From: richard haden <richard_haden-AT-yahoo.com>
Date: 21 Feb 2010 20:58:27 UTC   (12:58:27 PM in author's locale)
To: Situationist <situationist-AT-lists.nothingness.org>

To the List,

I forwarded this brief conversation between Nicolas Bourriaud and me, to the list, because this adds weight to my previous postings that asserts a common thread that links "Relational Aesthetic", The SI and Heidegger. And.... I am not necessarily insinuating anymore that that Debord or other Situationist were directly influenced by Heidegger... but I am however, asserting that their is an intellectual thread in the air that is similar in continental practices and history that is shared by these authors. I guess that my point is not really that profound but it at least got the attention from Bourriaud.

I thought you might like reading this short conversation I instigated with Nicolas Bourriaud on FB.

You all may remember that I have suggested to others that a good way to better understand "Relational Aesthetics" (Bourriaud) or "Antagonistic Relational Aesthetics" (Bishop) is to be familiar with the Writings of Heidegger (particularly (H)'s "Being and Time") and also obviously the "Situationist International" archive especially in relation to their hints at how to create a situation. I also connect Heidegger's ideas concerning moods that preexist outside us, that affect us, as a shared commonality with the SI idea of creating a positive ambiance in the creation of the basis for the creation of ludic "Situations".

Needless to say, I am flattered that Bourriaud actually answered my inquiry.

Richard

Between Nicolas Bourriaud and You
Richard Haden February 15 at 2:09pm
Sehgal is quite the contemporary "Situationist", don't you think? I enjoyed your collection of essays and like how you connect the similarities of the SI's descriptions of creating Situations as similar to Creating Social relations. I wonder why you don't make any reference to Heidegger in your essays though. It seems to me that Relational aesthetics has also a lot to do with Heidegger's relational totality inherent in its temporality---or your description of created social forms as similar ontologically to the sense being in--temporalizing temporality as a formalizing action.

Also, the Situationist idea of creating ambience is much to do with moods.

Richard Haden

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Nicolas Bourriaud February 21 at 4:11am Report
Dear M. Haden,

I refer to the S.I in the book, and mention the notion of "situation" as one of the main influences for the artists I write about. Nevertheless, "situations" are more of a political tool, according to Debord, and certainly not artworks - they refer to a society where the division of labour would be suppressed, where the notion of "art" itself would be obsolete. The artists that I qualify as relational re-code situations within the field of art, include them into the realm of form. They not only "create social relations", they produce forms and enlarge the spectrum of the exhibition. In other words, they are dealing with "formations" rather than forms, insisting on the dynamics of the socius.

Concerning Heidegger, you are right - but at the time, I had not dived into Heidegger, my knowledge of his writings was too superficial.

All the best,

NB----
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