012010

AestheticsofResistance?
ArtisticResearchasDisciplineandConflict
HitoSteyerl
Whatisartisticresearchtoday?Atpresentnooneseemstoknowananswertothisquestion.Artisticresearchis
treatedasoneofthemultiplepracticeswhicharedefinedbyindefinition,constantlyinflux,lackingcoherence
andidentity.Butwhatifthisviewwereindeedmisleading?Whatifweactuallyknewmoreaboutitthanwe
thought?Inordertodiscussthisproposition,letsfirsthavealookatcurrentdebatesaroundartisticresearch.It
seemsasifoneoftheirmostimportantconcernsisthetransformationofartisticresearchintoanacademic
discipline.Therearediscussionsaboutcurriculum,degrees,method,practicalapplication,pedagogy.Onthe
otherhand,thereisalsosubstantialcriticismofthisapproach.Itaddressestheinstitutionalizationofartistic
researchasbeingcomplicitwithnewmodesofproductionwithincognitivecapitalism:commodifiededucation,
creativeandaffectiveindustries,administrativeaesthetics,andsoon.Bothperspectivesagreeononepoint:
artisticresearchisatpresentbeingconstitutedasamoreorlessnormative,academicdiscipline.
Adisciplineisofcoursedisciplinarianitnormalizes,generalizesandregulatesitrehearsesasetofresponses,
andinthiscase,trainspeopletofunctioninanenvironmentofsymboliclabor,permanentdesignandstreamlined
creativity.Butthenagain,whatisadisciplineapartfromallofthis?Adisciplinemaybeoppressive,butthisis
alsopreciselywhyitpointstotheissueitkeepsundercontrol.Itindexesasuppressed,anavoidedorpotential
conflict.Adisciplinehintsataconflictimmobilized.Itisapracticetochannelandexploititsenergiesandto
incorporatethemintothepowersthatbe.Whywouldoneneedadisciplineifitwasnttodisciplinesomebodyor
something?Anydisciplinecanthusalsobeseenfromthepointofviewofconflict.
Letmegiveanexample:aprojectIrecentlyrealized,calledTheBuilding.Itdealswiththeconstructionhistoryof
aNazibuildingonthemainsquareinLinz,Austriaitinvestigatesitsbackground,thestoriesofthepeoplewho
actuallybuiltit,andalsolooksatthematerialsusedinthebuilding.Theconstructionwasperformedbypartly
foreignforcedlaborersandsomeoftheformerinhabitantsofthesitewerepersecuted,dispossessedand
murdered.Duringtheresearchitalsoactuallyturnedoutthatsomeofthebuildingstoneswereproducedinthe
notoriousquarryofconcentrationcampMauthausen,wherethousandsofpeoplewerekilled.
Thereareatleasttwodifferentwaysofdescribingthisbuilding.Oneandthesamestoneusedforthebuilding
canbesaidtohavegaineditsshapeaccordingtotheparadigmofneoclassicistarchitecture,whichwouldbethe
officialdescriptiongivenonthebuildingitself.Oritcanbedescribedashavingprobablybeenshapedbyastone
masoninconcentrationcampMauthausen,whowaslikelyaformerSpanishRepublicanfighter.Theconclusion
isobvious:thesamestonecanbedescribedfromthepointofviewofadiscipline,whichclassifiesandnames.
Butitcanalsobereadasatraceofasuppressedconflict.
Butwhywouldthisverylocalprojectberelevantforareflectionaboutartisticresearchassuch?Becauseparts
ofthisbuildingalsocoincidentallyhousetheLinzArtAcademy.Thisbuildingisalocation,whereartistic
researchiscurrentlybeingintegratedintoacademicstructures:thereisadepartmentforartisticresearchinside
thisbuilding.Thus,anyinvestigationofthebuildingmightturnoutasasortofinstitutionalmetareflectiononthe
contemporaryconditionsofartisticresearchassuch.
Inthissense:whereistheconflict,orratherwhataretheextensivesetsofconflictsunderlyingthisnew
academicdiscipline?Whoiscurrentlybuildingitswalls,usingwhichmaterials,producedbywhom?Whoarethe
buildersofthedisciplineandwherearetheirtraces?

DisciplineandConflict
So,whataretheconflicts,andwherearetheboundariesthen?Seenfromthepointofviewofmanycurrent
contributions,artisticresearchseemsmoreorlessconfinedtothecontemporarymetropolitanartacademy.
Actualartisticresearchlookslikeasetofartpracticesbypredominantlymetropolitanartistsactingas
ethnographers,sociologists,productorsocialdesigners.Itgivestheimpressionofbeinganassetof
technologicallyandconceptuallyadvancedFirstWorldcapitalism,tryingtoupgradeitspopulationtoefficiently
functioninaknowledgeeconomy,andasabyproduct,casuallysurveyingtherestoftheworldaswell.Butifwe
lookatartisticresearchfromtheperspectiveofconflictormorepreciselyofsocialstruggles,amapofpractices
emergesthatspansmostofthe20thcenturyandalsomostoftheglobe.Itbecomesobviousthatthecurrent
debatesdonotfullyacknowledgethelegacyofthelong,variedandtrulyinternationalhistoryofartisticresearch
whichhasbeenunderstoodintermsofanaestheticsofresistance.
AestheticsofResistanceisthetitleofPeterWeissseminalnovel,releasedintheearly1980s,whichpresents
analternativereadingofarthistoryaswellasanaccountofthehistoryofantifascistresistancefrom1933to
1945.ThroughoutthenovelWeissexplicitlyusesthetermartisticresearch(knstlerischeForschung)toreferto
practicessuchasBrechtswritingfactoryinexile.Healsopointstothefactographicandpartlyalsoproductivist
practicesinthepostrevolutionarySovietUnion,mentioningthedocumentaryworkofSergeiTretjakov,among
manyothers.Thusheestablishesagenealogyofaestheticresearch,whichisrelatedtothehistoryof
emancipatorystrugglesthroughoutthe20thcentury.
Sincethe1920s,extremelysophisticateddebatesaboutartisticepistemologieswerewagedontermslikefact,
reality,objectivity,inquirywithinthecirclesofSovietfactographers,cinematographersandartists.For
factographers,afactisanoutcomeofaprocessofproduction.Factcomesfromfacere,tomakeortodo.Soin
thissensethefactismadeorevenmadeup.Thisshouldnotcomeasasurprisetousintheageof
poststructuralist,metaphysicalskepticism.Buttherangeofaestheticapproacheswhichweredevelopedas
researchtoolsalmost100yearsagoisstupefying.
AuthorslikeVertov,Stepanova,Tretjakov,PopovaandRodchenkoinventcomplexproceduresofinvestigation,
suchasthecineeye,thecinetruth,thebiographyoftheobjectorphotomontage.Theyworkonhuman
perceptionandpracticeandactivelytrytointegratescientificattitudesintotheirwork.Andscientificcreationis
flowingasaresultofmanyofthesedevelopments.Inhisautobiography,RomanJakobsondescribesindetail
howavantgardeartpracticesinspiredhimtodevelophisspecificideasonlinguistics.
Ofcoursethroughouthistorymanydifferentapproachesofthistypeofresearchhaveexisted.Wecouldalso
mentiontheeffortsoftheartistsemployedbytheFSA(FarmSecurityAdministration)ofcreatingessayistic
photojournalisticinquiriesduringtheGreatDepressionintheUS.Inallthesecases,theartisticresearchis
ambivalentlycooptedintostatepoliciesalthoughtoadifferentextentandwithcompletelydifferent
consequences.AroundthesametimeTretyakovgotshotduringtheStalinistterror,WalkerEvanshadasolo
showattheMoMa.
Anothermethodofartisticinquiry,whichisbasedonseveralrelatedsetsofconflictandcrisisistheessayistic
approach.In1940,HansRichtercoinsthetermfilmessayoressayfilmascapableofvisualizingtheoretical
ideas.Hereferstooneofhisownworksalreadymadein1927calledInflation,anextremelyinteresting
experimentalfilmaboutcapitalismrunningamok.Richterarguesthatanewfilmiclanguagehastobedeveloped
inordertodealwithabstractprocessessuchasthecapitalisteconomy.Howdoesoneshowtheseabstractions,
howdoesonevisualizetheimmaterial?Thesequestionsarereactualizedincontemporaryartpractices,butthey
havealonghistory.
Theessayasfilmicapproachalsoembracestheperspectiveofanticolonialresistance.Oneofthefirstsocalled
essayfilmsistheanticolonialfilmessayLesstatuesmeurentaussi,byChrisMarkerandAlainResnais,about
racismindealingwithAfricanart.ThefilmiscommissionedbyamagazinecalledPresenceafricainewhich
countsasitseditorspeoplelikeAimCsaireorLeopoldSenghor,maintheoreticiansofthesocallednegritude
movementinthe1930s.OnlyafewyearslaterTheodorAdornostext,TheEssayasForm,appearsinwhichhe
pondersontheresistantcharacteristicsoftheessayassubversivemethodofthought.ToAdornotheessay
meansthereshufflingoftherealmsoftheaestheticandepistemological,whichunderminesthedominantdivision
oflabor.
Andthenweenterthewholeperiodofthe1960swiththeirinternationalstruggles,tricontinentalismandsoon.
FrantzFanonsslogan:...wemustdiscuss,wemustinvent...isthemottoofthemanifestoTowardsaThird
Cinema,writtenbyFernandoSolanasandOctavioGetinoin1969,inacontextofdictatorshipinArgentina.The
relationofartandscienceisagainexplicitlymentionedinJulioGarciaEspinosasmanifestoForanImperfect
Cinema(1969).Othermethodsofartisticresearchincludesituationistderiveandworkersinquiries,constructivist
montage,cutups,biomechanics,oralhistory,deconstructiveorsurrealistanthropology,thediffusionof
counterinformationaswellasaestheticjournalism.Someofthesemethodsaremoreeasilyabsorbedintotheart
mainstreamthanothers.Especiallystronglydematerializedpracticeswithpronouncedmodernistfeaturesare
quicklyabsorbedintoinformationcapitalismbecausetheyarecompressed,quicktoabsorbandeasily
transmitted.
Itisnocoincidencethatmanyofthepracticesmentionedherehavebeendealingwithclassicalproblemsof
documentaryrepresentationfromverydifferentperspectives:itsfunctionaspower/knowledge,its
epistemologicalproblems,itsrelationtorealityandthechallengeofcreatinganewone.Documentarystylesand
formshaveforevergrappledwiththeunevenmixofrationalityandcreativity,betweensubjectivityandobjectivity,
betweenthepowerofcreationandthepowerofconservation.
Itisnocoincidenceeitherthatmanyofthehistoricalmethodsofartisticresearcharetiedtosocialor
revolutionarymovements,ortomomentsofcrisisandreform.Inthisperspective,theoutlineofaglobalnetwork
ofstrugglesisrevealed,whichspansalmostthewhole20thcentury,whichistransversal,relational,and(in
many,thoughfarfromallcases)emancipatory.
Itisacoincidence,however,thatPeterWeissAestheticsofResistancealsomentionsthemainsquareofLinz:
thesiteofTheBuilding.HedescribesasceneinwhichmembersoftheInternationalBrigadesinSpainlistentoa
broadcastoftheenthusiasticreceptionforHitlerandtheGermantroopsonLinzsmainsquareinMarch1938.
ButWeissprotagonistnoticesaverysmall(andentirelyhypothetical)momentinresistancepointedoutbythe
radiojournalist:someofthewindowsonthesquareremainunlit,andthejournalistisquicktopointoutthatthe
flatsoftheJewsarelocatedthere.ActuallyduringtheresearchitturnedoutthatoneoftheJewishfamiliesliving
therehaddispersedtothreedifferentcontinentsandtwomembersofthefamilyhadbeenmurdered.Oneofthe
latterwasapersoncalledErnstSamuelywhowassupposedlyacommunist.Aftermanyordeals,hejoineda
JewishpartisangrouponthePolishborderbeforedisappearing.So,ifwelookattheLinzbuildingfromthispoint
ofview,weseethatitdissolvesintoanetworkofinternationalroutesandrelations,whichrelatetooppression
butalsotoresistance:itrelatestowhatWalterBenjaminoncecalledthetraditionoftheoppressed.

ThePerspectiveofConflict
Ifwekeepapplyingtheglobalandtransversalperspectivetothedebatearoundartisticresearch,thetemporal
andspatiallimitationsofcontemporarymetropolitandebatesarerevealed.Itsimplydoesnotmakeanysenseto
continuethediscussionasifpracticesofartisticresearchdonothavealongandextensivehistorywellbeyond
conceptualartpracticeswhichisoneoftheveryfewhistoricalexamplestobementioned,althoughveryrarely.
Fromthepointofviewofsocialstruggles,thediscontinuousgenealogyofartisticresearchbecomesanalmost
globalone,withalongandfrequentlyinterruptedhistory.Thegeographicaldistributionofartisticresearch
practicesalsodramaticallychangesinthisperspective.Sincesomelocationswereparticularlyaffectedbythe
conjunctionofpowerandknowledge,whicharosewiththeformationofcapitalismandcolonialism,strategiesof
epistemicdisobediencehadtobeinvented.
Apower/knowledge/art,whichreducedwholepopulationstoobjectsofknowledge,dominationandrepresentation,
hadtobecounterednotonlybysocialstruggleandrevolt,butalsobyepistemologicalandaestheticinnovation.
Thusreversingtheperspectiveandfocusingondisciplineasanindexofconflictalsoreversesthedirectionin
whicharthistoryhasbeenwrittenasanaccountofperipheralartistscopyingandcatchingupwithWesternart
trends.Wecouldjustaswellsaythatmanycontemporarymetropolitanartistsareonlynowcatchingupwiththe
complexityofdebatesaroundrealityandrepresentationthatSovietfactographershadalreadydevelopedinthe
1920s.

SpecificandSingular
Inallthesemethods,twoelementscollide:aclaimtospecificityclasheswithaclaimtosingularity.Whatdoes
thismean?Oneaspectoftheworkclaimstoparticipateinageneralparadigm,withinadiscoursethatcanbe
sharedandwhichismanufacturedaccordingtocertaincriteria.Moreoftenthannot,scientific,legalisticor
journalistictruthproceduresunderlythismethodofresearch.Thesemethodologiesarepervadedbypower
relationsasmanytheoristshavedemonstrated.
Ontheotherhand,artisticresearchprojectsinmanycasesalsolayclaimtosingularity.Theycreateacertain
artisticsetup,whichclaimstoberelativelyuniqueandproducesitsownfieldofreferenceandlogic.This
providesitwithacertainautonomy,insomecasesanedgeofresistanceagainstdominantmodesofknowledge
production.Inothercases,thisassumedsingularityjustsexesupaquantitativesurvey,ortouseafamous
expressionbyBenjaminBuchloh,createsanaestheticofadministration.[1]
Whilespecificmethodsgenerateasharedterrainofknowledgewhichisconsequentlypervadedbypower
structuressingularmethodsfollowtheirownlogic.Whilethismayavoidthereplicationofexistingstructuresof
power/knowledge,italsocreatestheproblemoftheproliferationofparalleluniverses,whicheachspeaktheir
own,untranslatablelanguage.Practicesofartisticresearchusuallypartakeinbothregisters,thesingularaswell
asthespecifictheyspeakseverallanguagesatonce.
Thus,onecouldimagineasemioticsquare*,whichwouldroughlymapthetensionswhichbecomeapparent
duringthetransformationofartisticresearchintoanacademicand/oreconomicdiscipline.Ofcourse,this
schemeismisleading,sinceonewouldhavetodrawanewoneforeverysingularpointofviewwhichis
investigated.Butitshowsthetensionswhichbothframeandunderminetheinstitutionalizationofartistic
research.

ArtisticResearchasTranslation
Themultilingualityofartisticresearchimpliesthatartisticresearchisanactoftranslation.Ittakespartinatleast
twolanguagesandcaninsomecasescreatenewones.Itspeaksthelanguageofqualityaswellasofquantity,
thelanguageofthesingularaswellasthelanguageofthespecific,usevalueaswellasexchangevalueor
spectaclevalue,disciplineaswellasconflictandittranslatesbetweenallofthese.Thisdoesnotmeanthatit
translatescorrectlybutittranslates,nevertheless.
Atthispoint,oneshouldemphasizethatthisisalsothecasewithsocalledautonomousartworks,whichhaveno
pretensewhatsoevertopartakeinanykindofresearch.Thisdoesnotmeantheycannotbequantifiedorbecome
partofdisciplinarypractices,becausetheyareroutinelyquantifiedontheartmarketintheformofpricingand
integratedintoarthistoriesandothersystemsofvalue.Thus,mostartpracticesexistinoneoranothertypeof
translation,butthistypeoftranslationdoesnotjeopardizethedivisionoflaborestablishedbetweenarthistorians
andgallerists,betweenartistsandresearchers,betweenthemindandsenses.Infact,alotoftheconservative
animositytowardsartisticresearchstemsfromafeelingofthreat,becauseofthedissolutionofthese
boundaries,andthisiswhyartisticresearchisoftendismissedineverydaypracticeasneitherartnorresearch.
Butthequantificationprocessesinvolvedintheevaluationorvalorizationofartisticresearchareslightlydifferent
thanthetraditionalproceduresofquantification.Artisticresearchasadisciplinenotonlysetsandenforces
certainstandardsbutalsopresentsanattempttoextractorproduceadifferenttypeofvalueinart.Apartfrom
theartmarket,asecondarymarketdevelopsforthosepracticeswhichlackinfetishvalue.Thissecondaryvalue
isestablishedbyquantificationandintegrationinto(increasingly)commodifiededucationsystems.Additionally,a
sortofsocialsurplusembeddedintoapedagogicalunderstandingofartcomesintoplay.Bothcombinedcreatea
pulltowardstheproductionofappliedorapplicableknowledge/art,whichcanbeusedforentrepreneurial
innovation,socialcohesion,citymarketing,andthousandsofotheraspectsofculturalcapitalism.Fromthis
perspective,artisticresearchindeedlookslikeanewversionoftheappliedarts,anewandlargelyimmaterial
craft,whichisbeinginstitutedasadisciplineinmanydifferentplaces.

Radiators
Attheend,letmecomebacktothebeginning:weknowmoreaboutartisticresearchthanwethink.Andthis
concernsthemostdisquietingfindingsoftheprojectaroundTheBuildinginLinz.Itismorethanlikely,thatafter
thewar,radiatorsweretakenfromthenowabandonedconcentrationcampMauthausenandreinstalledintothe
building.Ifthisplandocumentedinthehistoricalfileswasexecuted,thentheradiatorsarestillthereandhave
quietlybeenheatingthebuildingeversince.Avisitwithanexpertconfirmedthattheradiatorshaveneverbeen
exchangedintheEasternpartofthebuildingandthat,moreover,someoftheradiatorshadalreadybeenused,
whentheyhadbeeninstalledaround1948.Themakeofthoseradiatorscorrespondstothefewradiatorsseenin
contemporaryphotosofconcentrationcampMauthausen.Now,ofcourse,radiatorswerenotinuseinthe
prisonersbarracks.Theywereinuseinsomeworkrooms,likethelaundryroom.Theywereinuseinthe
prisonersofficeandtheprisonersbrothel,wherefemaleinmatesfromanotherconcentrationcamphadtowork.
ButwhatdowemakeofthefactthattheDepartmentforArtisticResearch(itscoordinationofficeislocatedin
TheBuilding,accordingtothewebsite)couldsoonfinditselfbeingheatedbythesameradiators,whichwere
mutewitnessesoftheplightoffemaleinmatesintheconcentrationcampbrothel?Toquotethewebsiteofthe
Linzartacademy,artisticscientificresearchbelongstothecoretasksoftheArtUniversityLinz,andartistic
practiceandscientificresearcharecombinedunderoneroof.Theconfrontationand/orcombinationofscience
andartrequireintenseresearchandartisticdevelopmentinamethodologicalperspective,intheareasof
knowledgetransfersandquestionsofmediation.CulturalStudies,arthistory,mediatheory,severalstrategiesof
mediationaswellasartandGenderStudiesinthecontextofconcreteartproductionareessentialelementsof
theprofileoftheuniversity.Whataretheconditionsofthisresearch?Whatisthebiographyofitshistorical
infrastructureandhowcanreflectingonithelpustobreakthroughtheinfatuationwithdisciplineand
institutionalizationandtosharpenahistoricalfocusinthinkingaboutartisticresearch?Obviouslynotevery
buildingwillturnouttohousesuchasurprisinginfrastructure.Butthegeneralquestionremains:whatdowedo
withanambivalentdiscipline,whichisinstitutionalizedanddisciplinedunderthistypeofconditions?Howcanwe
emphasizethehistoricalandglobaldimensionofartisticresearchandunderlinetheperspectiveofconflict?And
whenisittimetoturnoffthelights?

*)
http://eipcp.net/transversal/0311/steyerl/en
SPECIFIC

SCIENCE/PUBLICDEBATE/
ARTHISTORYCOUNTERINFORMATION

DISCIPLINERESISTANCE

ARTMARKET/AESTHETICAUTONOMY
CREATIVEINDUSTRIES

SINGULAR

Thistextappearedfirstinmahkuzine8,winter2010,
http://www.mahku.nl/download/maHKUzine08_web.pdf

[1]BenjaminH.D.Buchloh,ConceptualArt19621969:FromtheAestheticofAdministrationtotheCritiqueof
Institutions,in:October,Vol.55.(Winter,1990),pp.105143.
AestheticsofResistance?