“ 1. In societies where modern conditions of production prevail, life is presented as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived is now merely represented in the distance.
…
4. The spectacle is not a collection of images; it is a social relation between people that is mediated by images.”
— Guy Debord, The Society of the Spectacle.
As some of you may know, Guy Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle was selected as the reading for Wednesday’s Theory for Dinner- a monthly exchange of food and ideas hosted at Latitude 53. Revisiting this text in preparation for this gathering has brought a few questions forward when considering what, precisely, we are to make of Guy Debord today.
While The Society of the Spectacle is a little longer than the ideal Theory for Dinner text, it’s easy enough to break it down into bite-sized pieces. Debord writes in point form, pumping out pithy statements, each of which can be chewed-over in their own right. Don’t worry if you can’t get all the way through Debord’s short book for Wednesday- just find a few ideas that make your head spin. The first chapter is particularly good in this regard.
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With In/stall/ed happening all day tomorrow in McCauley from 11-5pm, you’re going to want to be feeling fine in order to explore all of the seventeen installations scattered throughout the community.
Earlier today Gig City gave a sneak peek and tale about Amy Shostak’s contribution, featuring her Dido as a living art installation:
Amy’s piece, outside the Sacred Heart Centre, 10821 96 Street, is called “My Dido, the Orator.”
Her Dido (Ukrainian word for grandfather) got a chance to read the blurb: “My Dido’s done a lot of jobs in his life. My Dido speaks Ukrainian and Spanish. My Dido loves to cook and to talk politics. My Dido falls asleep in his recliner. Ask him about these things.”
To which he replied, she says, “Amy, I’m going to kill you.”
Too late to back out now!
The granddaughter explains, “He’s very much a patriarchal figure in our family. He’s always sitting at the head of the table and talking, or in his recliner telling stories. He’s one of the more colourful members of our family. I think so, anyway, so what I want to find out is if he’s interesting to others and not just me.”
Read the rest of the interview with Amy and her grandfather here and see you tomorrow!
