Never Mind the Paradox“Situationists” the Sorbonne and ongoing influence of “Atelier Populaire” on Punk art and culture

Paul Hollins November 2016

To reconstruct Life Itself

“The commodity can be understood in its undistorted essence only when it becomes the universal category of society as a whole. Only in this context does the reification produced by commodity relations assume decisive importance both for the objective evolution of society and for the attitudes that people adopt toward it, as it subjugates their consciousness to the forms in which this reification finds expression… As labour is increasingly rationalised and mechanised this subjugation is reinforced by the fact that people’s activity becomes less and less active and more and more contemplative.” (Debord )The Society of the Spectacle (1967)

The (graffiti) language of the Situationists• “In the décor of the spectacle the eye meets only things and their prices”• “Boredom is counter revolutionary “• “Live in the Moment”• “Don’t change bosses change Life”• “Never work”• “Occupy the Factories”• “The passion of destruction is creative joy “• “Concrete breeds apathy”• “We are all undesirables”• “Art is dead Goddard can’t change that”• “Anarchy is me”• “Don’t consume Marx, live it”• “Be realistic demand the impossible”• “Burn commodities”

And 40 years on…

#burnpunklondon

Joe Corre burns his collection of punk memorabilia in protest at planned 40th anniversary ”celebrations” organised by the establishment.

• Meaningless gesture ?

• Or “situationist” “spectacle” ?

What did the Situationists ever do for us ?•Shaped the aesthetic of punk•Provided the language of punk • Instigated the “Philosophy of punk” (if it exists?)•Stimulated the punk protagonists (McLaren/ Reid et al)• Totally Redefined the ART OF DISSENT

References …. • Considine,L. 'Screen Politics: Pop Art and the Atelier Populaire', Tate Papers, no.24,

Autumn 2015, http://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/tate-papers/24/screen-politics-pop-art-and-the-atelier-populaire, accessed 13 September 2016.• Debord, G. (1967) The Society of The Spectacle Bureau of Public Secrets Canada• Gray, C. (1974) Leaving the 20th Century The incomplete works of Situationist

International Rebel Press London• Knabb,k.(edt) (1981) Situationist International Anthology Bureau of Public Secrets

Canada• Kugelberg, J. (edt) (2011) Beauty is in the Street Four corner Books London• Kugelberg,J. Savage,J.& Terry,G. () God Save the Sex Pistols Rizzoli New York• Savage ,J. ( 1991 ) Englands Dreaming Faber and Faber London• Savage, J. (2009) The Englands Dreaming Tapes Faber and Faber London

Workers , French, Immigrant Unite …Thank you for listening …

Email - Paulanthonyhollins@googlemail.comTwitter - @paulhollins