argumentative essay in my high school English class, my teacher would never have let me get away with the kinds of unsubstantiated arguments made by Trump in his speeches or Twitter feed, sition and an emotional rant. As a teenager I considered my high school English teacher an authority on the matter, not only because of his knowledge of language and literature, but also because he would be the author of my college recommendation letter and therefore had something to say about my future. My teacher would have argued that the to be taken seriously in the real world. everything about the way that Trump has dealt with information and the media since he entered the limelight as a to emotion have been a tremendously successful strategy for him so far, if only for the fact that it so thoroughly confuses people. We stopped being shocked by the things Trump said so long ago, that we have been forced to accept irrational and emotional statements as common place when dealing with national issues, and so far have found no successful way to keep him accountable. I wonder what compels people to believe in something for which there is no substantial proof or something we could enough in some ways it already becomes real in your experience. More soon, Johanna
From: Victoria <vict***********> Date: June 23st, 2017 Subject: Re: Editorial Letter
Dear Johanna, We
by regulatory institutions. Yes, it is true that these facts are presented as truths, or also rather as alternative or additional truths, and are held up as such through belief rather than empirical evidence, relying on appeals to the emotions of groups of people and the masses using appeals to their ideas of identity. I remember once reading an opinion piece that argued that The Internet is performing a new, curious function in allowing people from across the globe to connect through their interests, no matter how obscure, and build communities based on, worldview. There becomes less room for considered debate, and compromise for the greater political good when one has a gang of like-minded thugs to back one up. There is strength in numbers, and perhaps this is a core characteristic of the proliferation and accep-
objective but rather a subjective and often politically motivated action used to manipulate the subjects of those in power so that power can be retained and the status quo protected. During times of political upheaval the use of alternative facts: that which is presented and
news and sponsored content, to see that alternative facts carry within them all the trappings of propaganda. If we are to understand alternative facts as facts that rely on emotion and belief as being foundational to their construction, can we not see this phenomenon in further reaching areas of our society outside of their use by government, religious groups and other institutions Can we not see them in the work of advertising agencies and corporate marketing puppeteers selling us on ideas of how to be happier,
Is it not in their appeals to our identities as modern, liberated and intelligent members of society that we pay more for things we do not
WHAT
by
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This aesthetic communication of values can vary in the amount of political, social and theoretical engagement, or even the importance thereof, as well as in the manner of referring to questions within the socio-political context. Notwithstanding, what perseveres as a paradigm is the expression of self, namely the representation of identity.
What Ever Happened to Baby Pink, or: On Digital Spaces and the Weaponization of Color
Identity and Representation
Discussing identity and artistic production within the context of modernist exhibition spaces, Brian O’Doherty states in Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of Gallery Space (1986), that “modernism underlines the fact that ‘identity’ in the twentieth century is centered around perception” and that “just as systems were a nineteenth century obsession, perception is a twentieth. It mediates between object and idea and includes both.”2 If we dare to make an effort to further the sequence of these relations without disregarding the development of technology and contemporary modalities of expression, representation – reflexive and, to a certain measure being symmetrical to perception – does indeed institute itself as a central aspect in the construction and preservation of identity in the twenty-first century.
The ambivalence of the term identity is an elaborately complex phenomenon, and one that is becoming more and more so in the context of new media and contemporary production. As noted by media and culture scholar David Buckingham in “Introducing Identity”, the word identity comes from Latin idem (-identitas), meaning ‘same’ but nevertheless implying both similarity and difference: identity can represent a sum of characteristics, experiences, information, knowledge and attitudes The New Author-Position which make an individual stand out as unique (hence: the personal identification document). Conversely, it can Personal profiles on social media networks, also imply parameters which identify one as a member of modes of instant communication and blogs as platforms a group (national, cultural, gender, etc.) for forming and sharing opinions, all form the tools for Such functional disparity within the understand- the development of a personal ‘brand’ and an online presing of identity is profoundly important within the con- ence that serve the genesis of a corpus of digital charactext of what identity itself represents for the individual teristics and/or digital manifestations of the analog charin the twenty-first century. Buckingham goes on to say: acteristics of an individual. This corpus can furthermore “On one level, I am the product of my unique personal serve to secure a position within a niche or a group. Sibiography. Yet, who I am (or who I think I am) varies ac- multaneously, it is important to understand that nichcording to who I am with, the social situations in which es and groups, as quantitative determinants, have long I find myself, and the motivations I may have at the time, surpassed any and all sorts of limitation when it comes to although I am by no means entirely free to choose how I size (numbers), physical space, communicational possiam defined.”1 bilities, or areas of exchange. On top of the etymological ambivalence of the Every user is concurrently a curator, a benefacterm ‘identity’, there is also a certain measure of fluid- tor, a consumer and a critic – the field is virtually (ha!) ity in the semantic value of both individual and group leveled for each. Paradoxical to the open structure of digidentities, that is, in terms of the substantial changes to ital networks, every author holds a significant amount of what represents the everyday and its default paradigms. control over their own identity as well as over the posiMore than ever before, the development of digital pro- tion of their authorship, authorship meaning represenduction has enabled aesthetics to develop as a category of tation. This cannot, however, be claimed of their audicommunication, and simultaneously, as the binding val- ence’s perception of one’s virtual I, that is, the receiving ue of different forms of expression: subcultures are in- end of the intended representation, as it is often, if not creasingly semantically and morphologically tied to their always, dependant on the structuring and control imdigital and internet presence – still, however, in relation posed by the corporation behind the internet platform to identity (understood either as a manifestation of indi- being used to represent. This exact issue of the sublimaviduality or a signifier of affiliation). tion of representation into a contextualized perception is one of the main topics of this text (and will later be
1 Buckingham, David. “Introducing Identity” in Buckingham, David (ed.). Youth,
2 O’Doherty, Brian. Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of Gallery Space. Berkeley, CA:
Identity, and Digital Media. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2008.
University of California Press, 1986.
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further elaborated), including, but not limited to the paradigms of their own aesthetic determinants, ipso facto enabling this aesthetic grouping of communicative cultural and artistic praxes to become an identifying reference value for social subgroups that the author might belong to. Digital platforms have become functional spaces where users (including artists and cultural workers) express directly, and thus succeed to initiate the process of surmounting stereotypical notions of their identities or aspects of their identities, while avoiding societal structures which would otherwise bind them in place. The tendency of those structures to cultural sublimation of such digital subcultural praxes notwithstanding, this new author-position claims an advantage provided by the speed with which the digital format is able to ‘recover’ from such contestation – furthermore, reinstating itself in new ways which traditional, analog constructs essentially cannot follow, let alone forestall.
Isms and Ologies and the Spaces of the Internet Such ability to ‘recover’ and ‘reinstate’ is for the most part due to the aforementioned negation (disappearance) of limitations in regards to location, distance, space, communication possibilities, exchange, and, maybe most importantly, identification and the gathering of a certain grouping. All it takes is one symbol – the hashtag (#) – and the probability that all interested users gain access to a certain content, share it, or contribute to it have been algorithmically increased. Accordingly, the increased possibilities and capacities of posting user-generated content on the internet (Web 2.0), and especially original content, have greatly altered the notions of ‘isms’ and ‘ologies’, at least in the way they were applied to preceding media . The grouping of authors occurs according to a much wider spectrum of criteria and in a much more fluid manner. Although mostly within the framework of subcultures, this grouping isn’t always based in social, political or cultural issues. However, as observed in Kevin Yuen Kit Lo’s 2016 essay on Pantone and the sublimation of subcultural notions of color, it is almost always based on common aesthetic (visual and formal) denominators.. In the same essay, Lo accurately identifies the moment when these, among other internet subcultural movements, have been fully sublimated into mass culture, that is, transformed into a paradigm of a mass market commodity as the moment when Pantone announced their “colors of the year” for 2016: Rose Quartz and Serenity.3 If we observe how different modes of contemporary artistic expression appear, persevere, and disappear, we can conclude that the lack of -isms, -ologies,
‘schools of thought’, official styles and movements which would in any way more closely determine certain aspects of contemporary creative praxes is crucial for their survival and development. However, it is important to keep in mind that this lack of generally accepted directioning in no way represents a consequence of any aspect of the creative process per se, but rather a consequence of the newly found context of the spaces of the internet, and of hyper-production: the multiplicity of -isms, at its core, has the same effect on creative praxes as the lack thereof. There is no common artistic manifesto and directions do not reach beyond a relatively loose definition of aesthetic guidelines which are, in any case, susceptible to interpretation and adaptation, i.e. interpretation and adaptation configured directly in relation to the chosen manner of the representation of the artist’s identity itself.
Aesthetic Communication and the Contemporary Cultural in Artistic Expression The importance of the internet for contemporary artistic production can thus be identified beyond the concept itself, but within its linguistic frame. Namely, if we talk about the social, space, and the production thereof, it is significant to touch upon Henri Lefebvre’s understanding of production: “[The] active man creates the human world and, through the act of production produces himself. He does not simply produce things, implements, or goods; he also produces history and situations.”4 Klaus Ronneberger adds to this notion in his text “Henri Lefebvre and the Question of Autogestion” suggesting that “[Lefebvre] considers the term production to encompass production of societal-social relations.”5 In this sense, if we discuss the production of content across different internet platforms, we also thereby discuss the production of the very spaces of the internet within which this production takes place. Accordingly, we keep in mind the relative position of these spaces within the virtual, and here we can, having in mind previously explored aspects of these spaces, finally identify them as contested (digital/virtual) spaces of the subcultural. Similarly, one should keep in mind that contemporary subcultures and author-groupings function by paradigms set greatly in relation to paradigms of digital networks – therefore, we can also say that the exponential development of digital and virtual platforms bears a share of the responsibility for the new structuring of artistic and culturing acting, just as it does for other aspects of everyday life. This means that internet
3 http://www.lokidesign.net/journal/2016/2/22/the-propaganda-of-pantone-co-
4 Lefebvre, Henri. . Zagreb: Naprijed, 1959. 5 Ronneberger, Klaus. “Henri Lefebvre and the Question of Autogestion” in Sabine Bitter and Helmut Weber (eds.). Vancouver; Berlin and New York: Filip Editions; Sternberg Press, 2009. Emphasis as in
lour-and-subcultural-sublimation. Accessed June 2016, July 2017.
original.
35
platforms, networks and systems have followed closely behind the withering away of -isms, movements, directions and the formulating of aesthetic groupings which have been formed around different developments in critical thought or activist agenda, but have always (in the subcultural spheres of internet spaces) been affirmative of different identities, media, expressive forms and structures. The triad system – position, identity, production – sets itself within the framework of a relation between aesthetics and politics, as described by Jacques Rancière. In The Politics of Aesthetics, Rancière writes: “aesthetics can be understood […] as the system of a priori forms determining what presents itself to sense experience”, whereas “[p]olitics revolves around what is seen and what can be said about it, around who has the ability to see and the talent to speak, around the properties of spaces and the possibilities of time.”6 Access to digital platforms and new technologies has reconfigured this relation, in other words, it has changed the way in which the aforementioned ability to see and the talent to speak are assigned to different acteurs (see above: artistic and culturing acting), and has mostly done so through the establishing of a flexible aesthetic determination and, simultaneously, heightening of its very value.
Color and the Representation of Identity Through the reinterpretation of the author-position, isolated aspects of aesthetics (singular visual determinants) have also been reconfigured, including, of course that of color. It is of no use to speak here about the role and the importance of color over the course of the history of visual arts. An aspect more relevant for this exploration might reside in the fact that, as the spectrum of socio-political questions authors dealt with expanded into social issues dealing with gender and sexuality, color, in the context of digital spaces of acting, assumed a new role. Take, for example, how the nuances of the shades of light blue and light pink have become, as though through a secret online agreement, synonymous with the representation of self for contemporary authors, especially those who belong to queer subcultures, and are members of sexual and/or gender minorities who focus on interdisciplinary artistic and cultural production, primarily in the digital. Normatively defined as signifiers of gender (It’s a boy! and It’s a girl!),7 and socially imposing characteristics and roles that come hand in hand with that signified gender, light blue and light pink are within the internet spaces of the subcultural reinterpreted as tools 6 Rancière, Jacques. The Politics of Aesthetics. London: Bloomsbury, 2013. 7 Baby pink is a light shade of pink. The first recorded use of baby pink as a color name in English was in 1928. In Western culture, baby pink is used to symbolize baby girls just as baby blue is often used to symbolize baby boys. This is a recent tradition, however, and until the 1940s the convention was exactly the opposite: pink was used for boys while girls were dressed in blue.
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to redefine the identities and positions of authors in relation to the societal norms via taking back the control over the very stereotypes pointed against the authors and their sensibilities, gender, gender identities, sexualities.
Butterfly Effects The aesthetics of the light-pink-light-blue combination has become one of the pillars of author expression and the communication of identity, especially on the internet, which has come more and more to represent a beacon of accessibility and independence in relation to the production of content and the space thereof. Not one to be late to jump on the bandwagon (with a 1st-class-cultural-sublimation-special-offer ticket, of course), Pantone in 2016, for the first time ever, announced two (instead of one) “Colors of the Year”: “Rose Quartz” and “Serenity”. Per Lo, “[t]he popular use of these colors, and specifically their combined usage, has emerged out of a tumultuously contested subcultural space. Pantone’s conceptual framing of “Rose Quartz” and “Serenity” is disingenuous at best, and once one digs a little deeper, can be seen to represent a clearly reactionary political force.”8 Taking into account the pool of topics that authors primarily using this combination of colors deal with, which are, again, most often topics of gender and sexuality, cautiously approached, to say the least, in physical space of the everyday, and the more traditional, mainstream, controlled media, the manner in which Pantone has commodified and commercialized them can be identified as a clear sublimation of the subcultural, directly from its internet spaces. Lo elaborates: “In psychology, sublimation is described as a type of defense mechanism where socially unacceptable impulses or idealizations are unconsciously transformed into socially acceptable actions or behavior, resulting in a long-term conversion of the initial impulse. […] However, unlike more commonly understood practices of cultural appropriation where the semantic range of the appropriated aesthetic is somewhat limited (initially at least), Pantone’s isolated focus on color creates a dangerously free-floating signifier to which meaning can be arbitrarily inscribed. […] Though Pantone is forced to partially acknowledge [“Rose Quartz” and “Serenity”’s] origins by briefly referencing ”societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity” in their release copy, the thrust of their recontextualization positions RQ+S as “embracing, reassuring, secure, gentle, weightless, airy, relaxing, soothing, peaceful and calm.” All of this admittedly “even in turbulent times.” The aim is to fully divorce the colors from their specific cultural context in order to generate a mass market commodity.”9 8 http://www.lokidesign.net/journal/2016/2/22/the-propaganda-of-pantone-colour-and-subcultural-sublimation. Accessed June 2016, July 2017. 9
Marianne Vlaschits’ *a disturbance traveling through a medium* “offers us the new cosmos as a social system, where females hold the primary power. Predominantly through travel, political leadership, moral authority and social privilege. Culture is paramount in this new world and maintained at the highest value for each space traveling unit and its users.Vlaschits turns the gallery into a blueprint for an interstellar spaceship designed for comfort, not too unlike a cruise liner in the Bahamas but for life.” – from the artist’s press release.
Travis Geter’s “ is a portrait series featuring the different ‘shades’ of the black man. SHADES refers to the infinite variety that comprises the description of a’ black man.’ The term transcends mere skin tone to include elements such as international background, profession, age, sexuality, physical build, and personal identity. The SHADES project is designed to present the black male in a unique and positive light, juxtaposed against the color blue, which like black, has many hues and nuances.” – from the artist’s website.
In by and Boris Šribar, “the exchange of acts which have culturally been assigned to their respective genders—he puts on make up, she cleans the shotgun; she puts on make up, he cleans the shotgun—isn’t capable of changing the cultural code, or deconstructing the stereotype. The inversion is only to confuse the observer, to allow them to perceive the inability of the acteur to successfully complete the act. [...] As the woman (as a female being) is perceive through the eye of the Other, the eye of the man which becomes the eye of culture and society, she doesn’t possess the potential of leaving [her] identification. The key to ‘reading’ the woman cleaning the gun is the same as that to ‘reading’ the woman putting on make-up – through a sexual connotation: she is remains a sexual object. On the other hand, the man avoids desubjectification and, when he performs the “non-typically-male” act, the conclusion is merely that he doesn’t do it in an appropriate manner; that he poorly simulates it, while his Subject remains preserved – he’s no less of a man.” – from
Laurence Philomene’s Color Studies explore gender identity, non-binarity, tenderness – often through the exploration of color theory and the social constructs surrounding aesthetic values of color. “The most important thing about an image I create is its colors and the ways they interact with each other. I’d go as far as saying that color is more important to me than the subject or composition of an image.” – the artist 37
In other words, efforts to rebel and claim the right to identities (or representations of identities) have been translated into elements of mere design, reduced from the level of an aesthetic communication of value to the level of decoration – this, of course, being within and alongside the frame of Pantone’s immense influence on the design market.
fruity and refreshing sip of spring, no matter what time of year”. Forbes offered advice for brands on how to recognize the next millennial pink11, noting just how “fascinating [it’s been] to watch a color morph into a trend. And even more entertaining to watch brands scramble to design everything they can in Millennial Pink”. Gucci fashion runways were bathing in the color; and so were, “Rose Quartz” and “Serenity”, of course, repre- all of a sudden, Bentley convertibles. Milan Design Week sent neither a first nor a new manner of commodifica- 2017, the event par excellence for furniture and product tion of the subcultural, but the scale of the case in ques- designers, and the natural platform for the embodiment tion significantly distinguishes it from others, as do the of Pantone’s “concepts” was “dominated” by millennispaces involved and the moment in which it takes place. al pink (to quote headlines reporting from the event). And truly, ever since Pantone’s initial announcement, in Many a designer exhibiting had something to say about what can only be described as a whirlwind of dominos the color, their discourse not diverging heavily from that falling over, flying against, and bulldozing each other, of Pantone (or Starbucks) or from the erasure or, in the the usual suspects caught on to the trend – on the repre- case of some, the tangent negation of the subcultural senting (corporate), as well as the perceiving (media) end concepts that brought light pink and light blue together, – mostly, however, obsessing over the pink part of the providing Pantone with a corpus to abuse, later leading equation and, of course, completely disregarding any and to the baby pink craze. all relations it might have with its recent prominence in In a statement reported by Dezeen, Sanna Wåhsubculture.10 Part of that disregard also reflected on the lin, a designer at the Swedish office search for the origin of the newly found Pantone-promi- explained: “Pink is a quite soft and friendly color – it nence of soft pink (light pink, baby pink, and soon – mil- tends to work well with a lot of other colors and adds lennial pink) in the media spaces wide and far away from a certain glow.” She goes on to say that one of the main subcultural internet spaces: was it Wes Anderson’s Grand reasons for the color’s popularity, lies in the fact that— , or was it maybe Apple iPhone’s new Rose unlike more vibrant shades of pink—it is free from girlyGold variant? Drake’s cover or Acne Studios’ girl associations, so appeals to men as well as women. shopping bag? Does it even matter? Pantone said it was “When suggesting pink to our clients, they seem to feel the thing, it was everywhere, people were #obsessing, and quite brave when they say yes, and being brave in deit was selling like hotcakes. In a move not at all foreign sign is a good thing – it means you’re moving forward, to instances of subcultural commodification by the mass pushing boundaries.” Italian designer Matteo Cibic put market, it was at one point even named Tumblr Pink, it a bit more simply: “Wes Anderson used it in Mendl’s seemingly giving credit where credit was due, while real- pastry in The Grand Budapest Hotel, and it reminds me ly effectively hijacking the possibility of light pink and its of marshmallows.” “It definitely makes your day and less popular counterpart, light blue, ever being re-associ- makes the people around you more happy,” said designer ated with the digital spaces they were actually taken from Paul Smith. In her statement for the same outlet, Slove(at least, again, in this form). “We really see the linkage nian designer Nika Zupanc (though seemingly not much of these two shades together as wellness,” Laurie Press- more conscious of the contemporary history of this pink man, VP of Pantone Color Institute, explains, stating than her colleagues) at least seems to recognize the shift the “anxieties of our postmodern age” as one of the main in the perception of pink: triggers for this particular duo to be selected the Colors “Zupanc said she has worked with various shades of pink of the Year. Furthermore, the pink half of the duo was over the last decade, in an “almost rebellion manner”, as the color was so unpopular until recently. “I first used a dusty dubbed Millennial Pink by The Cut’s Véronique Hyland pink shade for my Maid chair, which was introduced at Sain her text I lone Satellite in 2007. I remember there were absolutely no This Color?, and the name caught on, flirtatiously endearobjects in this color under the spotlight of contemporary ing the up-and-coming generation of consumers—one, design,” she said. “We all felt that we are courageous for however, very much established within that pink’s very introducing this color, as it had a sort of bad reputation at that time, symbolizing frivolity and un-seriousness, far away own digital spaces of origin, the internet platforms of acfrom the expectations of the design establishment.” “We all tion for the queer subculture authors. hoped that by using it in this new, contemporary way, we
Pantone doubled down on their bet on light pink would bring it out of the ghetto and give it a new meaning,” with their forecast for color of Spring 2017. They inshe continued. “I guess we succeeded.””12 troduced , “a quiet and peaceful pink shade The wildly ignorant dismissive tone of the acteurs that engenders an aura of innocence and purity”. Con- of the mass, mainstream market is far from surprising. It currently, Starbucks started offering the Pink Drink, “a
10 Here, it seems important to state that, of course, no group of people can directly and wholly claim right to a color per se, but what we are discussing is the erasure of its most immediate (sub)cultural history and its blatant decontextualization for the sake of commodification.
38
11 https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenfriedman/2017/08/22/how-brands-canspot-the-next-millennial-pink/. Accessed November 2017. 12 https://www.dezeen.com/2017/04/24/millennial-pink-colour-dominates-milan-design-week-2017/. Accessed November 2017.
is, however, one that raises the questions of form, content and structure of subcultural production, and the spatial and temporal determinants it presupposes in an effort to remain authentic, as well as the question of aesthetics in relation to the plain of acting and the layering of meanings.
recognize how the spaces of internet cum physical spaces represent the potentiality of the actual production of new social spaces of reappropriation and, in context of contemporary artistic and cultural production, representation of identity, and beyond — all the way to the reclaiming of the everyday.
The Aestheticization of Aesthetics
Bibliography
What comes next? is still a developing question. The digital sphere of the internet is a young space and, as much time, value and activity as it has been assigned, we are still discovering how to use it, how to appropriate it, and reappropriate it, and even, hopefully, how to make it into a means to forestall, or at least anticipate such instances of sublimation in the first place. Aesthetics has lost, for the time being, the safe haven it enjoyed in certain subcultural internet spaces. The double edged sword of general access and freedom of interpretation makes a double cut, compromising its communicational aspect, along with the contemporary iteration of its potentiality for expressing societal, political and cultural values by putting it in constant danger of having this role not only directly taken away, but also stripped down to a set of characteristics which are merely a function of one’s taste.
Buckingham, David. “Introducing Identity” in Buckingham, David (ed.). Youth, Identity, and Digital Media. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2008. Lefebvre, Henri. . Zagreb: Naprijed, 1959. Lefebvre, Henri. The Production of Space. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2009. Mako, Vladimir. Aesthetic Thoughts on Architecture. Belgrade: Faculty of Architecture at the University of Belgrade, 2011. O’Doherty, Brian. Inside the White Cube: The Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1986. Rancière, Jacques. London: Bloomsbury, 2004.
In a less successful (or, maybe, more fearful?—one Rendell, Jane, Barbara Penner, and Iain Borden. can only hope) attempt to tap into the subcultural, Pantone, this time only reaching the off-beaten-path-hip, Gender Space Architecture: An Interdisciplinary Introduction. announced Greenery as its Color of the Year for 2018. London: Routledge, 2000. As part of their pitch, we’re shown a video featuring bad Vesely, Dalibor. Architecture in the Age of Divided high-rise architecture, a healthy, green brunch and happy consumer citizens enjoying their little green oases in Production the unidentifiable commonplace of a contemporary city, Weitemeier, Hannah. Yves Klein, 1928-1962: while also, probably, contemplating their (misplaced) . Köln: Benedikt Taschen, 1995. ecological responsibility. Phew. Yuen Kit Lo, Kevin. www.lokidesign.net The sublimating forces discussed throughout this text are strong and relentless, and definitely show no tendency of slowing down or stopping, replacing their cut-off hydra heads two unpaid interns at a time – but it is easy capitulating and saying “they won”. Keeping in mind the explorations of the digital/virtual spaces and their configurations, histories, and effects on and value for the subcultural, we might be free to, though cautiously, identify spaces of the internet as spaces of great potentiality for contemporary subcultural production. So, —It’s significant to keep in mind the fact that we are living in the toddler age of a vast space waiting to be conquered, and who says that conquering always works in the same direction? Before anything, maybe, we are at this time to recognize the potentialities of the contemporary, especially in relation to the production of space(s) of the internet, and/or the digital spaces. Taking it a step further, if we’re brave, also to 39
Alt ern Ati ver We tte rbe ric ht 23. Jul i 201 7
(not in order of powerlessness â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in our eyes, they're all winners!)
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Unpaid Gallery Intern
2. Britney Spears
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3. George W. Bush
4. Migrant Workers Building the Louvre in Abu Dhabi
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4. Migrant Workers Anything, Really
6. Hans Ulrich Obristâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s 12â&#x20AC;&#x201C;6AM Assistant
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7. The Raumzine Editorial Board
8. Anyone in Jeff Koonsâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; Employ
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9. The Emerging Artist Who Pays to Do aYT )T F 7JXNIJSH^ Residency
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11. Gallery Attendant / Art Guard
12. Marina Abramovicâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s Avatar
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BERLIN
WALLS by Katya Elizarova
When I lived in Moscow, I would travel to southern countries during winter for the obvious similarities in weather. However, I visited my beloved Berlin only during summers. It was only two years ago that I saw Bergot to see peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homes. In ten days I probably vis-
looked the same: white walls and simple, functional furniture. I thought that this was probably related to a preference for practicality. But one would not expect such monotonous interiors from Berlin, would they? While going through online forums of Russian-speaking immigrants in Germany, I realized that I was not alone in my observations. It seemed many people who were born in USSR associated white walls with hospitals. Wallpaper is something special for a Russian person. It is a cultural foundation, so to speak, akin to carworld from a cot, long meditations looking at the wall through teenage deadlocks, searching for fractals during LSD trips made at home, obsessions over casual looks during sex, and much more. So what do the young people who come from other parts of the world think about Berlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interiors? Do they ent in their homes of origin? Is this a post-socialist aftermath that the youth is used to? Or is this a tribute to the invisible bureaucratic apparatus of apartment renting, in which you must provide an apartment in a pristine white form to your landlord? Here are the results of my research from the discussions of housewives on the Russian Forum and visits and communications with the students of Raumstrategien, a highly international crowd studying at the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weissensee. 49
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@Anastasia1976 I do not like white. I have one wall with a strip of white-blue wallpaper with raspberry details and another dark brown wall, also covered in wallpaper
Henri Lefebvre The user’s space is lived - not represented or conceived.
I have a turquoise wall. I’m not proud of it, but this paint and some of the turquoise furniture in my apartment are from my landlord who is a stakeholder I don’t like white walls. Thank god they don’t surround me.
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Cetus Taipei, Taiwan
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@A_Girl_With_a_Character I want one small guest room covered in wallpaper with a little texture like this idea. He says, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Why should we mold the wallpaper is somehow nicer in a small room.
Franz Kafka Being alone has a power over me that never fails. My interior dissolves (for the time
Martin
and is ready to release what lies deeper. When I am willfully alone, a slight ordering of my interior begins to take place and I need nothing more.
Stockholm, Sweden
The interiors of people who live in wgs here has much more resemblance of a teenage room. I think for example the people here donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t buy so much new furnitures. Most of the interiors comes from reused furnitures found on the street, DIY-furnitures and pictures from magazines on the wall etc. I think the people in Stockholm in general buy more furnitures and are more interested in white and polished home-decor.
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Le Corbusier Chairs are architecture, sofas are bourgeois.
Uros
Belgrade, Serbia
I Marble for everyone! II Boiseries for everyone! III Brass for everyone! IV Gardens for everyone! V Housing for everyone! VI Cities for everyone! VII Down with Le Corbusier!
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@Black-Angel.de Because I was hoping to stay for a long time and the white, German walls reminded me of hospitals, I joyfully painted them in bright I had painted my walls and they turned out to be crimson, but I liked it anyway. In theory, if I move out of this apartment I will have to paint the walls white again. I will do it, but it would be even better if I could orange color scheme.
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Katya Moscow, Russia Most people in Russia have wallpaper on the walls. If for economic reasons or out of habit, or due to lack of aesthetic sensitivity, it is still the most common type of wall covering. I associate wallpaper with something homey and cozy, a private personal space. Painted white walls are for me, as for other Russians, a symbol of public bureaucratic space. Nevertheless, it is more interesting for me to live in such a space, because my artistic practice is built on the connection between personal and public spaces.
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Guy Debord The spectacle is capital accumulated to the point where it becomes image.
@Liliya66 hood we had whitewashed walls. The wallpaper appeared later. But now there is such a huge selection of wallpaper for every taste, including white and any color of monochrome. They
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and who the hell knows what other kinds of patterns. Oh my childhood trauma, these white touching them I feel the frost on the skin... brrrrr. 53
Victor Hugo There is always more misery among the lower classes than there is humanity in the higher.
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@lena_101 I always had everything covered in wallpaper, even the ceiling in my parents' house. I did not see any white walls before coming to Germany, and I liked it so much that I did not want anything else. Sometimes I think we should paint the walls, and then I am reminded of my childhood trauma and let go of this idea.
My childhood room was pale yellow. This color probably expresses something and my parents choose it with the good intention to bring light, warmth, sun and happiness into my room. Now our house has white walls everywhere for a practical reason: mold in the corners. But yeah, people are stupid. Instead of going out into nature they speculate about decoration. They believe that painting their ugly, more â&#x20AC;&#x153;colorâ&#x20AC;? into their miserable lives.
Eva
Snina, Slovakia 54
Jane Jacobs A living culture is forever changing, without losing itself as a framework and context of change. The reconstruction of a culture is not the same as its restoration.
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@Frau_Julik Tell me how to persuade a German husband to like wallpaper?
Roshanak Vancouver, Canada
I like the white walls actually. I had coloured walls before and was getting tired of them quickly. But I also love having ers on shelves. I would maybe color small parts of the wall, but not the whole wall. But of course itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expensive to paint and most of the time one has to repaint back to white after so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be even more costly.
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Parisa Tehran, Iran
The walls in my apartment are all white. The private interiors in my home country look
people live that are sometimes similar to here, but we mostly call them studios or temporary places with warm colored walls. Using photos or decorations on the walls is also nice. But I need to put a lot of time and energy in to decorate, because if I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like the way that it is, it bothers me a lot.
Walter Benjamin We have long forgotten the ritual by which the house of our life was erected. But when it is under assault and enemy bombs are already taking their toll, what enervated, perverse antiquities do they not lay bare in the foundations.
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@Volkonskaya I do not like painted walls. We have wallpaper everywhere. It's time to change the room in the hall and I think it's possible to make photo wallpaper for at least one wall.
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Of course I can imagine an alternative way of constructing my environment without white walls. I could use tiles, wallpaper, paint, mosaics, wood, wall plants, etc. The space itself feels empty if I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t relate to it through my daily life. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have anything against white being used; side the rooms. But if the place was mine, or if I knew for sure I would stay for many years, I would do something to it.
Maki
Mexico City, Mexico
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@sweet_baby_lu Having light walls does not exclude the possibility of wallpaper. The acoustics are different when you have wallpaper. I'm not comfortable without it. I do not like to touch painted walls, they become dirty easily if you lean on them.
Michel Foucault is because man is attached to himself that he accepts error as truth, lies as reality, violence and ugliness as beauty and justice.
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Mariam Tbilisi, Georgia
Karl Marx The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property.
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The room I have in Berlin is too small, but I like it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in a good location. The walls are white. The majority of private interiors in Berare used to in Georgia. But I prefer white walls. I think you can easily decorate a room that has white walls.
@Tra_tati My husband did not want wallpaper. He did not even want to hear about it. But I still insisted on my own way and put a light gray was transformed and became so much more comfortable, exactly as I had said it would. There was some kind of softness that appeared. There were already framed posters on the walls, but with the wallpaper they began to look different. Now my husband is categorically against white paint, he only likes wallpaper. I also put wallpaper on one wall in the kitchen. The rest is whitewash. The wall with wallpaper has been clean for three years, while the whitewashed areas have already become smeared. I'm going to cover the entire kitchen with wallpaper now.
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From: Victoria <vict***********> Date: November 4th, 2017 Subject: Re: Editorial Letter Dear Johanna, Many
devoted to putting together this
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And, through the mediated channels we use to receive and transmit information has been replaced with complaints of fake news, and discussions around identity politics, though the spectre of that term still hovers over us, just out of sight. Time marches on, and the evolution of this discussion both in the public and our private sphere as an editorial board has shifted and split into many different. We subject not only with a serious-mindedness but also with humor. Satire provides a different lens through which to comment, as do jokes. And through this process we discovered that perhaps it was more effective for us to use these methods in the treatment of such heavy subject matter.
were in working and in working together: procrastination, distraction, confusion, lack of cohesion and commitment. I
a possibility. I hope we have not fallen into this trap, and that our work functions beyond the level of humor for hu-
And so, now, I bid you adieu, co-editor, and leave the rest up to the fates. If we are in favor, the printing gods will smile when we look down together on, what we can only hope, will be an illustrious publication. Just kidding. Sincerely, Vicky
From: Johanna <joha***********> Date: July 21st, 2017 Subject: Editorial Letter
Dear Vicky, Your
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moment was just after the spectacle of the United States 2017 elections. I
you listen closely you can hear a particular political lilt in the voices of the announcers...the white middle-class grammar, the luke-warm noodles, because it makes me feel at home. I needed comfort those days because the U.S. election and its fallout had been so upsetting for me. Ask my Colombian roommate who
The and a friend from my hometown. It was put in place to help us console ourselves about the strange feelings we were having, being expats during a time when our country was going through...all this. My friend sent me constant email reminders to request my absentee ballot. -
My partially watched the gigantic screen but mostly stared deadpan into the sea of Democratic American expats, watching their faces fall until the sun came up. Half asleep, I heard her Skyping with her boyfriend in California, repeating the question echoing across facebook. A
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From: Johanna <joha***********> Date: November 22nd, 2017 Subject: RE: not sure
Dear Vicky,
gle docs we could ever have dreamed possible. Due to innumerous hiccups, we have pushed deadlines so far out in front of
When actualities, and improbable news and hyper-realistic fantasies I was groping for something to cling on to, a buoy in this information sea. I was in search of comfort from the chaos of crisscrossing stories which had erupted out of the U.S. elections and the world in general â&#x20AC;&#x201C; i.e. my Facebook feed. I had thought at that point that if somehow I could grasp a truth it might bring comfort. I wanted a consistent narrative to consume as a sedative, something to make my head stop spinning. the more it seems humor might be the only viable tactic to survive. What is a joke but a linguistic structure which holds the world inside it, an intricate weaving of what we feel, what we imagine, what we experience and what we A joke is not exactly a truth, rather a navigational strategy for enduring incomprehensibilities. Missing something here. We back borders between imagination and experience were never very far apart but it feels now like they are folding rapidly on top of each other, pinging back and forth. We worked together in pixels, in cyberspace, in tiny bits of light. Light is
thoughts which take on lives in minds beyond our own. The is When the punch line to land. Signing off, Johanna
From: Victoria <vict***********> Date: November 4th, 2017 Subject: Re: Editorial Letter
Dear Johanna, Many and
And, the mediated channels we use to receive and transmit information has been replaced with complaints of fake news, and discussions around identity politics, though the spectre of that term still hovers over us, just out of sight. Time marches on, and the evolution of this discussion both in the public and our private sphere as an editorial board has shifted and split into many different directions. We a serious-mindedness but also with humor. Satire provides a different lens through which to comment, as do jokes. And through this process we discovered that perhaps it was more effective for us to use these methods in the treatment of such heavy subject matter.
ty to work and perform, to examine what our problems were in working and in working together: procrastination, distraction, confusion,
I
And so, now, I bid you adieu, co-editor, and leave the rest up to the fates. If we are in favor, the printing gods will smile down on us, and
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여백
.... 어느 공간이 있다. 당신은 그 공간으로 걸어 들어간다. 그리고 당신이 처음 마주한 것 은, 어둠 이외에 아무것도 볼 수 없는 상황이다. 함께 동행한 사람도 없기에, 칠흙 속 침묵을 깰 기회도 놓쳤다. 말 대신 발 한 걸음을 옮긴다. 살짝 들어올려졌다가 바닥에 내려진 구두 발굽의 소리는 가늠할 수 없는 공간 어디론가 흩어졌다가 부딪혀 돌아온 다. 딱. 딱. 두 번째 내딘 발걸음 소리가 어둠의 문을 두드리자, 세 번째 발걸음이 검은 여백의 공간의 문을 연다. 그 무명無明의 공간을 안내할 인도자는 오로지 당신의 발 자국 소리와 당신 자신 뿐이다. 우리가 어둠을 두려워하는 이유는 어둠이 아무것도 없음을 의미하지 않는다는 것을 알고 있기 때문이다. 그러나 끊임 없이 걸어야 한다. 만일 우리가 걸음을 멈추고 Ç우리 가 어디로 가고 있는 거지?ë 혹은 Ç우리가 지금 어디에 있지?ë라고 묻는다면, 우리는 길 을 잃게 될 것이기 때문이다. 당신이 공간을 가로질러 끝없이 걷는 것에 집중하게 됨 으로써, 무언가를 보려고 하지 않게 될 때, 당신은 그 동안 어둠을 보고 있었음을 깨닫 게 된다. 마치 이 글의 처음부터 우리가 단어와 단어 사이의 여백을 줄곧 읽고 있었던 것과 같이.
....
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Alternative — Fakten — Alternative (Notitzen über Sackgassen) I. Alternative Fakten als überleben Strategie
D
ie Indigene Bevölkerung in den Gebieten des heutigen Mexikos wurde von den spanischen Eroberern dazu ge-zwungen, vor dem christlichen Kreuz zum „richtigen“ Gott zu beten. Sonst drohte man ihnen mit Ermordung. In dieguren, die die Götter ihrer eigenen Religion symbolisieren, unter dem christlichen Altar in der Erde zu verstecken. Somit konnten sie „ungesehen“ weiter zu ihren Göttern beten.
II. Fakten als Alternative
D
er Spiegel ist ein Objekt, dass das gespiegelte Objekt selbst beinhaltet. Der Spiegel ist eine Glasplatte mit einer entsprechenden Beschichtung auf der einen Seite. Er verliert scheinbar seinen Zustand als Objekt und wird zu einem Medium für andere Realitäten. Die modernen Kommunikationsgeräte und die sozialen-Netzwerke werden von einigen Theoretikern als Spiegel be-zeichnet, in dem man sich nur noch selbst betrachtet und die Anderen verschwunden sind. Der Philosoph Byung Chul Han beschreibt die Gegenwart als: “Die Zeit, in der es den Anderen gab, ist vorbei. Der Andere als Geheimnis, der Andere als Verführung, der Andere als Eros, der Andere als Schmerz verschwindet.”In diesem gespiegelten Selbst wird die Realität rekursiv.
Vanessa Farfán 64
III. Mexikanische ontologische Struktur
I
ch habe das Kunstwerk Ontological Mexican structure mit Gedanken über die pyramidal Strukturen in Mexiko (im archäologischen und gesellschaftlichen Sinn) konzipiert.Eine Spiegel (80x60cm) und eine Led-Lampe in einer Wandecke erzeugen die Illusion einer Pyramide, die nach oben und unten weist und scheinbar bodenlos ist.Die Installation wurde im Keller des Studentenwerkes in der Hardenbergstraße im letzten Winter ausgestellt.
IV. Parallelität
I
n Mexiko “Albur” ist der Name eines Spiels mit Worten, in dem die Teilnehmer, in der Regel Männer, Sätze mit dop-pelter Bedeutung austauschen. Die Sätze, meist mit sexuellen Andeutungen, werden in Versform gesprochen. Ge-wineinzunehmen, während dem Verlierer die passive Rolle zufällt.Wahrscheinlich gehen die Ursprünge von “Albur” bis in die Zeit der spanischen Kolonie zurück. Die damaligen spa-nischen Bewohner Mexikos haben ihren Sozialstatus des “gebildeten” Menschen dadurch verdeutlicht in dem sie in Reimen gesprachen. Die Indigene haben die spanische Sprache in Prosa gelernt. Die Indigene versucht mit den Spa-niern in Reimen zu sprechen. Dabei war die Verhöhnung, dass sie Wörter mit doppelter Bedeutung verwand haben, ohne das es die Spanier bemerkten.Das “Albur” ist heutzutage immer noch sehr populär in Mexiko. Der Beruf des Technikers im Theater ist in Mexiko eine Männer Domäne. In meiner Erfahrung als Lichtdesignerin am Theater wurde das “Albur” oft als “Visitenkarte” benutzt. Im “Albur”-Spiel wurden meine Erfahrungen im Theater getes-tet und nicht anhand meiner Arbeit.
V. No Titel
D
ie US Künstlerin Roni Horn zitiert in einem Interview einen deutschen Politiker: “Du kannst Deine eigene Meinung haben, aber nicht deine eigenen Fakten”. Sind gespiegelte Fakten noch Fakten? Und wenn ja, taugen sie, um sich eine eigene Meinung zu bilden?
Vanessa Farfán 65
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