Randomness: A Healthy Alternative to Mechanization

If there is one fault of Modernity, it is that it is consistantly and excessively logical, so as to threaten free will at every opportunity.

We think of Marx and assembly lines that he raged against, and in particular his belief that we are alienated from the products of our labour.  It seems reasonable that he would think that, considering we now are unable to put as much of ourselves into our products, and that these same products define us.  The shoes we wear, the music we listen to (though we sometimes are under the impression that they are individual, they are simply another product designed for the purposes of making money) in all this he saw the death of the individual and he strove to fight it in his own way.

Take a look at this old Apple Commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8

The message is clear; we must fight conformism, and surrealism offers the perfect opportunity to do this.

Randomness, complete, purposeless randomness seemed the order of the day.  The reactions described by one of the poetry reading was said to be for the most part, laughter.  Surprise, that something so randomly constructed could be constructed.  But there are other reactions as well, some felt incredible sadness such that it moved them to tears. 

In this manner; individuality is maintained in the reaction of the observer.  Not only that, but the tools used seem perfectly constructed to function within a modern society; it even uses the tools of a modern society; namely the assembly line.  With a group of people together, each performing their individual task of writing their own words and putting them into a darkened bucket such that none others can see what was included, it becomes a group effort same as the Model ‘T’ Ford, manufacturing individuality in an industrial manner.

It is by this method that mechanization becomes used by Surrealists to serve their own ends.  Rather than being a tool of the oppressors as Marx believed, it becomes a tool of individuality not available prior to modernization.  All this considered, it is little wonder why the Surrealists would look to the future as a sign of hope, that eventually creature comforts and rapidly advancing technology would eventually lead us to a world where we could push the boundries of creativity to their limits, and finally explore creativity as we have explored the far reaches of the world. 

Josh Long

Is modernity to be feared or loved?

What really struck me about the Refuse Global reading was this paragraph:

In the wild hope of effacing its memory, I enumerate:
- fear of facing prejudice — fear of public opinion — of persecutions — of general disapproval;
- fear of being alone, without the God and the society which isolate you anyway;
- fear of oneself — of one’s brother — of poverty;
- fear of the established order — or ridiculous justice;
- fear of new relationships;
- fear of the superrational;
- fear of necessities;
- fear of floodgates opening on one’s faith in man — on the society of the future;
- fear of forces able to release transforming love;
- blue fear — red fear — white fear; links in our shackles.

These fears Paul-Emile Borduas speaks of are mostly already associated with modernity. The fear of public approval no doubt existed long before, indeed it may simply be part of the human condition, but modernity and urbanization that came with it no doubt made it a larger issue, as the fear of being alone became a larger issue as well when people felt isolated in crowds, or alienated from the products of their labour as Marx would say. The fear of the established order seems reasonable as well, considering the rise of the nation-state made the question all the more relevant, particularly when revolution was becoming more viable an option than ever before, which explains the fear of new relationships and the superrational as well; he was speaking against the fear of new ideas that may guide the people to the modern dream of a perfect utopic society that he refers to when he advocates that one not fear the opening floodgates of the future, as well as love which would seem to suggest he believes that love is the method of defeating all these fears.

The manner in which Bourduas approaches Modernity suggests that he believes modernity to require courage and patience before it can free us from these fears. Indeed, rather than look to modernity as a source of pain as Marx has done, Bourduas sees it as a hopeful change. One can easily see his point of view; while modernity has caused painful changes in the lives of the people, it has made them more able to be creative than ever before; an unquestionably attractive possibility for an artist. Where before people lived solum lives under the belief that life is such a struggle it must only be a test for the afterlife, life now seems a time for pleasure, and this reflects itself in the American Declaration of Independance where it states “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

So, it seems that for this particular artist, Modernity brings liberation from fear, so long as people are willing to look past them, indicating a possible utopic future for us all.  My next blog will analyze why it is that Modernity may be embraced.

-Josh Long