La Internacional Situacionista

Precedentes históricos (bosquejo)

Sékioz de Niafre

13 de febrero de 2021
 1. 1915-6 Se desarrolla el movimiento artístico Dada como respuesta a la WWI en
Zurich y Nueva York, trasladándose a partir de 1920 a Paris, «rejecting the logic,
reason, and aestheticism of modern capitalist society, instead expressing nonsen-
se, irrationality, and anti-bourgeois protest in their works».

2. 1917 Apollinaire Parade y Chronologie de Dada et du surréalisme

3. 1924 El movimiento Dada se escinde con Breton Manifeste du surréalisme: «claimed

that automatism was a better tactic for societal change than those of Dada, as led
by Tzara, who was now among their rivals».
a) La tendencia surrealista llevaba ganando terreno desde 1921
b) «Tzara voiced in 1927 his opposition to the Surrealist group’s adoption of
communism, indicating that such politics could only result in a "new bour-
geoisie" being created, and explaining that he had opted for a personal "per-
manent revolution", which would preserve "the holiness of the ego"».1
c) «In 1929, he reconciled with Breton, and sporadically attended the Surrea-
lists’ meetings in Paris». Inicio de la asimilación.

4. 1945 Manifiesto letrista de Isou: intenta recuperar el espíritu originario del dadais-
mo de Tzara. Applied their theories to all areas of art and culture, most notably
in poetry (desde 1947), film (1951), painting (1950) and political theory (1949).

5. 1952 Se escinde en la Internacional Letrista (1952-1957): collective of radical ar-

tists and cultural theorists, y suerte de análogo y coetáneo a la Beat Generation
americana. Cofundada por Debord, pasa a dominar el discurso letrista.
a) The schism developed when the ’left-wing’ of the Letterist group disrupted
a Charlie Chaplin press conference: "The footlights have melted the make-
up of the supposedly brilliant mime. All we can see now is a lugubrious and
mercenary old man. Go home Mister Chaplin.", "We appreciated the impor-
tance of Chaplin’s work in its own time, but we know that today novelty lies
elsewhere, and ’truths which no longer entertain become lies’ (Isou).", "the
most urgent exercise of liberty is the destruction of idols"
b) 1956 Debord Théorie de la dérive: inicio de la psychogeography
c) 1956 Debord & Wolman Mode d’emploi du détournement: reutilising plagiari-
sed material (literary, artistic, cinematic, etc.) for a new and usually radical
purpose. "In truth, it is necessary to do away with the whole notion of per-
sonal property in this area. The emergence of new demands renders earlier
’great works’ obsolete. They become obstacles, bad habits. It is not a question
of whether we like them or not. We must pass them by."

1 Cf. Paul Cernat, Avangarda românească si complexul periferiei: primul val, Cartea Românească, Bucha-
,
rest, 2007. ISBN 978-973-23-1911-6, p.239

2
6. 1957 LI officially fused with the IMIB (International Movement for an Imaginist
Bauhaus, escisión de COBRA por influencia de LI) and the London Psychogeo-
graphical Association to form the Situationist International (1957-1972): organi-
zation of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and
political theorists, enmarcada en el Libertarian Marxism, y particularmente intere-
sada en la permeación de la social alienation and commodity fetishism a todos los
aspectos de la vida y la cultura.
a) Debord La société du spectacle 1967
b) Vaneigem Traité de savoir-vivre à l’usage des jeunes générations 1967 (traducido
en 1975 como The Revolution of Everyday Life): the primary means of counte-
racting the spectacle is the construction of situations, moments of life delibe-
rately constructed for the purpose of reawakening and pursuing authentic
desires, experiencing the feeling of life and adventure, and the liberation of
everyday life.
c) proved greatly influential in shaping the ideas behind the May 1968 insu-
rrections in France