THE LOGIC OF SENSATION

ANDREAS SIVITOS S3270294

THE DIAGRAM22072011

Bacondefines as diagram the set of operative lines, colour patches, linestrokesandzoneswhichdonotembodysomefurthersignificanceorrepresenta-tion.Hedescribesitasaconfusedsensationwhichcannotbedefinedandaremo-mentsofinspirationorresponsethroughapersonalinterpretationofthefigura-tive. Herefusedtofollowboththepathofabstractexpressionismandabstrac-tion.AccordingtoBacon,abstractioncouldbecomeasetofsimplecodesof thefigurativeandalsolackedofsensationandtensionasitwasneutralizedbyexpos-ingitoptically.Inabstractexpressionismthediagramwouldoccupytheentirepainting resulting in amessy effect and even though the sensationwas subse-quentlyacquired it remained inan irremediablyobscure state.Baconbelievedthatabalanceinapaintingiscrucialandthereforehegavegreatsignificancetothetreatmentofthecontourandtheclarityofthesensation.

InmydiagramIamemployingBacon’sapproachtowardsart.Beginningwithhisexplanationofthediagramwhilesimultaneouslyfollowinghisownpar-ticularpathwiththecharacteristicsheintroduced.

‘Inalandscapeofstormywater,prevailingwaveshavesurroundedalight-houseandareabouttoviolateitscurrentstate,releasinguponitalloftheirem-bodiedenergy.Itisjustsecondsbeforethedefencelessedificewillbestrickenbythenaturalforce.Thedarktones,thedistortedandenergeticlinesofthewaves,butalsothestillnessofthetoweringlighthousestandingstillandnumbwhilehelp-lesslywaitingforitsdoomfurtherdramatizethescene.’

___________________________________________________________________GillesDeleuze,(2003),FrancisBacon:thelogicofsensation,UniversityofMinnesotaPress

THEAUTONOMYOFAFFECT31072011

Massumistatesthat‘Intensityisqualifiableasanemotionalstate,andthatstateisstatic-temporalandnarrativenoise.It is likeatemporalsink,aholeintime,asweconceiveofitandnarrativizeit.Itisthecollapseofstructureddistinc-tion into intensity, of rules into paradox. Intensity is the unassimilable’. (Mas-sumi,1995:p.27)

Furthermorehediscussesthat‘Somethingthathappenstooquicklytohavehappened,actually,isvirtual.Thebodyisasimmediatelyvirtualasitisactual.Thevirtual isa livedparadoxwherewhatarenormallyoppositescoexist,coa-lesce,andconnect;wherewhatcannotbeexperiencedcannotbutbe felt-albeitreducedandcontained.Thebodyisasimmediatelyabstractasitisconcrete;itsactivityandexpressivityextend,asontheirunderside, intoan incorporeal,yetperfectlyreal,dimensionofpressingpotential’.(Massumi,1995:p.30)

Thediagramemphasizesthosespecific,inbetweenmomentsofthebody’swayofinterpretinganexternalsourcewhichMassumiexpressesasvirtualandthereforephysicallynottangible;thelevelofcomplexcircuitswhichcomposetheseriesofsystemswhichenabletothehumanbeingtoperceivetheworld.Itistherepresentationoftheinconceivable,ofthetemporal,adepictionofthesetofpa-rameterswhichoccuroutsidewhatisregardedasconsciousness. Inaddition,itexplorestheideaofatimeparadox.Itrelateswithintensityandalsothathalfsecond,theminimumperceivablelapsenecessarytonoticeanystimulation.Itisthevirtualrealityofarelationship.Duringthemysterioushalfsecond,whatwe thinkofas “free,” “higher” functions, suchasvolition,areap-parentlybeingperformedbyautonomic,bodilyreactionsoccurringinthebrainbutoutsideconsciousness,andbetweenbrainandfingerbutpriortoactionandexpression.(Massumi,1995:p.29)

___________________________________________________________________BrianMassumi,(1995),CulturalCritique:TheAutonomyofAffect,UniversityofMinnesotaPress

FLESH 31072011

Teyssotstatesthat,theskinandtheclothesrefertocodificationsofsocialorder suchas fashionor social status.Clothesand skin canbemanipulated toconferarecognizedmeaningonthebody.Allofthisactivityreferstoacodeandconformstoanorm.Bodiesaredeemedtopresentaunifiedcodebymechanizingthem.Bybecomingapuresignrecognizablesothesociallevel,thebodyinturnreceivesanameddiscourseapropernameanidentity.(Teyssot,1994:p.12)

‘Aesthetic or cosmetic surgeryalsoaimsat erasing characteristic sexualtraits,oratcamouflagingsomatoethnicfeatures,inanefforttoattainanideal,objectifiedbody’.(Teyssot,1994:p.18)

Thediagramisaddressingtheideaoftheenforcedalterationuponthehu-manbodyfavouringtheacceptablesetofrules.Throughthisprocessindividualityanduniquenessgiveswaytoaunifiedappearancethatiswidelyrecognised.Criti-calabsenceresultsintoablindstreamofdiscipleswhoconformtothisattitudewhichtheyadoptbybeingexposedtoamediabrainwash,promotingacertainfashionandlifestyle,whetherthatistranslatedintoclothingorbodymanipula-tion.Theperfectbodyandbeautyaresubjectivetermsthatevolveandarecon-trolledbytheindustrywhichaddressesthem.Byaddingapsychologicalstresstothehumanbeingtheyachieveahealthyeconomicgrowth,whilethepopulationbecomesenslavedtotheirtrends.Technologicaladvancementisemployedtoex-tendthelevelofmanipulation.Teyssotmentionsitas‘theheroicwilltovoluntarysubjectone’sbodytoanendlesscycleofrepeatedoperations,inordertorepairit,andmakeitintoanidealobject,insteadofacceptingitasaplaceofdifferenceandotherness’.(Teyssot,1994:p.17)

___________________________________________________________________GeorgesTeyssot,(1994),Flesh:TheMutantBodyofArchitecture,PrincetonArchitecturalPress

INTENSITIES OF FEELING 08082011

Thriftanalysestheoperationandpotentialofbodilyperformedreactions.Emphasisisgiventotheface.‘Thelivingfaceisthemostimportantandmysteri-oussurfacewedealwith.Itisthecentreofourflesh.Weeat,drink,breatheandtalkwithit,andithousesfourofthefiveclassicsenses’.(Thrift,2004:p.72)

Especiallythoughtheworkoftheartist,BillViola,theimpactofhisworkgeneratesextremeemotionalresponsesfromtheaudience.Hedecomposesasetofculturalsymbolsandpresentsthemthroughaslowmotionprocesstounder-standthematwork.Heutilizeshistoricallydevelopedtechniqueswhichengagetheunconsciousofaffect.Bodymovementandspatialformationscomposeenvi-ronmentsthroughwhichemotionandphysicalshapetriggerintensity.Theartistengageswiththefaceasifitwasacolourwheelofemotions.‘Throughouremo-tion,we reachback sensually tograsp the tacit, embodied foundationsof our-selves’(Thrift,2004:p.67)

Whenoneisreleasingtheresponsesofaffecthebecomestrulyfree,asbyex-pressingouremotionsandself-reflectinguponthem,onedevelopsabetterunder-standingofhimself.Confidenceisfurtherachievedbyfamiliarisingoneselfwithpersonallyreleasedresponsesofaffectandexploitingtheirpotential.However,Platowarnsusthattheexposureofemotionsisnotalwayspositive,whenper-formedunconsciously.Thatisbecauseitcanleadtounhealthylifepatternswhichcanbeofsignificantphysicalormentalimpact,suchasalcoholism.Acriticalbal-anceandanefforttopositivelyengagewiththeworldmustbemaintained.Bycontrollingtheseriesofthebodylanguagemechanisms,oneachievestoreachaprofoundlevelofcommunicationandinteractionwithhisenvironment.Applyingthatunderstandingandknowledgeintoprofessionalfieldsonemanagestoma-nipulatereactionsandattitudes.Anexampleisgivenaboutthewaythemilitarydisciplinesanarmyinordertobecapableofcontrollingtheiroperationwithinabattlefield.Inaddition,theurbanspacecanbeconsciouslyanddelicatelyde-signedtoproducecertainpoliticalresponse,oftenbyminimalinputs.Inthepoliti-calfield,significantpoliticalleadershavebeenincontroloftheimpactofaffect.

Inthat tone, freedomandconfidencecoexist inparallel,aspartofbeingfree is tobebrave torelease the impactofaffect,projecting thatenergyoutofthebody.Ontheotherhand,ifthereisatendencyforunconsciousrelease,itcanautomaticallyleadtoimprisoningyourselftohabits,suchasdrinking.Thereforebybeingconfident, theability tomanipulate the impactsofaffect,youbecomefree.Freedomisthecontrolledreleaseoftheimpactofaffect.Thebodybecomesamediumwhereanaffectfromanexternalsourcefiltersthroughabodyintoanindividual interpretationandprojectsareactionoutof thebodyreleasing thatenergy.

___________________________________________________________________NigelThrift,‘IntensitiesofFeeling:TowardsaSpatialPoliticsofAffect,inGeografiskaAnnaler:

SeriesB,HumanGeography,Volume86,Issue1,March2004,pp.57–78

OFOTHERSPACES21082011

Foucaultaddressesspaceasthemainconcernofourtime.Heanalysesthevarious typesof spacebyplacing themwithincategories.Spaceasheexplainsitthroughhistext,istheenvironmentofvisibleandinvisiblelayersofrelations.Therefore,itisequallytangibleasintangible,thereisanemotionalspace,anim-aginaryspace,suchas thespaceofourdreams.There isnotsucha thingasavoid,anemptyspace.Everyhumanbeingblendsinwithintheseexistingspatialnetworks,whicharecharacterizedbytheirprogram,suchascafesandcinemasorabedroomandahouse.Hestatesthaninourtime,contradictoryspaces,suchasworkingandleisureenvironmentsremainintheirpure integralstatemain-tainingafineborderamongsteachother.Therefore,apracticaldesanctificationofspaceisnotyetpossible,eventhoughGalileotheoreticallyprovedaninfinitelyopenspace.

Anexampleisgivenaboutthespacecreatedthroughthemirror,analysingtheconceptofautopianspace,whichbasically isaperfect imaginaryspaceorashestates‘aplacelessplace…Iamoverthere,whereIamnot’(Foucault,1986:p.24)butsimultaneouslyexplainsitasaheterotopianspaceasthemirroritselfhasaphysicalpresence.‘Onceabsolutelyreal,connectedwithallthespacethatsurroundsit,andabsolutelyunreal,sinceinordertobeperceivedithastopassthroughthisvirtualpointwhichisoverthere’.(Foucault,1986:p.24)

Cultural shifts occurring over time alter the meaning of a heterotopia,suchas the traditionofcemeteries.Acharacteristicofheterotopicspaces is thefactthattheysuggestcertainattitudeandactivitytothepersonwhoiswillingtoenterthem,suchasprisonsandMoslemhammams.Foucaultalsocharacterizescarpetsasreproductionsofgardens‘ontowhichthewholeworldcomestoenactits symbolicperfection, and the rag is a short of garden that canmoveacrossspace’(Foucault,1986:p.26).Hefurtherdescribesboatsasthegreatreserveofthe imaginationforeverycivilizationduetothefactthattheyaretimelessandspaceless,floatingindependentlyintheendlessnessoftheseaconstantlymovingforward.

Withinthissetofideas,mydiagramcapturesthesenseoftheheterotopicspace.Thechessboardanditspiecesaretangibleobjectsbutyetwithinasetofrules they create an intangible space. Therefore the space crafted by the chesspiecescanbecharacterizedasaheterotopiaasononehanditisintangibleduetotheinvisiblerelationshipsbetweenthepiecesbutyettangibleasthepiecesthem-selveshaveaphysicalpresence.

___________________________________________________________________MichelFoucault,‘OfOtherSpaces’inDiacritics,vol.16,no.1,Spring,1986,pp.22-27

ONTHEMUSEUM’SRUINS21082011

The content of themuseums is described as spaceswith historical frag-mentswhichcollectivelypresentanimageoftheworld.Accordingtoitsetymol-ogy,amuseumissimilartoamausoleum,whereobjectsareintheprocessofdy-ing,whoserelevancetothepresentisnotassignificantastheirhistoricvalue.

Crimpfurtherexplainsthattheradicalshiftinthelogicofwhatwascon-ceivedasartenabledtoartistssuchasRauschenbergtoreproducepreviousartwork.Theradicalstyle,ofthenewwiththeoldfurtherindicatedtheculturalshiftinartandthebeginningofpostmodernism.Asaresultoftechnologicaladvance-ment,culturalevolutionandcriticismradically transformedartasadiscourseenabling furtherpossibilities.Suchare forexamplea largerdiscussion,under-standingandappreciationofartitselfbyvastcomparisonwithotherpieces.Thiswasenabledbytheuseofphotography,dematerializingtheartfromitspropertiesasanobjectandfocusingonthemomentoftheartisticcreationwhilecelebratingthecreator’stalent.

Artworkwasfurtherunifiedandmadegloballyaccessiblebyitsrepresen-tationthroughthemediumofthephotograph,anartisticessencewhichprovidedaprofounddegreeofknowledge.Thisadditionallydetachedtheartworkfromitshistoricalbackground,composingalargerviewoftheevolutionofartcreatedbythehumanbeinginhismostcreativemoment.Nothingconveysmorevividlyandcompellinglythenotionofadestinyshapinghumanendsthandothegreatstyles,whoseevolutionsandtransformationsseemlikelongscarsthatFatehasleft,inpassing,onthefaceoftheearth.(Crimp,1985:p.51)

Thetextdescribesalargerculturalevolution,whereworkfromthepastisreproducedandredefinedinordertoaddressissuesofthepresent.Inasimilarfashion,ideasarealwaysinfluencedbyasourceofinspiration,apre-existingcon-cept.Itisaprocessofdevelopmentinarationalmanner,wherethepreviousdis-coveryenablesthenextdiscovery.Thediscoveryoffireinasimilarmannertothewayphotographywasusedforthedevelopmentofart,illustratesthisevolution.Ithasbeenusedasafundamentalsourceofheatfromgenerationtogeneration,constantlybeingusedinamoresophisticatedway,spanningthefieldofitsappli-cationfromcookingtoweldingtothediscoveryofextra-terrestrialterritories.

___________________________________________________________________DouglasCrimp,‘OntheMuseum’sRuins’inHalFoster,ed.,PostmodernCulture,London:Pluto

Press,1985,pp.43-56

PANOPTICISM02092011

Theformofdisciplineisintegratedintooursocietywithitsvariousinsti-tutionalforms.Asystemwhichenablestheenforcementofdisciplineisthepano-pticonprinciple.Ithasapsychologicalimpactduetoitsunconditionalfunctionfor surveillance of its subjectswithout thembeingawarewhen theyare beingwatched.ThemajoreffectofthePanopticon:toincludeintheinmateastateofconscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning ofpower.(Foucault,1991:p.201)TheconceptofthePanopticonstructureenableshomogeneouseffectsofpower,asitactsdirectlyonindividuals;itgives‘powerofmindovermind’.(Foucault,1991:p.206)Theinmatemustneverknowwhetherheisbeinglookedatanyonemoment;buthemustbesurethathemayalwaysbeso.(Foucault,1991:p.201)Itstilliscruelsimilartoitspredecessorsbutyetaningeniouscage.

Apurearchitecturalandopticalsystemwhichisafigureofpoliticaltech-nologythatmayandmustbedetachedfromanyspecificuse.(Foucault,1991:p.205)Theembodiedpotentialofthismechanismcanleadtotyrannicregimeswhenutilizedwithinthestructureofasociety.However,itcanbealsodemocraticaseveryonecanhaveaccesstoitandunderstandhowtheentirestructureoperates.Temples,theatresandcircusesareexamplesfromtheantiquitywerethepanopti-conmechanismwasembeddedwithinthearchitecture.Therefore,thePanopticonwasaneventinthehistoryofthehumanmind.Themodernversionofthepanop-ticonnetworkcanbeunderstoodinthenetworksspreadovertheurbanenviron-mentsinhabitedbyhumans.CCTVcamerasandpolicebelongtothissystem.Theindividualisgraduallyintegratedinthisnetworkthroughatechniqueofforcesandbodies.

Camerasinoureverydayexperiencearenotconsideredasforeignurbanelements.Similar to traffic lightsandelectricitypoles, theybecomepartof theurbaninfrastructure.Theyareconstantlychallengingtheborderofourindividu-alitythroughexperimentalTVshowssuchasbigbrother,which introducestheideaofbeingconstantlyundersurveillanceandthereforebecomelessforeign.Anentirecultureisdevelopingwithinthelastdecadewherebeingableto‘spy’intootherpeople’sprivatelifeisacceptablethroughonlineplatformssuchasFacebookorTwitter.Atthesametime,itsuggestsademocraticapproachtotheuseofthismechanismasanyonecanutilizeit.WithinthestructureofFacebook,thereisacertainamountofdisciplinaryruleswhichtheusermustconformwith,suchastheinformationshared.Thenetwork’ssocializingnaturecreatesapositivepsy-chologicalimpacttoitsmembers,astheyareallowedtoconnectwiththeirfriends.Theideathereforeofapanopticview,bytappingintopeople’sprivatelife,isverypresent.

___________________________________________________________________MichelFoucault,‘Panopticism’inDisciplineandPunish:TheBirthofthePrison,London:Pen-

guin,1991

SECRET SOCIETIES 02092011

The textdiscusses thepresenceofsecrets inour time,which ironically ischaracterizedbyacontinuousstreamofinformation.Thepresenceofasecretisamotivation for further investigationanddevelopment.Curiosity isoneof thefundamentalcharacteristicsofthehumannature,whichafterallhasledtoacon-stantlyexpandinglevelofsophistication.AccordingtoJanVerwoert,thedirectclaimofsex,powerormoneyisamistakenapproachasitimmediatelyreinsuresthefactthatonelacksofthesepleasuresandthereforewillvainlyattempttogainthem.

Asecretcanbekepthiddenwithinagroupofpeople,forexampleinavil-lagecommunity,astheyareawareofthefactthattheyarenotsupposedtobeinholdoftheinformationtheyare,andthereforekeepitsafe.Ontheotherhand,his-toricallyvaluableinformationhasbeenexchangedtogainreward.Themafiaisonecaseweresecretsexistbetweentherivalfamiliesandtheirexposurehasmajorconsequences.Informationiskeptsecretinordertosurvive.However,somethingleadingtoyourdeathmayalsobethekeytoyourpromotion.Therefore,scenariosofbetrayalareverycommon,andtherelationshipstructureisconstantlyfluctu-ating.

Secret informationisexposedovertimethroughthemediumofmusicortextsinfavourofeternalfame,nevertobeforgotten,oratleasttoendurealongerperiodfromahumanlifetime.Inaddition,therelevanceoftheexistenceofase-cret’sauthorshipiscrucial.Itspowerreliesonit,asthepersontowhomthein-formationisrevealedto,hastoplacetheexperiencewithinacontextinordertorelatetoitorhavesomeshortofsignificance.Similartoapieceofart,unlessasecretrevealssomekingofauthorshipitimmediatelybecomesdevalued.

___________________________________________________________________JanVerwoert,Howdoweshare?Thesecret?Howwillweexperience?Themysteries?inCristinaRicupero,AlexisVaillant,MaxHollein,eds.SecretSocieties,SchirnKunsthalleFrankfurt,CAPC

Museéd’artcontemporaindeBordeaux,Snoek.

POSTSCRIPTONSOCIETIESOFCONTROL06102011

Deleuzeisdiscussingtheshiftfromdisciplinarytocontrolsocieties.Indis-ciplinarysocieties,thereisaconstantmovementthroughmajorsitesofconfine-menteachonewithitsownlaws,thefamily,theschool,thebarracksandthefac-torytonamesome.Thesesitesarebreakingdownandareataterminaldecline.Forinstance,theeducationministerhasannouncedrefinementsinthesystem.

Fromamorediscreteconsumptionofenergyduringthedisciplinaryageweare exposed toa continuous rangeofproductsnever endingat the currentcontrolera.Ourenvironmenthasbecomefastpassed,characterizedbythefloat-ingexchangerates.Thecontrolledsocietyhasnotonlymadefrontiersvanishbuthasmaintainedtheextremepovertyratio.Opposedtothedisciplinaryman,thefashionablebecomesdominantandthesenseofbalanceandharmonywithnatureisblurred,asanattitudeofunconsciousandperpetualconsumptionisadopted.Capitalism isdirected towardsproduction, salesandmarkets.The equilibriummaintainedwithinthefactoriesbetweenhighestproductionandlowestwageshasbeentakenoverbybusinesseswhichoperateinamoretransparentmanner.AsdescribedbyDeleuze,‘asnake’scoilsareevenmoreintricatethatamole’sburrow’(Deleuze,1995:p.182),whichpreciselydepictsthecomplexityofthecontrolsoci-etyopposedtothedisciplinaryworld.

Thenewage ishighlydigitalizedandvirtualdistortingthepreviousun-derstandingofindividualityandsignature.However,eventhoughsophisticatedtechnology isutilizedasan integralcomponentof this time,suchascomputersandinformationtechnology,yetithastodefenditselfagainstitsemergentsophis-ticatedenemies,suchaspiracyandviralcontamination.

The shiftdoesnot suggesta comparativeanalysisof the systems’differ-encesbutratheraninvestigationofthewaytheyfreeandenslaveus.Therefore,itisamatterofdiscoveringnewwaysoffightingagainstthenewestablishment.

___________________________________________________________________GillesDeleuze,‘PostscriptonSocietiesofControl’inNegotiations:1972-1990,NewYork:Colum-

biaUniversityPress,1995.

THEORGANISATIONALCOMPLEX06102011

MyattentionwasdrawntowardstheexplanationunderwhichtheAmeri-canurbanplanningwasconceived.Thehistoriccontextofthecoldwarplaidacrucialroleasitintegratedtothedesignthescenarioofanyformofinterference,suchasanuclearattack.Wiener, theplanner,wasobviouslyshockedbyHiro-shima. In addition, great significancewas addressed towardsmaintaining thenationalcommunicationnetworkinthecaseofdisasterandthereforebypassingcriticalroutes.

Furthermore, Giedion’s poetic comparison of the city to an organismisrather fascinating,ashesuggests that itbecomesanextensiontothehumanbody.Hestatesthat,askyscraperisamoreadvancedorganismthanacottage,inthesamewaythatahumanbeingismoresophisticatedthananant.Moreo-ver,Reinholddiscussesthevolumeofthecommercialtowers,addressingthemasmonumentsofthepostwarperiodwhichsuggestthedominanceofthecorporateauthorityjuxtaposingthepreviousregimeofthechurch.Theverticalitythattheskyscrapersformintroduce,composeanetworkwhichexpandsthelimitsofthecityreachingbeyondandthereforeconnectingtheglobe,exaggeratingtheroutesofcirculationandcommunication. ‘Wehaveconceivedthecityasanetworkofcommunicationsandoftraffic.Thedangerofblockedcommunicationsinacitysubjecttoemergencyconditionsisanalogoustothedangerofblockedcommuni-cationsinthehumanbody’.(Reinhold,2003)AsGiedionstates,thecityextendsthehumannervoussystemreachingoutwardsinordertomaintainequilibrium,sothattheinternalexperiencesoftheurbanenvironment,suchastrafficjamsareovercome.

Therefore,theindividualwithintheurbancontextcanappreciateaphysi-calandvirtualexpansionofthepotentialityofthehumanbody.

___________________________________________________________________ReinholdMartin,TheOrganisationalComplex:Architecture,Media,andCorporateSpace,

CambridgeMassachusetts:MITPress,2003.

THE ORDER OF THINGS 09102011

Foucaultdiscussesthenotionofrelationshipsbetweenelements,exploringthesenseoforganizationandeither familiarisingvariousobjectsoralienatingthemfromeachother.Examplesaregivenfromvarioussciencesanalysingtheirrelativitybylookingatcommonutilizationofprocesses.Peoplefromvariousdis-ciplinesemployedthesameprocedurestodefinetheobjectspropertotheirownstudy,toexploretheirideasanddeveloptheirwork.Forinstance,comparisonsaremade up on distinct elements, such as artificial and natural, tangible andintangible.Organization is furtherexaminedunder thewaydistinctwordsareorganizedwithinthedictionary’salphabeticalorder.Radicallyfragmentedele-mentscanmergewithintheidealsettingofautopianspaceasFoucaultexplains.Onthecontrary,heterotopicspacesarefundamentallyseparatedandthereforetheydistortlanguage.

Themomentoftheessaywhichfascinatedmethemostwasthediscussionoftheaphasiacperceptionofcreatingorder.Aphasiacpeopledonothavetheabil-itytomaintainarationaloforderduetotheirmentalillness,sotheirexpressionsandreactionsaredominatedbychaos.Foucaultgivesanexampleregardingtheorganizationofvarious,distinct,colourfulpiecesofwool.Heexplains that thisgroupofpeoplelacksofacontrolledlogicwhichleadsthemtoaninfinitecontinu-ationofcomposingneworderrelationships.Thiscondition,summarizesthemad-nessofrelativitybetweenelementsthroughoutthetext,whethertheyaresharingsimilaritiesorareradicallydifferent,forminganendlessnetworkoforder.

___________________________________________________________________MichelFoucault,‘Preface’,inTheOrderofThings,London:Routledge,1970.

ANINVENTORYOFSHIMMERS09102011

Thetextdiscussesthevarioustheoriesofaffect.Affectistheperformanceofthebodywithinacontextofrhythm.Itconnectsthebodywithalargerinteractivenetworkdistortingthesenseof its internalandexternalworld.Therefore,bod-iesaredefinedbytheirresponsetothepowerofaffect.AninterestingdiscoveryismadebyRolandBartheswhocomparestheabilitytobeaffectedwithdeath.Hestatesthat‘tohaveabodyistolearntobeaffected…putintomotionbyotherentities,humansornonhumans’(SEIJWORTH+GREGG,2010:p.11).Lateralheappliesthesameprincipleforbecominganose,forinstancebeingtrainedtoworkintheperfumeindustry.

Affectisobjective,individualandspontaneousaccordingtoAhmed’swrit-ingsandsotheinfinityofeverydayaffectiveeventscomposethelifeofeveryin-dividual.Spinozastatesthataffectcannotbetamedorclearlypredicted,asthefutureforcesofaffectremainunknown.Equally,theoriesofaffectremaininfinite,asthereareendlessencounterswithbodiesandaffects,nevertobecontained.

An intriguingmoment is revealed by thewriter regardingMarcus’s de-scriptionofLefebvreaboutthefocusofthestudyofsocialtheorists.Hesuggeststhatfocusshouldalsoincludeunfamiliarmomentstosocialtheorists,whoshouldanalysetheaffectbehindtheeverydaylife,independentthoughtgenerationwhilecommuting.Thishestatescouldformthebasisforentirelynewdemandsonthesocialorder.

___________________________________________________________________GregorySeijworthandMelissaGregg‘AnInventoryofShimmers’inGregorySeijworthandMelissaGreggeds.TheAffectTheoryReader,DurhamandLondon:DukeUniversityPress,

2010.