,o pcn aoos/No.

+/Art as a Public Issue //

Sjocrd van Tuincn
From Tcatrum
Mundi to
xpcrimcntum
Mundi
A Constructivist
Perspective on Public
Intimacy
Philosophcr Sjocrd
van Tuincn calls
lor a pcrspcctivc
on publicncss hc
dcrivcs lrom Pctcr
Slotcrdijk and his
critical awarcncss
ol atmosphcrcs.
!n this, intimacy
is not sccn as
somcthing obsccnc
that cxcludcs public
intcraction, but
rathcr as somcthing
that actually nccds
to bc takcn scriously
on a public lcvcl. For
thc visual arts this
implics balancing
cxcrciscs bctwccn
obscrvation and
participation: a
socializing art that
is not madc lor an
audicncc but instcad
crcatcs an audicncc.
From Teatrum Mundi to Experimentum Mundi ,;
Although public spacc is usually sccn
as thc stagc lor thc arts, art is incrcas
ingly thc stagc lor publicncss. Not
only has it bccn a long timc sincc art
in thc Ncthcrlands and 8clgium has
bccn as promincnt in thc public sphcrc
as it is now, but it is taking on tasks
that wcrc lormcrly ascribcd to anothcr
public domain, such as politics, scicncc
or philosophy. vcrywhcrc onc nds
artists dcbatcs, strcct thcatrc and
political cngagcmcnt in which art,
to citc just onc quotc, cxamincs and
critically qucstions our idcas about
national idcntity and thc currcnt
proccsscs ol inclusion and cxclusion in
thc Ncthcrlands.
+
Tcsc attcmpts to
acsthcticizc sharcd
cxistcncc arc not
isolatcd. Tcy arc
part and parccl ol
an cvolution that
has bccn idcnticd
by various thinkcrs, lrom Richard
Scnnctt to Jcan 8audrillard and Slavoj
ick, as thc cnd ol thc agc ol rcprc
scntation. !n thcir vicw, a structural
translormation ol thc contcmporary
public sphcrc has takcn placc lrom thc
classic rcpublican spcctaclc ol dctachcd
and critical intcraction to intimatc and
obsccnc lorms ol communication. Arc
thcsc dcvclopmcnts in art and thc public
sphcrc at odds with onc anothcr: !n
this cssay ! shall cxaminc thcir conncc
tions. ! shall bcgin by tracing thc pcssi
mistic analyscs ol thc alorcmcntioncd
writcrs and procccd to supplcmcnt
thcsc with thc morc armativc work
ol Pctcr Slotcrdijk. Vhat is at stakc is
a nonclassical conccpt ol publicncss
as thcatrc. Tc 8aroquc thcatrc, with
its watcr displays, trompclocil and
mcchanical invcntions, was primarily
ccntrcd on illusory cccts that had to
compctc with rcality. Sincc thc Frcnch
Rcvolution, this has madc way lor
critical thcatrc, in which thc dialcctic
intcraction bctwccn staging and rcality
and bctwccn social and psychological
conicts arc instcad thc locus. !t is this
lorm ol thcatrc that is thc basis lor thc
prcscnt intcrprctation ol thc public
as drama and that is incrcasingly thc
subjcct ol dcbatc.
!dcology ol !ntimacy and Cult ol
istancc
!n his classic + study, Te Fall of
Public Man, Scnnctt dcscribcs how
Vcstcrn socictics havc cxpcricnccd
a shilt, sincc thc +6os, lrom thc
acsthctic idcal ol a theatrum mundi,
with its actors (thosc who play a social
rolc), its stagc (institutions and mcdia)
and its audicncc (socicty), to a psycho
logical idcal hc labcls with thc psycho
analytical tcrm narcissism. A narcissist,
out ol lcar ol alicnation, cannot play
a public rolc, hc can only bc himscll .
Ncithcr is hc intcrcstcd in thc carclully
maintaincd appcarancc ol othcr pcoplc,
only in thc authcntic and thcrclorc
crcdiblc scll undcrncath. Tc rcsult is
that whilc thcrc uscd to bc a possibility
ol a privatc/public doublc lilc, today wc
arc lcss and lcss capablc ol adopting an
impcrsonal rolc or cvcn ol simply bcing
politc. From hcad scarvcs to Moroccan
boys and lrom bikcshcd scx to goat
shaggcrs: an idcology ol intimacy has
dcprivcd us ol thc possibility ol rolc
playing and its rcquisitc dctachmcnt by
+. From thc programmc
dcscription lor thc projcct
8c|com|ing utch, lor
which thc \an Abbcmuscum
in indhovcn rcccivcd no
lcss than oo,ooo curos
lrom thc Mondriaan
Foundation.
,s pcn aoos/No. +/Art as a Public Issue //
ooding thc public with thc privatc.
Tc cxpansion ol tclcvision in particular
has playcd a signicant rolc in this. !n
his latcr writings, thc incrcasingly lclt
lcaning Scnnctt adds that thc public
in turn incrcasingly capitalizcs on and
corrodcs thc privatc in thc lorm ol cx
timc, tclccommuting and ovcrtimc,
as wcll as thc constant altcrnation ol
dicrcnt rolcs within thc intimatc
nonthcatrc ol thc soul itscll.
Morc rcccntly and with a similar
grounding in psychoanalysis, ick has
also dcmonstratcd how our narcissist
cmphasis on scllcxprcssion lcads
in lact to scllrcprcssion. A sharcd,
collcctivc privacy implics a lack ol
subjcctivc dctachmcnt lrom thc othcr
and makcs intcrsubjcctivc articulation
ol scllintcrcst incrcasingly impos
siblc. Tc dcmocratic strugglc towards
cmancipation has bccn pcrvcrtcd into
subjugation. Vc arc no longcr intcr
activc, but interpassive: our cmotional
cngagcmcnt is grcatcr than cvcr, but it
is paradoxically couplcd with an unprcc
cdcntcd scnsc ol powcrlcssncss. Vc only
mcckly takc part in thc public spcctaclc.
!ntcrpassivity crcatcs indicrcncc
and gcncratcs rcscntmcnt, cxprcsscd
lor instancc in a chronic distrust ol
thc institutionalizcd political thcatrc.
Falsc antagonisms bctwccn conscnsus
politics on thc onc hand and lundamcn
talism on thc othcr obscurc what ick
calls thc obsccnc objcct ol postmo
dcrnity: thc dichotomy ol thc Saudis
and Pakistanis bctwccn McVorld
and Jihad, or, closcr to homc, ol Pim
Fortuyn bctwccn
right and lclt.
:
Tcy rcprcscnt an
intimatc supplcmcnt that itscll cannot
bc adcquatcly rcprcscntcd on a political
stagc but through which that stagc is
incrcasingly dcncd.
icks diagnosis is not ncw. At
about thc samc timc as Scnnctt,
8audrillard a writcr who, undcscrvcdly
in my vicw, is hardly rcad today was
alrcady dcscribing how, altcr thc
stagc, or sccnc, ol thc public play had
rst turncd into a spcctaclc socicty
(cbord), it would bc morc appro
priatc to spcak ol an ob-scene instcad ol e
a socicty: thc intimatc transparcncy ol
contcmporary massmcdia communi
cation takcs thc cntirc socicty hostagc,
at thc privatc as wcll as thc public lcvcl,
by ncgating thc thcatrical dicrcncc
bctwccn appcarancc and rcality. ur
muchdiscusscd constitutional crisis ol
dcmocracy, lor instancc, is not a mattcr
ol a socallcd gap bctwccn citizcn and
political cstablishmcnt, but rathcr ol
thc lack ol such a gap. Populist politi
cians sharc with tcrrorists thc lact that
thcy opcratc bcyond any rcprcscn
tation. Tat mcans that bclorc wc
can rcsist thcy havc alrcady scduccd
us. !t is impossiblc to distancc oncscll
publicly lrom thcm without rcinlorcing
thcir ccct. Tc momcnt thc prcsiding
spcakcr ol thc utch parliamcnt asks
Gccrt Vildcrs to modcratc his ocnsivc
languagc, this crcatcs thc imprcssion
ol ccnsorship, which givcs Vildcrs
crcdcncc. According to thc samc
principlc, attcntion lrom thc ncws mcdia
or a political rcsponsc only rcinlorccs
a tcrrorist attack. An cxccss ol commu
nication causcs thc critical distancc to
implodc in thc hypcrrcality ol an indil ll
lcrcnt intimacy.

:. Slavoj ick, Welcome

to the Desert of the Real
(London: \crso Publishcrs,
:oo+), 8:.
From Teatrum Mundi to Experimentum Mundi ,,
Vhat docs all
this havc to
with art: First,
according to thc
psychoanalytical lramcwork within
which Scnnctt, ick and ultimatcly
8audrillard arguc, a public, impcr
sonal lilc is only possiblc on thc basis
ol rolc playing. Vhilc thc narcissist
shuts himscll o lrom his audicncc and
prclcrs to wallow in rcscntmcnt and
indicrcncc, an actor instcad opcratcs
in lull awarcncss ol thc prcscncc ol
an audicncc. Sccond, intimacy can
bcst bc symbolizcd and, as it wcrc,
placcd at a rcmovc lrom thc insidc out
in thc thcatrc. From this pcrspcctivc
it sccms cvidcnt to lall back on this
whcn somcthing that has nothing to
do with art nccds to bc cxamincd
and critically qucstioncd on a public
platlorm. icks intcrcst in art and
lm can bc traccd back, lor instancc,
to his intcrcst in politicalcconomic
conicts. To him, art has thc militant
task ol crcating ncw, nongovcrnmcntal
platlorms and symbols lor gcnuinc
antagonisms and thcrcby guarantccing
a critical dicrcncc bctwccn scmblancc
and bcing. !n spitc ol all thc appcals lor
morc tolcrancc, thcsc conicts can not
bc rcsolvcd through thc ncolibcral larcc
ol a dialoguc.

For thcy arc taking placc

among partics who
arc cxcludcd lrom
thc classic thcatrc
ol politics. !ndccd icks thcatrc or
cincma is morc akin to an arcna. Tc
inhuman lrccdom ghtcr Lcnin is a
bcttcr stagc actor than thc obsccnc Pim.
8ut is such a distinction still viablc:
According to ick, who bascs his
argumcnt on thc work ol thc lathcr
ol psychoanalytical cultural criticism,
Lacan, art conlronts us with thc cxccss
ol thc rcal and so ocrs an oppor
tunity to rcsist. 8ut Vildcrs docs
this too. ur problcm is in lact that,
whcn thcatrc movcs into thc strcct, thc
dialcctic intcraction bctwccn thcatrc
and rcality is climinatcd. Vc no longcr
livc in thc scmiopcn transccndcncc
ol thc thcatrc ol Grcck rcpublican
dcmocracy, but in thc total immancncc
ol thc Roman amphithcatrc. Tis
arcna, lurthcrmorc, coincidcs with
mass culturc as a wholc, a culturc that
immcdiatcly absorbs and ncutralizcs
all dicrcnccs. As lar as 8audrillard
is conccrncd, this cxplains why any
attcmpt to brcak through thc symbolic
ordcr by mcans ol a symbolic gucrrilla
war will only rcinlorcc thc unlcashing
ol thc obsccnc. !n his vicw wc arc
doomcd to acsthctic indicrcncc. !s
anothcr conclusion possiblc:
Vhcrcas 8audrillard writcs lrom a
pcrspcctivc following what hc himscll g
callcd thc apocalypsc ol thc rcal, ick
adopts a pcrspcctivc situatcd just prior
to it. 8oth, howcvcr, adhcrc norma
tivcly to a conict bctwccn bcing and
sccming, ol which thc opposition ol
sccnc and obsccnity is a modcrn variant.
Critical communication cithcr takcs
placc through symbolic pcrlormancc
or it docs not takc placc. Tis rcduccs
thc public, howcvcr, to a typically
modcrn cult ol distancc, at thc cost ol
a culturc ol intimacy itscll. !n looking
lor an altcrnativc to thc militancy ol
ick and thc nihilism ol 8audrillard,
wc might draw a critical distinction
bctwccn a ncgativc apprcciation ol
. Jcan 8audrillard,
De fatale strategien
(Amstcrdam: Uitgcvcrij
uizcnd & cn, +8),
6+o6.
. Scc also Chantal
Moucs contribution to
this issuc.
oo pcn aoos/No. +/Art as a Public Issue //
thc obsccnc and an armativc apprc
ciation ol thc intimatc. Psychoanalytical
cultural criticism is bascd on a pcrsonal
or lamilial cncrgctics, rcincd in by
a socially and politically chargcd
scmantics or sccnography. An invcrsion
ol this arrangcmcnt would instcad ocr
an ontology ol sociopolitical rclation
ships in which intimacy would bc thc
most natural thing in thc world. Tc
intimatc is that lrom which wc can
achicvc critical distancc only with di
culty, bccausc it docs not lcnd itscll
to uncquivocal rcprcscntation. Yct
that is prcciscly why not all intimacy
is obsccnc. Ncithcr can thc intimatc
bc madc cqual to thc pcrsonal or thc
privatc. n thc contrary, thc modcrnist
division bctwccn privatc and public is
now itscll a lunction ol thc intimatc. !t
is prcciscly this intimacy with which wc
must play without alicnating oursclvcs
oncc again. Tc qucstion is whcthcr a
conccpt ol thcatrc cxists that suits this
gamc bcttcr than thc critical thcatrc ol
modcrnity.
Vhat nc Has No istancc From,
nc Must Play Vith
nc art and mcdia philosophcr in
whosc work all aspccts ol thc diagnoscs
! havc just dcscribcd is Slotcrdijk.
icks intcrpassivity, in his writings,
is callcd cynicism, 8audrillards
indicrcncc bccomcs contcmpt, and
distrust, rcscntmcnt, obsccnity and
thc apocalypsc ol thc rcal arc all kcy
thcmcs in his ocuvrc. Hc rcachcs
cntircly dicrcnt conclusions, howcvcr.
As carly as in Critique of Cynical Reason
(+8) hc madc a radical brcak with
thc modcrn rcprcscntation paradigm:
Tc sccrct is intimacy, not distancc:
onc achicvcs a nonanalytical, convivial
knowing ol things.

Shortly thcrcaltcr
it bccomcs Vhat
onc has no distancc
lrom, onc must
play with.
6
And
morc rcccntly, in
his Spheres trilogy
(+8, +, :oo)
undcr thc motto
what was dcspair
must bccomc mcdia
pcrlormancc

hc dcmonstratcd likc no othcr that
intimacy is thc grcatcst uncxpcctcd
product ol modcrnity. According to
Slotcrdijk, intimacy is an anthropo
logical constant that must bc takcn
scriously as such. n thc onc hand
hc subscribcs in this to 8audrillards
vicw that symbolic warlarc only lcads
to grcatcr cvil, on thc othcr hand hc is
now conccrncd instcad with a rcvalu
ation, in tcrms ol a pathos ol distancc,
ol thc ontological and political status
ol prcsymbolic lorms ol communi
cation. To this cnd hc initially rclics,
rathcr than on psychoanalysis, on its
prchistory: in particular, in addition to
thc magical NcoPlatonism ol Ficino
and 8runo, thc animal magnctism ol
cightccnthccntury Austrian psychiatrist
Franz Anton Mcsmcr and thc magnctic
slccp discovcrcd by his disciplc, thc
Frcnch Marquis dc Puysgur. Latcr
would comc, via clcuzc, Gabricl
Tardcs mimctic microsociology as wcll.
Animal magnctism to usc an
important conccpt by clcuzc and
Guattari lrom Mille Plateaux is a sort
. Pctcr Slotcrdijk,
Kritiek van de cynische
rede, translatcd by T.
avids (Amstcrdam: c
Arbcidcrspcrs, +:), :.
6. Pctcr Slotcrdijk, Der
Denker auf der Bhne.
Nietzsches Materialismus
(Franklurt am Main:
Suhrkamp \crlag, +86),
8o.
. Pctcr Slotcrdijk, Sphren
I: Blasen (Franklurt am
Main: Suhrkamp \crlag,
+8), 8.
From Teatrum Mundi to Experimentum Mundi o+
ol science mineure ol immcdiatc, acctivc e
communication via magnctic clds
and hypnotic suggcstion. Tc advcnt
ol Frcudian psychoanalysis rcplaccd its
attcndant problcmatization with that
ol indircct communication through
symbolic translcrcncc. Tc conccpt
ol translcrcncc puricd analysis lrom
thc inucncc ol thc morc physicalisti
cally oricntcd psychiatry and was bcttcr
suitcd to thc humanist idcology ol
thc autonomous subjcct.
8
!n his +8
novcl Te Magic
Tree: Te Birth of
Psychoanalysis in
1785, Slotcrdijk
dcscribcs how,
undcr thc prcssurc
ol ninctccnthccntury standards ol
civic and scicnticpositivist distancc,
thc cmancipatory aspccts ol thc sclcss
and immcrsivc cxpcrimcnts in group
hypnosis and collcctivc crotic cncrgics
thc subvcrsivc cccts ol thc swcct,
thc sticky

wcrc abandoncd. Tc
magnctists in thc
thcatrc invcsti
gatcd not thc scmantic aspccts, but thc
cncrgctic aspccts ol social cxistcncc.
As on thc stagc ol modcrn massmcdia
communication, lascination is thc
rulc and symbolic intcraction is thc
cxccption. Vhat mattcrs is not what
symbols mcan or cvcn whcthcr thcy
mcan anything at all, but only what
thcy do and how thcy aect us. To t
thc magnctists, thcrclorc, thc thcatrc
is morc an immunological play with
publicncss and impcnctrability. !t
is a platlorm lor prcsubjcctivc and
prcsymbolic lorms ol communication.
Vhcrcas to psychoanalysts only a lack
ol intimacy constitutcs an individual
public rolc, thc prcindividual, that is
to say thc collcctivc as wcll as intimatc
thcatrc ol thc magnctists itscll is
constitutivc. Tc intimacy bctwccn thc
magnctizcr and thc magnctizcd an
acctivc, litcral intcrcst in and with thc
othcr constitutcs not a rcprcscntation
ol sharcd rcality but rathcr that rcality
itscll.
8ascd on this magnctic psychology,
thc Frcnch sociologist Gabricl Tardc
(+8+o) also latcr argucd that no
distinction can bc madc bctwccn bcing
and scmblancc. Although 8audrillard
argucs that both thc public and thc
privatc havc cvaporatcd in thc unbridlcd
prolilcration ol obsccnc simulacra
signs without contcnt or copics without
an original to which wc arc irrcsistibly
subjcctcd, hc docs not say whcthcr
simulation rcplaccs a rcality that
gcnuincly uscd to cxist or whcthcr thcrc
was always nothing but simulation.
Tardc, on thc othcr hand, dclcnds thc
armativc vicw that it is prcciscly thc
innitc scrics ol rcciprocal simulations
without originals that constitutc rcality.
Social and political rcality is an illusion,
which is ccctuatcd by hypnotizing
and inlcctious strcams ol simulation
lacilitatcd by mass mcdia. Social actors
arc not actors, but slccpwalkcrs. Tcy
do not play a public rolc in thc classical
scnsc, but thcy arc not narcissists cithcr.
Tcir agcncy or subjcctivity is litcrally
distributcd among and constitutcd by
prc and transsubjcctivc, nctworklikc
and acctivcly cmbodicd cntanglcmcnts.
Tardc thus shilts our attcntion lrom a
pcrlormativc undcrstanding ol drama
to thc lormation proccsscs ol political
8. Comparc Lon Chcrtok
and !sabcllc Stcngcrs, A
Critique of Psychoanalytical
Reason. Hypnosis as a
Scientic Problem from
Lavoisier to Lacan, trans
latcd by M. N. vans
(Stanlord, CA: Stanlord
Univcrsity Prcss, +:).
. Slotcrdijk, Sphren I, op. II
cit. (notc ), :.
oa pcn aoos/No. +/Art as a Public Issue //
collcctivcs. vcn bclorc thcrc is such a
thing as symbols or pcrlormancc, thcrc
cxists somcthing likc a conguration
ol actors, in which it is not actors but
sharcd hypcs, issucs or cvcnts that
arc in thc limclight and dcnc social
rcality.
+o
To dcscribc thcsc congu
ration proccsscs
hc harks back, in
Monadology and
Sociology (+8), to
Lcibnizs typically
scvcntccnth
ccntury, 8aroquc
thcatrc ol naturc and art. For Lcibniz
both physical and psychological rcality
which includcs, lor thc sakc ol
convcnicncc, sociocultural rcality as
wcll consists ol an innitc numbcr ol
atoms or monads, cach ol which rcpro
duccs lor itscll thc samc common world
as a wholc according to its own, largcly
unconscious programmc. Although
Lcibniz rcpcatcdly insistcd that thcrc
can bc no such thing as dircct intcr
subjcctivc communication, thcrc is an
acctivc or unconscious communication
in thc lorm ol thc global thcatrc that
is prcscnt in its cntircty within cach
individual and that in lact constitutcs
his individuality.
++
As in a hypnotic
statc, an autonomous cxpcricncc ol
thc scll and thc world is lor thc most
part dctcrmincd
by thc collcctivc
unconscious and
thcrc is an activc
individual contri
bution only to an
cxtrcmcly limitcd
dcgrcc. !n an
analogy to this, lor
Tardc socicty cxists only in thc mirror
ol cach scparatc individual. Structurc
and idcntity, audicncc and actor arc onc:
cvcry individual is actually a dividual
product ol an immancnt, consti
tutivc thcatrc
+:
in which simulation
is thc collcctivc
but unconscious
production proccss
ol social rcality. Tc
spatial charactcr ol
modcrn rcprcscnt
ativc dcmocracy is nothing morc than a
scllgcncrating ction, which dcrivcs its
ccctivcncss solcly lrom its prcscncc in
timc. Socicty has ncvcr bccn anything
morc than a continuum ol rcsonanccs
and cchocs, a programmc ol acc
tions and simulacra that is continually
rcccctuatcd through thc analogous
scqucnccs ol scllactualization by its
participants.
Art as a Rclay within !ntimatc
Communication Nctworks
!l wc start out lrom thcsc parapsy
choanalytical and parasociological
intcrprctations ol thcatrc rcscucd
lrom oblivion, it is no surprisc that,
according to Slotcrdijk, thcrc is today
not a crisis ol publicncss, but, on thc
contrary, a crisis ol our stagc awarc
ncss.
+
!n Critique of Cynical Reason hc
alrcady dcncd nlightcnmcnt as a
lorm ol consciousncss hygicnc.
+
Spheres
ultimatcly aims to
dcvclop not only a
physical but also a
social and mcntal
ccology. !n a mass
mcdia socicty, thc
+o. For a comparablc shilt
lrom actor-oriented drama d
to issue-oriented drama, scc d
Noortjc Marrcs, Tcrc
!s rama !n Nctworks,
in: Jokc 8rouwcr and
Arjcn Muldcr, Interact
or Die! (Rottcrdam: !
\: \\ Publishing/NAi
Publishcrs, :oo), ++8.
++. !t is rcvcaling that
ick comparcs our
g
collcctivc privacy with
thc impossibility ol intcr
monadic communication to
show thc obsccnc zombi
cation ol our political
nonthcatrc, and thcrcby
ignorcs thc lundamcntal
communal philosophy
ol Lcibniz. http://www.
gazcttc.dc/Archiv/Gazcttc
August:oo+/Zizck+.html.
+:. Conccpt takcn lrom
Gilbcrt Simondons
Lindividuation psychique
et collective: A la lumire
des notions de Forme,
Information, Potentiel et
Mtastabilit (Paris: Aubicr,
:oo).
+. Pctcr Slotcrdijk, Zur
Welt kommen zur Sprache
kommen (Franklurt am
Main: Suhrkamp \crlag,
+88), +8.
+. Slotcrdijk, Kritiek van
de cynische rede, op. cit. (notc
), 8.
From Teatrum Mundi to Experimentum Mundi o,
public (atmo)sphcrc may bc thc most
cndangcrcd, but it is simultancously
thc ncw vcctor ol powcr. cology and
biopolitics thcrclorc convcrgc in thc
rccctivc intcrcoursc with thc intimatc,
in Psychopolitik, as it is callcd in
Slotcrdijks latcr book, Anger and Time.
Psychopolitics cxplicatcs (litcrally
lolds apart) thc acctivc rclationships
in which symbolic lorms ol sociality arc
implicatcd. !ts lcitmotil is air condi
tioning: maintaining thc prcsumably
rcquisitc conditions lor intimatc lorms
ol togcthcrncss. From thc psycho
political pcrspcctivc, thc public sphcrc is
not an indicrcnt, transparcnt platlorm
upon which or a backdrop against which
public lilc unlolds, but a symbiotic stagc
within which this
takcs placc. Tc old
ccology ol stagc and
pcrlormancc is out
ol joint.
+
A critical atmosphcric consciousncss,
in an cra in which cvcryonc claims thc
right to back up a privatc opinion about
thc wcathcr through thc mass mcdia,
is morc urgcntly nccdcd than cvcr. !n
thc total immancncc ol todays cultural
arcna, a journalist can bc as vulgar an
air pollutcr as a tcrrorist, symbols can
bc as toxic as poison gascs. ur habitat,
lrom tclcvision to Vcb :.o, is constantly
cndangcrcd by tsunamis ol cmotions,
cynicism, contcmpt, hystcria and
dclusions ol participation. A mcntally
and socially ccological consciousncss
laccs thc task ol making thc intimatc
public without lapsing into obsccnity.
Tis cxplication can takc placc
through an appropriatc symbolism,
but that is not rcquircd. Tc articial
Gesamtkunstwerk ol a spaccship is also
an cxplication ol a prcviously implicitly
assumcd habitat. For Slotcrdijk, this
is thc challcngc ol contcmporary art.
From biomorphic architccturc to
thc intcractivc thcatrc ol Christoph
Schlingcnsicl and lrom !lya Kabakovs
installations to thc rclativcly ncw
immcrsion art:
+6
thcy arc cach balancc
cxcrciscs bctwccn
obscrvation and
participation. As
in thc thcatrc, this
art bccausc thc
audicncc watchcs
itscll watching is
a natural and communal rccction.
Tc audicncc turns its own subjcc
tivity insidc out, it is immancnt to thc
thcatrc bccausc it opcratcs not only as
a spcctator but also usually uncon
sciously as an intcrpassivc cxtra and
only vcry occasionally intcractivcly as
an actor. Tc audicncc takcs part in thc
work ol art and produccs itscll as a work
ol art: eine Extraversion der Spieler zu
ihrer Bhne hin.
+
You could also call
this thc Natascha
Kampusch
stratcgy: il your
wholc lilc has bccn madc public, you
start a talk show. r likc Slotcrdijk,
who, altcr a wholc army ol journalists
and Habcrmasians had drawn him
into a public scandal, startcd a philo
sophical discussion
programmc on
thc zbv.
+8
A
critical ccology is
no longcr bascd
on thc critical
rcvolutionary
+. Pctcr Slotcrdijk,
Eurotaosme, translatcd by
V. Hanscn (Amstcrdam:
c Arbcidcrspcrs, ++),
+6.
+6. n ++ ctobcr :oo,
undcr thc cvocativc titlc
!mmcrsion Tc Art
ol thc Truc !llusion, a
symposium on this thcmc
was hcld at \ooruit in
Ghcnt, with such partici
pants as Christa Sommcrcr,
livcr Grau and Marnix
dc Nijs.
+. Pctcr Slotcrdijk,
Eurotaosmus (Franklurt am s
Main: Suhrkamp \crlag,
+8), :.
+8. For thc Human Zoo
Scandal ol +, scc Pctcr
Slotcrdijk, Regels voor het
mensenpark. Kroniek van
een debat (Amstcrdam: t
8oom, :ooo). Sincc :oo+
Slotcrdijk and Rudigcr
Salranski havc prcscntcd
Das philosophische Quartett
oncc a month on Gcrman
tclcvision.
o pcn aoos/No. +/Art as a Public Issue //
thcatrc ol modcrnity. !t is a thcatrical
constructivism that rcprcscnts nothing,
only actualizcs concrctc lorms ol
conviviality. Art is not militarizing,
but socializing: it is not madc lor an
audicncc, but crcatcs an audicncc. To
put it atmosphcrically, art brcathcs lilc
into thc public spacc by inspiring it with
Luft an unerwarterter Stelle ll
+
(air in an
uncxpcctcd placc)
or an Atem des
Freispruchs
:o
(brcath
ol rclicl). 8y
brcaking with thc
cocrcivc rcscntmcnt
and thc disinhibiting logic ol an obsccnc
common scnsc, or at thc vcry lcast by
divcrting or channclling it, it crcatcs
brcathing room and a brcathing pausc
ncccssary conditions lor any cohabi
tation, sincc somctimcs nothing stinks
likc homc. A ncw audicncc is crcatcd
whcn art lunctions as a rclay within
intimatc communication nctworks. Tis
makcs it possiblc to cxpcrimcnt with
ncw potcntial conncctions and ncw
social synthcscs. From that point on,
thc theatrum mundi to quotc Slotcrdijk i
onc last timc bccomcs thc cquivalcnt
thc experimentum mundi.
+. Pctcr Slotcrdijk, Sphren
III: Schume (Franklurt am
Main, Suhrkamp \crlag,
:oo), :.
:o. Slotcrdijk, Zur Welt
kommen zur Sprache
kommen, op. cit. (notc +),
+6.