Historical Detournement

I have chosen the work of Asger Jorn as my example of historical detournement. Asger Jorn was a Danish born artist who helped found such groups avante garde movements as the Situationist internationals. The situationists believed people had become alienated from their true nature and their true desires, that marketing, mass media, politics and urbanism had taken over. “They saw these things as an authoritative representation of society that had obscured people from their true selves by endlessly creating false desires and distractions.” The Situationists, like Asger Jorn, sought to identify forms of resistence that were “appropriate to contemporary cultural conditions.”
(Http://revolutionaryboredom.wordpress.com/31/1/2011) The situationists developed the concept of Psychogeography, a form of detournement used by artists such as Jorn, “that meant to move in defiance to the officially imposed routes, to unlearn the authoritarian version of the city and relearn it on one's own terms.” (Http://revolutionaryboredom.wordpress.com/31/1/2011) Jorn was one of many who believed that “everyday life should be transformed by creativity and experimentation.”
(Http://www.notbored.org) This belief lead to the movement of an almost intellectual terrorism upon bourgeois society. “Art and culture should not just be for the elitists, but used as a way to convey a message to the everyday people. A message suggesting a growing dissatisfaction with and against established structures of authority.” (Http://www.notbored.org) Detournement was a way of conveying this message. For Jorn, “Detournement was a game made possible by the capacity of devaluation.” (Http://libcom.org) Examples of this belief can be clearly seen in Jorns usage of old paintings found in basements and flea markets. Jorn has modified and detourned these paintings and works of “bad taste and kitsch and rendered them modern by the use of his own abstract and surreal style.” (Http://www.asgerjorn.com) To me Jorn's work does not so much seem a devaluation of previous elements so much as an attempt to rescue the old and stereotypical from itself, and give it new, more meaningful life. Detournement takes the mass produced symbolic image of representation we have concerning ourselves and negates the workings of such mass produced and marketed spectacles. Jorn seems to almost be pointing out that which people already unconciously know or do not wish to see, that this preempted perfection and aesthetically desirable elements of life do not exist and are unattainable. Look at his picture “Chuox, 1962.” A picture of a perfect female specimen, according to popular culture and society at the time, Jorn knows this is a stereotype and not only unattainable but an unnecessary desire. So he has painted over the womans face with that of an almost grotesquely child like face. Situationist culture requires participation in life not just preservation, to live in the moment not to preserve the past symbols of how society should be, but to live and experience society and culture for ourselves. To me Jorn seems to do this in his modification pieces.He seems to be giving the veiwer the ability to be able to 'feel' what the work is about. Jorn's belief that there is “ Beauty in ugliness and ugliness oin beauty” I think is a valuable point to remember.(Http://www.quotes-famous-artists.com) Art should be more about the feeling and the method of the work and less about what is stereotypically acceptable as aesthetically pleasing to the masses.

Sources Cited

: Http://www.notbored.org
: Http://libcom.org
: Http://www.asgerjorn.com
: Http://www.quotes-famous-artists.com

Contemporary History

For contemporary detournement I have chosen an entire group, this group is called Ad Busters. The Ad Busters are a Canadian, non profit- reader supported magazine. They are a leading proponent of counter culture and subvertising, concerned mainly with “The erosion of our physical and cultural environment by commercial forces.” (www.adbusters.org) The Ad Busters are a global network of creative people working to change the way information flows, the way corporations weild power and the way meaning is produced in todays society. The Ad Busters have a great dislike for popular societal elements such as consumerism, mass media, capitalism, narcissism and any kind of authoritative dictoms in general. In fact the Ad Busters year 2000 manifesto reads as follows...”We propose a reversal of priorities in favour of more useful, lasting and democratic forms of communition- a mindshift.” (www.eyemagazine.com) Put simply, the Ad Busters seek to “topple existing power structures and force a major shift in the way we live in the 21st century.” (www.adbusters.org.) Ad Busters use the following devices to create a “cognitive dissonance that cuts thriugh our mediated reality and momentarily reveal the deeper truth within.” (http://www.urbandictionary.com) Culture jamming: “The practice of parodying advertisements and hijacking billboards and other mediums to decry or to drastically alter the message and draw attention to preconceievd notions/ societal norms and government and corporate abuses.” (Klein. 2000) Subvertisement: “The practice of making spoofs or parodies of corporate and political advertisements in order to make a statement.” (Http://www.urbandictionary.com) The Ad Busters use these devices as a of responding to the mass medias. Streets, walkways etc. are public spaces yet governments and corporations buy up these areas and place large advertisements in them, telling the public what it is that popular society thinks we should be doing, thinking, consuming. Unable to purchase public space and ad's of their own peoples answers and opinions to these intrusions upon their lives goes unnoticed and unchallenged. Ad Busters use their modern forms of detournement to counter these corporate messages, exercising the right to respond to adverts and ideologies the public never asked to see, hear, observe or be inundated unwillingly with. Ad Busters cleverly use the medias own mediums and elements against them. They realised that failing to have an equal political or monetary power of their own it was easier for the population to promote their own ideas by using the same tools against the media. What is going to occur though, once we rid society of these authoritaties and powers? Does this mean the Ad Busters and similar groups will have the new authority and reign supreme???

Sources Cited

: Klein. Naomi, 2000, “Culture Jamming: Ads under attack”, “No logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs.
: www.adbusters.org
: www.eyemagazine.com
: www.urbandictionary.com