BASIC BANALITIES
A brief History of the Situationist International

What then?

The skies did not fall in when the only two members left, Debord and Sanguinetti put an end to the group. Politically, the SI has perhaps been the most important collective attempt to put up a critique of the new modernised forms of dominion which took shape in France (and in the rest of the world) after the Second World War with the advent of consumerism. They certainly had the merit of updating revolutionary critique to the new conditions of capitalism.
Their critique of the pro-situs is also quite remarkable. The SI managed to avoid the normal death of all the vanguards, i.e. a comfortable ageing. Although it can be argued that the dissolution in 1972, just like the numerous expulsions before then, was just an extreme measure to avoid an inevitably shameful end.
Endless debates and discussions are still going on today on the SI legacy in various countries and sometimes there is a tendency stick the 'situationist' label on every political group with a bit of a Dada-like passion for provocation. The Dutch Provos in Holland (with whom ex-situationist Constant was involved), Kommune 1 in Berlin and then Red Army Faction; the Angry Brigade, King Mob (a group formed after the English section of the SI was expelled en masse) to name a just few. Links have been made with subsequent groups and movements. As far as England is concerned the situationist label is frequently attached to the Punk movement. The reality, though, is just that few individuals who were later active in the Punk scene were on friendly terms with members of King Mob. The opinion of the situationist on King Mob can be summarised in the comment appeared on Internationale Situationiste n. 12: a rag called King Mob passes, quite wrongly, for being pro-situationist.

The list of groups that have drawn their inspiration directly or indirectly from situationist ideas is huge and differs from country to country. A good example is given by the travelling exhibition On the Passage of a few people... organised by the Pompidou Centre in Paris and then shown at the ICA in London and in Boston. The French exhibition more or less concluded with the revolts of May '68, the British one with Punk rock and the USA one with American simulationist painting.
What follows is just a brief grouping of some 'experiences' I have encountered or I am familiar with. I am not going to draw parallels or to measure the quantity of situationist blood in them. The choice is deliberately personal.


Psychogeographical Associations
The London Psychogeographical Association (LPA) was born again a few years ago proudly proclaiming 35 years of no-existence. Itnewsletter it publishes includes constant references to druidic ley-lines, masonic influences in architecture and occult sources of power seen as a way of broadening the political critique of urban geography with the 'occult' implicit suggestion that there always is 'something else' behind the most banal aspect of life.
Psychogeographical Associations exist in various places from Helsinki to Bologna from Brooklin to Nottingham.


Encyclopedie des Nuisances
L'Encyclopedie des Nuisances (The Encyclopaedia of Harmful things) started its publication in November 1984 and is today at the entry Abrenuntio. EdN, as the name suggests is an encyclopedie of all the harmful things. EdN though, is not an encyclopaedia in the usual term of the word. The entries are not descriptive, but just an excuse to develop bits of radical critique, that can develop from virtually anything. At the entry Compendium the EdN has published a critique of the Situationist International, analysing the reason for its failure. Debord has answered to this in his Cette mauvais reputation...


BLOB
Blob, the worst of the day before. It is a television program solely composed by a planned zapping of the TV of the day before, a detournement of the images. Political speech followed by virulent insult from cowboy movies, fake-smiling children TV presenter interrupted by sex scenes and so on. Blob is broadcasted by the Italian Third Channel (RAITRE) at prime time (7:30pm.) and it lasts for about half an hour. Although it has an opening tune it hasn't got a closing one. For the first few minutes after the end the viewer is still waiting for a sharp, comical change. The viewer is encouraged to question the content of programs and the value s/he is used to associates to them.


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