Assembling random memories, readings and concepts
10/06/2008
Lacan’s Divan
L’ estetica del’ lavoro é lo spettacolo della merce umana.
The Aesthetics of labour is the spectacle of human commodification.
Area (Italian Jazz-Rock band) from “Arbeit Macht Frei”, LP., circa 1974, Cramps Records ©, Milano Italy.
Many years ago (1980) while spending some time in Italy I used to follow “Area” concerts all along the country (whenever was possible). That used to be one of my favorite bands in those days; while finishing the Italian superior courses (to teach italian) walking and walking Florence City and Fiesole (that small town in the outskirts of Forence, where I got this small job helping/cleaning at a painters workshop), I was enjoying my parallel existence (and one of the first truly independence from home experiences); I was helping as well at the Cine Club (Movie Club) at the institute, my ‘communist’ Italian Literature & Language teachers: Dr. Tobbia and Dr. Pacinotti. They introduced me to the Italian progressive-jazz-rock-politically involved artist movement at that time. They also introduced me to the squat movement in urban zones all along the Toscana. Pretty interesting times—yet risky—with urban terrorism still playing their cards in the late seventies, early eighties Italy. They were pretty aware politically speaking and very well organized, yet pacifist and intellectual.
The idea, and mainly the image, of human activity—say normal quotidian—performance becoming a commodity blown my mind at that time (after all, I was just another 19 y/o kid). Curiously enough this memory came to my mind last night when I raised my first Linden dollar at the Job Island within SL.
I detected and contacted Dann Scribe online and he offered me teleportation to where he was (Job Island). Once there I started looking around and find a few ways of raising some dollars (basically for free). The scene with all those residents dancing and walking up and down the place also became mixed with my recollected images of the first objects I have built, a ‘sort of’: glass table or cantina, various 3D objects, lampas (I left one at Dustin’s) and a kinetic sculpture I left for a while in a Dance Club. I managed to attach some motion scripts I recollected on previous incursions, so my objects became “animated”.
I think I want to relate those mixed images and memories with other ideas and observations of my last forays in SL and also with identity topics and other stuff from this week’s readings. Just a brief additional note before logging off, in year 2002 I was invited to illustrate some event at a public University in Mexico City. It was a international conference which subject was: The city (perhaps Mexico City) as a place for imagination, my response came from those Italian memories and a bunch of contemporary and digital art concepts, and science fiction stories (Di Filippo. Sterling, Lem, etc) melted in a series of 12 imaginary postcards from a parallel existence (a second life?) sometime in the apocalyptical future of one megalopolis like Mexico City in year 2032. I’ll show you a couple of those images too, as being connected in a sort of conceptual continuity (I’ve borrowed this figure from Frank Zappa’s line of thought).
With these material I would like to bridge Anna Munster’s Aproximate Aesthetic theoretical framing to organize my incursions, ideas and observations in the last weeks within SL. For the moment my basic learned skills as a rocker stripper, who can dance, have been enough to get me the first few linden dollars. Well, I’ll be back shortly with these topics and ideas. Buon apettito a tutti.
Lacan’s Divan
L’ estetica del’ lavoro é lo spettacolo della merce umana.
The Aesthetics of labour is the spectacle of human commodification.
Area (Italian Jazz-Rock band) from “Arbeit Macht Frei”, LP., circa 1974, Cramps Records ©, Milano Italy.
Many years ago (1980) while spending some time in Italy I used to follow “Area” concerts all along the country (whenever was possible). That used to be one of my favorite bands in those days; while finishing the Italian superior courses (to teach italian) walking and walking Florence City and Fiesole (that small town in the outskirts of Forence, where I got this small job helping/cleaning at a painters workshop), I was enjoying my parallel existence (and one of the first truly independence from home experiences); I was helping as well at the Cine Club (Movie Club) at the institute, my ‘communist’ Italian Literature & Language teachers: Dr. Tobbia and Dr. Pacinotti. They introduced me to the Italian progressive-jazz-rock-politically involved artist movement at that time. They also introduced me to the squat movement in urban zones all along the Toscana. Pretty interesting times—yet risky—with urban terrorism still playing their cards in the late seventies, early eighties Italy. They were pretty aware politically speaking and very well organized, yet pacifist and intellectual.
The idea, and mainly the image, of human activity—say normal quotidian—performance becoming a commodity blown my mind at that time (after all, I was just another 19 y/o kid). Curiously enough this memory came to my mind last night when I raised my first Linden dollar at the Job Island within SL.
I detected and contacted Dann Scribe online and he offered me teleportation to where he was (Job Island). Once there I started looking around and find a few ways of raising some dollars (basically for free). The scene with all those residents dancing and walking up and down the place also became mixed with my recollected images of the first objects I have built, a ‘sort of’: glass table or cantina, various 3D objects, lampas (I left one at Dustin’s) and a kinetic sculpture I left for a while in a Dance Club. I managed to attach some motion scripts I recollected on previous incursions, so my objects became “animated”.
I think I want to relate those mixed images and memories with other ideas and observations of my last forays in SL and also with identity topics and other stuff from this week’s readings. Just a brief additional note before logging off, in year 2002 I was invited to illustrate some event at a public University in Mexico City. It was a international conference which subject was: The city (perhaps Mexico City) as a place for imagination, my response came from those Italian memories and a bunch of contemporary and digital art concepts, and science fiction stories (Di Filippo. Sterling, Lem, etc) melted in a series of 12 imaginary postcards from a parallel existence (a second life?) sometime in the apocalyptical future of one megalopolis like Mexico City in year 2032. I’ll show you a couple of those images too, as being connected in a sort of conceptual continuity (I’ve borrowed this figure from Frank Zappa’s line of thought).
With these material I would like to bridge Anna Munster’s Aproximate Aesthetic theoretical framing to organize my incursions, ideas and observations in the last weeks within SL. For the moment my basic learned skills as a rocker stripper, who can dance, have been enough to get me the first few linden dollars. Well, I’ll be back shortly with these topics and ideas. Buon apettito a tutti.
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