Contents PREFACE INTRODUCTIONTheUse Valueof "Formless"13 BASEMATERIALISMAbattoir43 -BaseMaterialism51 -Cadaver63 -Dialectic67 l1li Entropy73 .. Figure79 .. HORIZONTALITYGestalt89 -Horizontality93 -Isotropy103 .. leuLU8ubre109 .. Kitsch117 .. LiquidWords124 .. P ULSE"Moteurl"133 III Noto ... theInforme]138 -Noto ... JosephBeuys143 -Olympia147 -Part Object152 .. Pulse161 .. ENTROPYQualities (Without)169 -RayGuns172 .. Sweats of theHippo180 .. Threshole185 .. Uncanny192 -VerySlow198 -Water Closet204 -XMarksthe Spot214 -Yo-yo219 -Zone224 ,. CONCLUSIONThe Destiny of the Informe235 NOTES255 IND EX291 Page1 Robert Rauschenberg, Untitled (Gold Painting) (detail),1953. Goldand silver leaf on fabric,newspaper,paint, wood, paper, glue, and nails on wood,inwoodand glass frame,10'12 x 11 Y:rx1% inches. C1997 Robert Rauschenberg I Licensed by VAGA,New York. Pages 2-3 Andy Warhol, Oxidation Painting (detail), 1978. Mixedmedia andcopper metallic paint on canvas, 78 x 204Y:rinches. Private Collection. 01997 Andy Warhol Foundation of the Visual Arts/ARS,New York. Pages4-5 Lucio Fontana, Ceramica spaziale (detail), 1949. Polychrome ceramic, 23112x 251A x 23'h inches. Musl!e National d'Art Moderne-CCI,Centre GeorgesPompidou,Paris. Page6 Kazuo Shiraga, Untitled(detail),1957. Oil, watercolor,india ink on paper mounted on canvas, 71 'h x 95Y2inches. M u ~ e Nationald'Art Moderne-CCI, Centre GeorgesPompidou,Paris. Preface Formless:AUser'sGuidehasbeeningerminationsincetheearly 1980s,whenitbecamecleartoitsauthorsthatcertainartistic practiceswithwhichGeorgesBataille'snamehadneverbeen asso-ciated - thesculptureof AlbertoGiacomettifromthelate1920s andearly1930s on the one handandthe repertory of surrealist pho-tographyontheother - couldonlybecharacterizedadequately throughtheoperationsof Bataille'siriforme.'Thereaftertheoper-ational,performative"force"of the"formless"revealeditself as necessary tothe understanding of other practices:a significant but overlooked part of the work of LucioFontana, forexample, or the reception of JacksonPollock inthe1960s, whether that be enacted viaAndyWarhol'sDanceDiaarams,CyTwombly'sgraffiti,Robert Morris's felt pieces, or EdRuscha's liquid Words.2 Asthisfieldof relevancebegantogrow,itbecame cleartous that an exhibition bringing together the various effects of this form-lessimpulsecoulditself haveakindof operationalforce,sinceit could not onlydemonstrate thepower of the conceptual tool,but wouldalsopick apartcertain categoriesthat seemed tousincreas-inglyuseless - even asthey hadbecome increasingly contentious-namely, "form" and "content:' The only cultural institution to wel-comeourproject,theCentreGeorgesPompidouinParis,wasin theprocessof inaugurating a seriesof "signed" exhibitions.Evinc-ingthebelief thatmodernismitself hasmeantthatexhibitions, eventhemostneutral sounding ones,likemonographicoverviews (aone-person retrospective, the presentation of clearlyestablished movements), always take a position, are alwaysdriven byargument, th.eCentre Pompidou decided to stage these "arguments"and allow their authors to be clearly seen. Thusitwasthatthecatalogueforthisexhibition - L '/nforme: Moded'emploi,May21toAugust26,1996-was conceivedfrom theoutsetasabookwithacoherentpropositiontodevelop,not 9 only about modern art's past (the onset of the formless within mod-ernist practice:Arp,Duchamp,Picasso),but alsomodern art's con-temporaryreception(therepressionof certaincareersorcertain partsof famousoeuvres)andeven,possibly,modernart'sfuture. Forhavingaskedustomakethis"book"andtheexhibitionthat supported it,weareextremely gratefultoFran90isBarre,then the presidentof theCentrePompidou,andDanielSoutif,itsdirector of cultural development. The exhibition itself could not have taken placewithoutGermain Viatte,thedirectorof theMuseeNational d'ArtMoqerne,IsabelleMonod-Fontaine,chief curatorandgen erous collaborator, and Sara Renaud, our extraordinary assistant. The origh.alcatalogue, .brilliantly designed bySusannahShannon and Jerome Saint-Loubert Bie,recorded the exhibition itself. Butthe"argument"concerningformlessness - itshistoryand itsdestiny - isnottiedtoanexhibition,howeverexhilarating. ThusweareextremelygratefultoZone'seditors, JonathanCrary, MichelFeher,SanfordKwinter,andRamonaNaddalT,fortheop-portunitytotransposeourpropositiontobo.. kform,wherethe contours ofu r ~ discussion takeon,we hope, greater independence anddefinition.Forthedesignof thisnew vehicleweareindebted toBruceMauand,foritsediting,toMeighanGaleandDon McMahon. Tothis entire new team we extend our deepest thanks. '0 INTRODUCTION TheUseValueof "Formless" Yve-AlainBois Perhaps Edouard Manet's Olympia isnot the "first" modernist paint-ing,thathonor havingbeencustomarilyreservedforhisDejeuner surl'herbe.But,asGeorgesBataillewrites,itisatleast"the first masterpiece before which the crowd fairlylost allcontrol of itself," and this unprecedented scandal would henceforth give it the impact of a radical break.' As Cachin points out in her essayonOlympiaincluded in the catalogue to the1983Manet retrospectiveinParis andNew York,"the prevailingreactionstothispaintinghavealwaysbeen of two kinds.The formalreactionrespondstotechnical,painterly values,thenoveltiestheyoffer,thepleasurestheyafford .... The other reaction, widely represented by thecritics of the day,in hor-ror or derision,emphasizessubject matter:'2The firstreading was articulatedin1867,byEmileZola:"Foryou,apictureisbut an opportunity for analysis. You wanted a nude, and you took Olympia, thefirsttocomealong;youwantedbright luminouspatches,and the bouquetserved;youwanted blackpatches,andyouaddeda blackwomanandablackcat.'"Thiswasnotthefirsttimethat suchastancehadbeendefended(Zola'sargumentrepeats,more orless,CharlesBaudelaire'spositionfouryearsearlier in relation toEugeneDelacroix),butit wasthefirsttimeitwascredible.It remainedsoforalong time,andincertainrespectsit stillis;it is thereadingthatmakesManet"thefirstmodernistpainter:"The otherreadingisiconographic:withreason,itcriticizesthemyo-pia of a Clement Greenberg seeing nothing inManet's canvases but "thefranknesswithwhichtheydeclaretheflatsurfacesonwhich theywerepainted,"andaboveallitponderstheidentityof the motif itself (luxurycourtesanortwo-bitstreetwalker?)andits sources (from Titian andGoya to pornographic photography). Whether formorcontent - theoldmetaphysicalopposition seemsalmostunavoidableintheliteratureaboutManet andabout INTRODUCTION Olympiainparticular.Thereareexceptions,but they are generally ignoredbyspecialists.'Onthewhole,Cachin'ssuccinctaccount-ing isalltoo true. Thereisastrangeintegerinthisaccounting,however:Bataille isputontheformalistsideof the ledger,among thosewhoprivi-legethepainterlyaspectof thework.Atfirstglance,thisisnot surprising, given that Bataillerepeats the phraseabout "the crisisof subject matter" more thanonce:Manet tightensthenoosearound eloquence;reducespaintingtosilence;erasesthetext thatunder-girds-'it,bytakingthe subjectasnothing but "the merepretextfor the painting itself:'6However,on closer inspection,it isnot exactly BaWllewhoisspeakinghere,butratherAndreMalrau?"whom he paraphrases after having quoted him with regard to Manet'sThe Executionoj Maximilian(1868-69).(Malrauxhadquippedthat Manet'scanvas"isG?ya'sShootings,('uionde\otedto "basematcria..ibm."sinn'th('\\aslOOgreat that.despiteoursch"es.wewouldenduppromoting afttishization of exrnmcnt-somcthing\'eryforl'igntoBataillt.,\thought.Simi * 12 Fllure4 RobertSm1thson, Asphalt Rundown.Rome 1969 Colo.photograph. 12)t12mche!.each Estate 01RobertSmIthson. courtesyJohnWeber Gallery larl),thefashion01lhe1.1lf,,\\yearsforth""abject"inart(hod il)fluid,andother obje"s 01di.gut)\\a.Ignored(onthispoint, secRosalmdKrauss',"Condusion:TheDc,tin)of th,'belo\\).Intht:nmlcxt of the('xhibition practice\\ a"l inearhof ourlourb)a workthatlCJ us' toexCt.'l,dthtthematichorizon" ithin\\ hiehenclosedatpre,cnt(afloorpi,'cob)Mik,Kelle)"c/o'"the"" liunon"horllUntalit):' ,,,,,'rallargemild,'"photographsb)Cind\ Shermanintht.'",('cliondl"{)tC'dto"ba.)('materialism,"afilm JamesCulemanIIguredinlh,'"pulse""' described asdefections)of former surrealistsfromtheranks of the mo,'ementas amatter of personalities or gossipratherthan aquestionof highestprinciple,Bretonunderlinesthisdismissive mcahle.' Butshitisindeedatthecenterof whatBretonwouldaccuse Batailleof bytheendof themanifesto,wherehesumsuphisrage inthe characterizationof hisenemy asan"excrement-philosopher."' ForheseesBataille'suse(andinBreton's eyes,misunderstanding) of theimagewithwhichheends his"LeLangagedesneurs" (TheLanguageof Flowers) - thatof Sadeinprison,havingroses broughttohimsothathecouldscatter theirpetalsinashit-filled latrine - asyetanotherexampleof Bataille'sscatologicalobses-sions,hisdesireto"wallowinimpurities."HadhereadBataille's essay"LeJeulugubre,"whosepublicationcrossedthatof hisown Manifesto,sincebothappearedinDecember1929(Bataille'sin Dacuments,no.7,andBreton'sinLaRevolutionsumialiste,no.13), andinwhichtheentireanalysisturnsontheshitthatsoilsthe underpantsof thelittlemanstanding inthepainting'slowerright corner, hewouldhavebeen evenmore enraged.Butinany casehe hadalreadyactedtowardofT Bataille's encroachmentontheterri tory of Salvador Dali,Breton's newestrecruitto themovement.His own catalogue essay forDali'sNovember exhibition at the Goemans Gallery hadsneered atthosewho mightfocusonthis detail inDali'spicture,andhehadintervenedtomakesurethatDali wouldrefuseBataillepermissiontoreproducethepaintingwith the essayinDocumentsbuilt aroundits analysis.' Theschematicrenderingof thepaintingthatBataillewasthus forcedtoresorttois,ina certainst'nsc.one of thosebrilliantin\'en-tionsbornof necessity(figure34).Breakingdownthecontinuity of thepicture's surface, the schema allowsBataille to mapthe inter-actionof fourclementsthathegoesontocall"theContradicto,,' Representationsof theSubject."Announcingthatthisanalysisis -8,Deli,..du

eensionl ilhdu obJet ldudim.u cIprovoqu.nldt C,'ar-h,'r\\orksas"pur '1)optical."Butalread)'inthemorec1assical "drippictures,"themetalllcpaintthatGreenb,'rgcomparcdto the goldof BH.antmemosair. andlauded., "optlcalnllrage"lOuld ht'l't'ad.onthecontrar).a ~ adisa\o\\-alof moderni.!ttsuhlimation 121 anditsdogmaof purl' itl'ould !\(.'l'mn'pulsin' thl'n',madetoprl'\"('nttht'splTtatorl'rom"nteringintoanillu-soryworld. q lnthisreadingof it,kitschdoesnotgowiththegrainof the culture making us sel' Mon,t'sJlorerlilies as somanl' "Mul tipleOriginal.,"for"xamplc,underminesmodernism'scertainty bydetccting initthe poisonthat hadal waysbeen there. (See"BaseMaterialism.""Noto ... theInformel,"and"XMarks the Spot.") L liquidWords l're.HainBoi, The e.sence of languageistobe articulated. Sucharticulations can be assmooth asone wishes; arcno lessdivisiveforailthat.In order forlanguagetofunction,signsmustb,isolable one fromthe other(Dtherwisetheywouldnotbercp,at.ble).Atl'veryIncl (phonctic,scmantic,syntactic.andsoon)languagehasitsown lawsof combinationandcontinuity,butitsprimarl'materialis constructedof irreducibleatoms(phone mesforspokenlanguage. andforwritten, signswhosenaturevariesaccording to thesystem inquestion:inalphabcticalwriting,forexample,thedistinctive unitistheletter).Whoevcr says"articulation"al wayssays,inthe finalinstance, "divisibilityintominimalunits":thearticulusisthe particle.Languageisa hierarchicalcombination of bits. liquid, onthecontrary (exceptonthemolecularlevel),isindi visible(of course one can divideupa certain quantity of liquidinto differentcontainers,butitremainsidcnticaltoitselfineachof itsparts). Thus, speaking,there cannatbeliquidwords(wc only speakof aflo\\'of languageandof liquidconsonantsmetaphori exceptinterms of thebrief moment atwhichtheyhavejust beenpenncdandtheinkisnotyet Itisjustsu chamoment thatEdwardRuschasseriesof paintingstitltdLiquidWards(fig ure41)makesusthink ot: exceptthat,intrompe.l'oeil, thescpaint. ingsreprcsentaninn'rscprocl'ss;notthedryingoutof wordsthathan'justhl'l'nwritll'n,butthl'mdtingof theIl'tt ers , thr-irmort'orIcss!'Iowfusiontuwardclstateof indifTt'fcntioltion. Buttheimprobahl,' shortcircuit l'''twl'l'nlanguageandliquidity thatRuschaproposl'Salsucon"dearchitecturi/ation":adumptruckpoured earth onto theroof of anoldwoodshedto thepointwhere itsridg" beamcrachd.'"Architectureisthematerial,andentropyisthe instrument (inthesameSt'n5('thatgra\'it\'sened Pollrn:kasinstru ment):Smithsonml'rdr this. , Yet,whate\'erhiswjUto';he'forceof entropyconstantly manifest.inacertain\.. Smithsonresistsit.HefrcC'zl'stht,de-architecturizationof Pari/ali)'BUT/edWoodshed(thecontractmn ,'eyingthisworktotheunin'rsit',stipulatedthate,'erything remain inthtsamccondition;thE"uniH.'rsitysartwaschargld with"n!aintaining"thcwork),justashewouldhaw builta higher platformforhisSpiralJeu)(1970)hadheknownthattheGreat SaltLak,wouldcompletelysubmcrg"it."Tocondemnhiswork toentropicdestruction,toacceptcompletelythatitbeleftto collapseintonondifTerentiation,wouldha\'ebeentooptforits invisibilityand thus toparticipateinthe,'cr)'repressionhewanted to lift. ThisisthefundamentaldifferencehetwcenSmithsonand GordonMattaClark.Itshouldbestated,of coursc,thatMatta Clarkbeganhisworkinemulationof Smithson.Abouttocom pletehisarchitecturaltrainingatCornellUnivcrsit)',MattaClark met the older artistin1969,atthetimeof the"EarthArt"exhibi tion, the general theme of whichwassite specifkity (Smithson exe cutedMirrorDisplacement,CaJuaaSalrMineProject,comprising eightdilTerentworks,includingSlant(figure13JandClosedMir-rorSquare).Smithsonquicklybecamesomethingof amentorfor Matta-Clark(arelationshipacknowledgedafewmonthslaterthedeliveryof aPhoto-Fryasa Christmas "greeting"), whorapidly absorbedSmithson'sideas onentropy.However,whilearchitecture representedonlyapassinginterestforSmithson,Matta-Clarkhad accountstosettlewithit(heleftCornellwithadegree,butwas disgusted), andhewasnot going to stop athalf-measures. Thiswasnotsomuchamatterof attackingbuildingsthem selves - itwasnotfundamentallytheirstructure hewantedto get at(therupturedroof beamof Partiall;'BuriedWoodshedwasnot enoughforhim) - asof strikingatthesocialfunctionof architec-ture.Indeed,he workedonbuildingsslatedfordemolition, Of course,hehadfewotherchoices(hisonlyactagainstabuild-rl&ure 60 GordonMatta-Clark, ThresholeB,om.Floors Double Ooo,s.1973 Sllyer print.4.)It5Inches eapan',nutonlyunderstandsthe "Brownianmo\"cmrnt"of molecularagitationasslowedtoastop, butalsoimagin,'sth"l'fadiralionof thosedistancesthairegula I" thegridof opposilions: ordilT,;n'nn",totheproduc-tionof meaning. Althoughh,himsdfneverpushedhisownconcernswith intotheactualmakingof casts,RobertSmithsonhad considendcastingasaof theorizingentropy,sinu'h,' hadwrittenaboultheearth'scruslasitsdf a giantcast,the'testa-menttowaveafierwaveof forcescompressingand congealinglifeandallIhespatialintervalstosustainit. QuolingDarwin'sremarkthat"Nothingcanappearmorelifeless thanthechaosof rocks,"Smithsontreasuredthe geologicalrccord asa"Iandslidcof maps,"thechartsandtextsof theinexorable processof coolinganddeath.'Foreachrock,eachlithicbandis theevidenceof wholeforests,wholespeciesthathavedecayed-"dyingb)'themillions" - andunderthepressureof thisprocess havebecomeaformof frozeneternity.Inamm'inglypoetictexl, "Strata:A GeophotographicFiction,"Smithsonattemptedtoprize apart these layers of compression, alternating blocks of writing with stripsof photographs showingthefossilrecordtrappedwithinthe magma of the rock, asthe demonstrative presentation of wave after wave - Cambrian,Silurian,Devonian,Permian,Triassic,Jurassic-of wreckage. Smithsonrealized,of course,thattheveryactof textualizing thismaterialwasone of building spatialitybackinto it, of produc-ingthoseoppositionsanddifferencesnecessarytoopenthesur-facetotheintelligibilityof readingandtheorganizationof form. HequotedthepaleontologistEdwinColbert,whosaid:"Unless theinformationgainedfromthecollectingandpreparingof fos-silsismade"'ailablethroughtheprintedpage,assemblagespeci-mensisISic]apileof meaninglessjunk.'"Itwasthe conflictbetweenthe"junk"andthe"text"thatseemedtofasci-nate him. If fossilsarcnature'sformof casting,thl'turntakeninarl- world concernsinthe1970sand1980sled fromSmithson'satten-1'0 liontothenatural.moving dl'Cpl>rintotheh'rrainof industri.ll cultun',whichminimal ismhadht'l'nexpluringfromtht'oUbt't. although nowthishadhl'comeakindof minimalismcro"eel withpopart.rortheconCl'rnwasnolungerwiththt,tectonicsof industrialproduction.hutwithitslogic.whichisthatof "'rial-izalinn.themultiple. andnplication.Andalthoughcastingisapar-adigmof anyprocessof reduplication,of spinningoutmassesof copiesfroma singlematrixor mold,itWd>th,pholographicralher thanth,castformof theduplicall'lhal tookholdof theartworld'simaginal ion. Ih,'photographhroughtwithil thenolionofthemirage,of athathadh"en engulfed, withinitsown of imitation.afallinto ahall of mirrors.a ,iisappearanCl'intoa inwhichoriginaland copyareindistinguishab"'_Thephotographseemedcapahl,nf raisingIh,problemof realitvinIhegripuf whatJeanBaudrillanl wouldcall"Ihemirrorof production"inaIhatthemerecast couldnot. Itsdf "mergingfromthis,-ultureof themultiple.AllanMcCol-lum'sworkwas,hown-l'r,nottomovealongthisphotographic construalof simulacra.RatheritwastonclehacktoIheissu,'of castingentering into a relation with the most classicalenun-ciationof thematrixor originalasa kindof ontologicalidealfrom whichallexistentobjectsar,modeled.This,idaorform.could alsobethoughtof asthegenusthaicontainswithinitself- asa kindof idealrepertory - the"footprint"forallactualizationsof its formof lifeinlo sp,'Cics. Proceeding.then.10 anexploration of thegeneric,McCollum's workbecameanironicrewritingof modernistart'sownattempts toreduceindividualmedia - painting,sculpture.photography,and soon - totheir,'cryessenceasgenres,oral'sthcticnorms.How ever, anti-formal to itsverymarrow, McCollum's reduction was not toanabstractco.ndition - nat ness,say,oropticality - buttoa generictype("painting"asablankcanvaswithaframearoundit; "sculpture" asakitschbauble.a shapemeantformassproduction) thatcouldserveasthemodelfromwhichtogeneratepotentially endlessnumbersof copies.Itwasthustheindustriali7.ationof the ,ida.thatinterestedhim.ashestruckakindof blowagainstthe reproducti"e asnaturalor ideal(theconstant reclaiming of specics "identity")andpresenteditinsteadasaforceof proliferationof thesame,akindof siltingupof thespaceof difTerenceintoan undiffercntiable.entropiccontinuum.Inthissense.proliferation. astheendlesslycompulsivespinningoutof "different"examples, camefullcircleintheI980stojoinhandswiththeI960sefface-mentof dilTerence,asMcCollum'snightmareof massproduction Deganto reinvenlSmithson's of massextinction.Ihus Dring-217 -E NTROPY ing about a convergence of the two overtheimportanceof the fos-silrecord. Ifthefossilasthe"naturalcopy"fascinatesMcCollum,thisis becauseitbringsthegeneri c - intheformof theindustri ali zati on of eidos - intocollisionwiththebi ologicalgenus,reali zedthrough thefossilintheformof itsowngeneti ceradicati on,markedonl y bythemoldofoneormoreofitsmembersleftinpassing.The producti onof dinosaurtracks isaparti cul arlyinterestingexampl e of the natural cast,onethathadfascinatedSmithsonaswell,atthe timeof his"Geophotographi cFicti on."5 Suchtracksaremadeby theheavyanimal' shavingwalkedthroughmud- coveredpeatbogs, leavinglargenegati vedepressionsthatwerefill edinbythemud, whi cheventuall y hardened intosolidrock"casts"of the footprints whilethepeataroundthesetracksreducedintocoal.IntheUtah sitesthesewerereveal edasthecoalwasremovedfromaround them,leaving thefootprints t oprotrudefromtheroof of themine (fi gure 70). Thespecificityof thesecastsasevidence,theirt estimonyt o the passage at a parti cular time and place of the movement of a now-vani shedanimal,wouldseemofcourset ogivethemaparti cular-itythatisfarawayfromMcCollum' searli erpracti ceofthecast Figure70. All anMcCollum, Natural Copiesfrom theCoal Mines of Central Utah,1994- 95. Enamelonpolymerrein-forcedgypsum, variable dimensions. Courtesy John Weber Gal lery. xMARKSTHESPOT/YO-YO asaformof the"generic,"thatendlesslyproliferatingseriesof increasinglymeaninglesssigns.Workingagainstthegrainof the multiple,thesecastswouldseeminsteadtohavethecharacterof somethingabsolutelyunique,something that hadexistedina spe-cificplace,andtowhichthisobjectmutelypoints:"XMarksthe Spot,"asthetitleof abookoncriminaldeaths,reviewedbriefly byBataille,6 put it - the trace of anutterly contingent "this." If,however,McCollum'simpulseistotreatthese"tracefossil" footprintsasthoughtheywerereadymadesandtoparadethem bothasburgeoningsetsof multiplesandasthegaudilycolored itemsfromthemostkitschof souvenirshops - thusindustrializ-ingnot justthegenericbutalsothegenetic - thisisnotsimply fromanirreverencefortheideaof primallife.Itis,rather,togo backtothekindof contentthatNaumanhadbuiltintohiscasts of particularspaces - whichunderstoodtheveryspecificityof the traceitself (the"this")asaformof entropy,acongealingof the paradigm.Once more it isto jointheproliferationenabledbythe moldor matrixtotheXthat congealstheverypossibilityof space even asit marks the spot. (See "Qualities [Without]," and "Yo-Yo.") y Yo-Yo RosalindE.Krauss Wecouldseeitastherelativelysophisticated,commerciallypro-ducedequivalent of thelittleobjectFreud'sinfant grandsonmade famous,ashethrewthespoolontohiscottomakeitdisappear behindthebedclothesandthenpulledonthestringattachedto ittodrawit backintoview,thefirstgestureaccompaniedbya mournful"fo-o-ort"andthesecondbya joyous"da!"!Andthe yo-yoisservicableinthisconnectioninyetanotherdimension, sinceitsverynamecyclesaroundthefieldof linguisticprinciples that the" forti daftinstrument articulates. Foryo-yobelongsto a whole seriesof childishterms - the very earliestbeing"mama"and"papa,"andsubsequentonesbeing "caca"and"peepee" - inwhichthewildsoundof infantilebab-219 hlingisarticulatt.. d.orspact'd,orcutout,notjustinto pcrccptibk rcgularit ..butintothefrecstandin/!con,li tionof thcsignifi,r.throu/!htheactof rep,tition. iti,repeti. tionthaidouble,hackonIhefirslsound10markilasphnn"mithyIhl'factof h"ingnpl'atahl,.Thus,asRoman Jakobsonsays,Ihebasisforth,' transitionfromwild soundproduc. tionto\Trbalis,reduplication,sinceitisthe repetilion of the nrstsound hvthe secondthaisenes to signal"Ihal Iheullcred sounds do nolrepresent a babble, but a senseful, seman ticentilv.'"Thus,forJakobson,ilisduplicationthaiis"Iinguisti,' essence,"sinceittransformssoundstophonemes marking,or re.marking them, byestablishing thatthey "are to bedistinguishabie,anilinaccordanccwithIheserequire. ments, thcy must be dclibaately repeatable."' isnot,howe\"Cr,on,'of thcseredoubled\"Ocablcs, althoughthegameplayedhymeansof it - inbothitsverbaland mechani{'alguise - didi""oh'econstantrep"tition.""ort/da"is, a gam('ofseparationandrcconnection,inwhich something disappearsfromsightandisrecognizedagain,bothdis appearanceandreturnaccompaniedbylanguagethatpenetrates this activit)almosttothepointof becoming itssupport.ForFrcud articulatcsthc"fort/da"asallowingfortheriseof linguisticrep' resentationinthenegationof theobject(throwingitawaywhile simultaneouslyproducing asubstituteforitintheformof avcr balsign:"fort") andinthe separation of the fieldof th,'represented (thesign,thefantasy'image)fromthatof thereal("da!").Indeed, itisinthisfoundingactof negativitythatFreudlocatestheintel lectualfeatonwhichlanguageaswellascultureingeneralwould beinstituled. Andmanylinguistsagreewithhim.ForifFreudclaimsthatall denial- every"no"orevery"fort" - neverthelessnecessitatesthe positivepresentationof theobjectto consciousness(since"Nega. tionisawayof takingnoticeof therepressed"'),heisdescribing thefactthatintheorder of languagenegationisnol simply expul. sionbutis,first,admission,since, aslinguistslikeEmileBenveniste wouldsay',language"mustexplicitlyposeinordertosuppress," or "ajudgmentof nonexistencenecessarilyhastheformalstatus aswellof ajudgment of existence."'Benvenistecontinues:"Don't weseeherethatthelingUisticfactorisdecisiveinthiscomplex processandthatnegationisinacertainwayconstituth'eof the deniedcontcnls?.. Thesubject'sdiscoursecanmultiplydenials, butnotabolishthefundamentalpropertyof language,whichis10 imply thatsomething corresponds to whatisstated, something and not 'nothing: ". NegationandverbaLrepresentationarethus articulatedonto one 220 another.dndrn'udendshis(,SSdYwiththisCt'lebr.ltedstatenll'nl: "Th,'accomplishnwntof thefunctionof judgm"ntisrendl'fedP"" sibl('inthtfirstinstanc('oecausetheconstitutionof thtsvmbol of negationhaspermittedthoughtafirstdt'gn'"of indep"n,knl'l' inrl'iationtotheC'onscqu('n(('of rt'pn.ssio[landatthl'sam,'tinlt' fromthe coercion of thepleasure principle .'" Rutif seemstotieintothefort/da'slinguisticstructun' mon' throughitsownmechanical enactment of negationandreturn thanthroughitslinguisticdoubling,itwastobeJuliaKrist",.s argumentthatandrhythmdretoont'anotht'r inth,constitutionof tht,speakingsubj,'ct,sothatinher"i,'" fort/daard),o-yo,\ouldindeedmapontorachother,andinall tht'irdimt'nsions.Thisis'bccauseKristc,'a,anxioustoforgeitcon-nectionbetweenthesomaticandthepsychiC(andthusultimatelS', the seesthepulsatilebeatof thedrivesasthebridgt' betweenthebody'sflexion - thespasmodicmoS'em,'ntof th,'glot-taloranalsphincters,forl'Xampl,' - andtherepetitiontolanguage'sfundamentalspacing,orarticulation.Itisfromthis beatthatKristeS'asetsupwhatshecallsa"chora":"Thechora,as ruptureandarticulations(rh)'thm)precedesevidence,verisimili-tude, andtemporality.The choraisnotasignnorisita signifier.Itis,howe"er,geoeratedinordertoattaintothissigni-position.It underliesfiguration_"'Andto thischora she giS'Cs the"alucof thesemiotic:"The semioticisarticulatedbyflowand marks:facilitation,energytransfers,thecuttingupof th,('Orpo-realandthesocialcontinuum aswellasthatofmaterial. theestablishmentof adistincti"enessanditsorderinginapulsat-ing chora, ina rhythmic hut nonexpressive totality.'" Nowif Kristevain,"okestheterm"'chou"here.itisnotto echothatpartof Plato's definitionintherimaeusthatportra)" th, choraasamorphous,butthepartthatseesitasmaternal:being thematrix,thenurse,thebecoming-imprinted.'oFortherhyth-micbodyisalsothatof thematernalsupport towhichthenursing infantcontinues to beconnected untilwhatKriste"a callsa "semi-oticbreak"isperform,'d,which,inseparatingtheinfantfromthe mother's body,institutes thefirstbigrejection, andthus the ground forthechild's"no,"thenoonwhichintdlectualnegationwillb,' constructed."The maternalthuscombineswith negation's rupture(yo/)'o) to producethe speaking subject -a sub-jectwhois(if Benvenisteisrightinclaimingthatwecannotspeak aboutnothing) the semantic subject aswell. AnditisinjustthisSl'ns('that isincompatibl('with thingthattheopt'ration"pul,,'" or "beat" att"mptsto demonstratt abouttht'workof th,'.formleH.I'or "pulse" doesnotop,'nonto thl' work thatKristl'S'a describes, asthatrhvthmputsinpIatT 12' -hothth"stahilitvof li,.mandth"fullnessof meaning,Ind,'ed,far frol11rq>rl''''ntingth"rhHhmi'alt,'rnationof thep!..asur"prin, "ipl,'\+and-, th"pulsationof the"""at"turnsaroundthedeath dri\'4,."scunditionof shock.of "hadform,"of itrepetitionundl'rgirued thl'ruptun.of totalextinction,andthu:-;a rhythm of + and 0, Inthissrlls('itisimportanttodistinguishhehH'enJl'an-rran,"ois Ixotard'ssenseof matrix.whichisg,'m'rati'Tof badform.and Krislc\',}'s\"l'rydifferentmatrix,whichisrhythmic.maternal.pro-ducti"e;sinCl'th,>firstdo,'sth,'workof the/armlesswhilethelat-tc.'risgin'n ()\'('rtoWithinthefieldof artisticpractice.variouschallengestothe positil'e.productive.maternalidt'aof thematrixhd\'ebcen ized.non,'perhapssolethallyefTectiveastheproductionof the "achrome" asultimatel)' developedb)'Manzoni(figure71),Forthe aC'hromt.'wasManzoni'sversionof monochromepaintingcarried outbvtakingtheworld'smaterials - pleatedcloth.pebbles.\",'ad rolls - andcoveringthemoverwithauniformcoatingof kaolin. therehvprodUcing a strangecombination of abstraction(themon-ochromepainting)andreadymade(anythingmassedontoth,'pic-tureplane),Thisproducti,'estrategy.insofarasitemploysaclay coating. obviousl)' equates matter (anditsproliferation)withmater (orearth.anditsfecunditv),Butincreasingly.after1961.Manzoni identirieswi;hunnaturalmate;ials.infactwithtoxic industrialproductssuchasStyrofoamorglasswool.Sothat.in whatwouldseemlikeaninmcationof thematrixintheplacenta-likeorcushioningsurfacesof workslikethe"'uaoes.therrisin factthrentirelyantimaternalimplicationof theoH'rproduction of artificial.nonbiodegradablrmatt,'r.whichcanani)'proliferat" aswaste. (See"Isotropy,""LiquidWords.".. 'Moteur' ...."Pulse."and"X Marksthe SpOI.") 22j -z Zone l"re-,4JalnBoIS Ratailleconceiwdor akindofinfl"Wst',Inhis view Ihccaust;..:.thcsun:s isinS.. weare toan('n>r-increasingo\'erproduction, itisthis("os-micimhalancethatisattherootof thecyclical,haracteror Cer-tain mechanisms - suchaswar - thatarcactivated a buildup of unspent (war. anunproductive expenditure.rep-resents the suddenrd"ase of surplusatthe pointwhere the pre,",urehasbeconlt'toogreat.likesteam"scapingthroughth,' vah'eof a prt'ssure cooker),This modd. whichRalaillehegan toformulatein"LaNotiond,clepcnst'''(TheNotionof Expendi-ture)(1933).andwhichhewould furtherelaborateinTheAccursed Share(1949),seemsatfirstglancetodept'ndona lawtotallycon-trary to that of entropy, Vetthe outcome Rataillchasinmind would beeverybitaseschatological asCarnot's prediction of the progres-si,'ecooling-down of the solar s)'Stem, Of course.Ratailleisoptimistic.Awarethat.if we keeptravelingdownthesameroadinourraceagainsttheover-productionof energy,humanitywillonedaycondemnitsdf (a fortioriif wesetthesolutionof waraside.as endan-geringoursun'i,'al),heseesnothinglessthanaradicalchangeof attitudethatwouldforcemanto accedeto sovereignty(\'Dluntary renunciationof usefulness and of the accumulationof riches;prop-agationof nonproductiveexpenditures),Hedoesnot,however. exclude the possibility offailure, Atthetime of Documenu.inany case, suchoptimismwasunwar-rant,'d.andRataillewasnotexactlyenvisioningtheof suchaliberation,Ratht'r.hewasmusingaboutaninevitable.per- entropic.of overproduction:namely.thenoncom-pdwastrueinsom,cases'),but lwcausethe) hadnousevaluewhatever andani) apurelynominal exchangevalue:thesearcfakemmmodities,fakerealestateprop-erties(th,'titleof th,work,perhapsth,mostconceptualpiece MattaClarkeverdid,isRea/iCJPropenies:FakeESlales(1973J[fig-ure73 J,whichpunsonthefactthatrealityisanarchaictermfor realestate).TheparcelsdidnotinterestMatta-Clarkunlessthe)' h.d no economic v.luewhate,'er. Of ,'oursethelOneitself isvisible(e,'enthoughweprt'ferto blockitfromsight),butnottbeturning-into-the-wnc:wesecthelOneonceitisinplace,justasw,'donotseedustuntilit has settled, The societ)' of useproduces multitudes of theseremain-dersthatareimperceptibleuntilthepointof noreturnh.sbeen reached(again,dur.tionisalwaysimplied).T.ketheexampleof outdoorparkinglots:ittookRuscha'sphotographingthirtyor so of themfroma helicopteroneSunday,whentheywereempty,for one tonoticethatthey areamightysewer,amachineforthepro-ductionof oil spots(Thirty. FourParkinsI.ots,1967 [figure74]).Of course,fromtimetotime(preciselywhenthepointof noreturn isaboutto bereached),parking lots are given a new ,'oat of asphalt, but the spots always reform and ineVitablywin, forthe battle against theinvaderisalosingone(perhapsthisiswhattheFluxus"per-formance" - duringwhicha groupof friends,'igorouslycleaneda pieceof sidewalkonFifthA,'enue,withsponges,brooms,and scouring pads - wanted to show"). Ruschaisthegreatcensustakerof theselittlenothingsthat,'at awayat cit),andht'S((.'5thecityitself asdust,asamounting tideof nondilTcrentiation(the gallopingspreadof suburbiaprows 228 himright).HetakesurhandustdSthe'Trsionof a "d{'all('r" {"Oilthatischardl"tl'risticof ad,oancl'dcapitdlismanditsmassmc(lia. nameh', entrop" asdefined hyinformation Iheon (th,' informational contentof anH'ssagl'bininn'rsl'proportiontoitsentropy). who,edTeelsarep""asi",'inallof Ruscha'spiclorialpro-duction,hiswordpaintings,designa!l's e\'erythingIhalhin-dersorisusdess to thetransmissionof tht"mt'ssagcd,.'\"noise"; and. extension,{'\,l'rythingthathasnoinformationalconh:nt,("Try-IhingIhalisnpealtd,predictable,rcdundanl- allof thaiisnOlh-inghutdus!.Inthisseme,th,','il\'ilsdf,asamegalopolis,h.s hecome pun'nOiSl",pureZOllt'. RobertSmithsonwentto lookforthezoneinthegreatindus-trialsuburbsof NewJrrsey."Cornpleielycontron,;"by"hislnsta-maticohediscoH'redman)- "ruinsinrererse,thatis - allthenew constructionthatwouldC\"entuall)'bebuilt,"returningwithpho-tographsof ridiculous"monuments"(forexample,'coneret"ahut-ments thai supported the shoulders of a n,'whigh"a\' intheprocess of beingbuilt").'Buthent'ednotha\'egonesofar.E\'enthough firstbook,T..-enLy-Si.tGasolineStations(1963) - onefor eachletter of thealphabet - cO\'ersa rather greatdistance, depict-ing the gasstations(photographed deadpanIromIhe oppositeside of theroad)thatheencountered betweenOklahomaCityandLos Angeles, he stayed mostly within one urban perimeter (Los Angelcs) forhissubsequent"monument"hunts.InEver),BuildinoonSunset Strip(1966) - a book thatstruck Smithson\'eryforcefully' - Ruscha exhaustivel)'shows,ina"panorama"formcomposedof sixty-two accordion-foldedpages,everybUildingon themostfamousstretch of SunsetBoul,'\'ard.(One can"read"thebookinboth directions, sincethetwosidtsof theboule\'ardsymmetricall)'opposeone anotheroneachpage,onerightsidt'up,theotherupsidedown: atone endnumber8100isrenectedin8101;attheother,number 9176correspondsto9171,althoughof coursethisalmostperfect correspondenceof cwnandoddnumbersisrareinthebools "inwhichtherortht'groupingsof nudefigureswerenot th,'usualcolumns andarchesbutstructures erectedfromenlarge-meschatologicaL'"Anotherexamplt-\\ ouldIll'tht..CcntrePompidou'sown Iemininma_fCu!inl'xhibition (1995).withitsh,,",y complcnll'ntof artists ass'KiatcdwithAmeri-canandEnglish"ahjectart" - KikiSmith.RobertGober.Mike SueWilliams. Spero.Gilbl'rt&G,orgc. andinmatri-arthalplan' of honor.LouiseBourg"ois - andilsemphasisonron-production'sfixationnotsimplyon organsbut onall orifin'sandth,-irSt'rretions(h"nceastrongshow-ingof urinal-relatedartandf" .. alimagery.asintheworkof Paul-ArmondGette.NoritoshiHirakawa.Jean-Mi .. h,1Othoni..!.and Hd"n Chadwick).' Perhaps.indeed.itistheoccurrenceof thislatterexhibition andthefactthatitandL '/'!forme:Moded'emploishan-dCt'rtainart-ists(MarcdDuchamp.J"anhutri.r.Cy ClaesOld,n burg.MikeKelley.RobertMorris) - thoughnotthesametypeof workbyanyof them - andinrart'instancese,ensharedthesame objects(Giacometti'sSuspendedBall.ManRay's,inalOmJes.1' ... Hesse's.iccession).thatforcesustobeexplicitonthesubjectof andtostateandinwhatwayitmustbedifferenti-atedinthe strongestpossible terms Ii'omthe project of thcformless. Tht,Sdnalil..ationof th('drsired obitctsuhmits desirl' 10thelawofinjum"tions forwhichthf. modd (the polf.'uf attraction)thatht'imitatt'!>is attht' same timt"whatt"onstitutt'slh('obstadr to hiss.J.tis f.lelion poll'ofn'pulsion), - DenisHollier.I.tColliaedeWe do notdeny.of course.thatBataillehimself employedtheterm "abjection."inagroupof unpublishedtextsfromthe mid-to-Iate1930sunderthetitle"Abjectionetlesformesmise-rabies"(AbjectionandtheFormsof theMiserable).'Nordowe overlookthefactthat.insofarasthesetextsidentifysocialabjec-tionwith aviolentexclusionaryforceoperating withinthemodern state - aforcethatstripsthelaboringmassesof theirhumandig- andreproducesthemasdehumanizedsocialwaste(itsdregs. itsrefuse) - theymapthe of abjectionontothatof heter-ogeneity.whichBataillehadde"elopedelsewhereasanotherform of whata("annotassimila.tebutmustrejectast"xcremental.fl Andfurther.itisnottoignorethefactthat.ataroundthesame time.Bataillewasdevisingstillanothermodelof socialcohesion undertherubric"AttractionandRepulsion."accordingtowhich whatistakentobl'themostforcefulcentripetalpullof is apowernotof attractionbutof repulsion.withthesacredcor< nowafunctionof thosethingsthathadbeforebeenclassed as"abject.'" THEOJ::THEItisthisDurkhcimianproject,linkingth,sacredtohorrific powers ofthat JuliaKristeva would tak, over frumBatailk inherownde"dopmentof atheoryof ahjectionsomeyears later.'itisKrist,va'suseof theterm,notRatailk's, thathash,coinOul'lltialinthereccottheorizationof thisconcept inrelationto contc:-mporaryartisticpracticc:-. Thatthisshouldbethecasegoesbevondthemer,'factthat Rataillc'sunpuhlishedtextsonabjectionwererelativelyunknown, whereasKristcva'sThePOM'ers?f Horror,diss,('minatedintranslation. waswidely availahle.Krist",a's theorizationof the abjecthad a ''N)' difrerentstartingpointfromBataille's.on,'thatwasnotprimaril) social allitsof a solid (" a dawning triumph of th,' solid 0\ t'r theliquid"l,butitd""snotha""thl'resistanet'of solids;instead, asitclings tothefingers,suckingatthem,compromising them.itis"docile:'1tJSolids,Sartren.'oisons,arelikttools; can betakenupandput downagain,h"'ing sern,dth"irpurpose,But th,'slimy,intheformof the gaggingSI.Ktiono','1"lThlikt'pasl thatwillnotreleaseitsgrip,,,','msto itsownform01 possessiveness.It is,Sartre "Tit,s, "the n'""nge of theIn-itselr."" Coming asitdocsfromSartrc'sproj,'ctto groundsisinaof th,object,theconn'rnhen'tograsp Ii>rmsof matter asontological conditions ("Quality a>a Rewlation of Bcing")ultimatelyrelatesthepurport of sliminess tothetheautonomoussubjectiscompromised thissub-stance,whichSartrerelentlesslycharacterizesasfeminine - yield-ing,clinging,sweet,passive,possessive - producingyetonemore parallelwiththeanalysisKristevawouldcometoproduce."For theontologicalconditionhere, asafunctionof sub-stances,has.s itspsychiccomponentathreattoautonomyand self-definition due tothe sulTocatingnt'arn,'ss of themotheL isthtwhult'oftwing ul1n-i1inJ?;ihdf within thrlimill,tion of tht.thtrcis. - Jei.n.Pi.ulSiortTt' I' The abject,understoodasthisundilTerentiablcmaternallining - a kind of femininesublime, albeit composed of theinfiniteunspeak-ablenessof bodilydisgust:of blood,of excreta,of mucousmem-branes - isultimatelycast,withinthetheorizationof abjectart, asmultipleforms of the wound,Because, whether or not thefemi-ninesubjectisactually atstakeina givenwork,itisthe character of beingwounded,victimized,traumatized,marginalized,thatis seen aswhat isat playwithinthis domain, Accordingly,"abjection"isthetermthatLauraMulw)'usesto describeCindySherman's series madeinthe latc1980s, sonwtimes referredtoasthe"bulimia"pictures,"TracingSherman'sdnel-opment overthepreceding decadefroma formof masquerade,in whichwomen assumea range of stereotypical guisesthattheywear assomany glittering ,-eils,to thismoment where the veilisfinally dropped.Muh'eyseesSherman'sprogressionasa steadil\- growing Figure76 CindySherman. Untitled11236.1987-91 Colorphotograph. 90 II60 Inches CourtesyMetro Picture!>. refusalof th,'ro\t'of ",tishobject.Th,'l"Osml'ticfacad,'sthatfit o\'ertht,heroinesof tht' work.likesocarapan's of perfC'ction.w('n'organized.like.'the.'fl'tishitst'lf.asa monument tolack,asa cowr-up forthefaclIhalIhecaslraledwoman"isIhe sil,lamWhitt,inEntJclopaed.a pp,56-iS,. 15.Rataill.".. /\n-hittctun ...Documcnu1 (niti(',,1dktionary),(1929),no,2. p.117(reprintedinOeUI'rfJCOmplelfi,'"01.1.p.172.Trans.Dominicfa(cini.fnq-dtlpOCJJapp.1;- S(-''''Holli,r...tsalnII:trc/llltcturc. thtfirsttwoparh."Hegdianhlific('''and"Archil('cturalM(taphor."pp.1-;6 (pp.45-56 an' d,'\'ot('d to thl'DOCUml"nIS articlt "ARhilt("turt",. 16.CarlHmttin. "Rossignul" (Nighting.k');in[)""umtnhI(niti...1 dit:tiun, (1929).no.1.pp.117-18;trans.Dominkfa(TIni.Enc.rclopacJ,a"-tupho/icd. p.80. '"""-- ,",.", --"-./" 17.Mieheltt:iris, "erac-hal;I\'.iua I'abouCh('''(Spi'ttrt":Mouth""ater).Docu-menu1 (nitkal(1919).no.7.pp. trans.DominicFacl'ini. fnsrclopatJlIJ ,ktphollco, p,80. Ul.l.t"irilis continut'sand .s folluws:"Itisth ...limpandstumblingblockshallt-'ringmoreeffid ...thanstont'allundt'nakingsthat mantube.')oml'lhing - SlJmtthinsotherthanaflabby,baldanimal. )om('thing othrr thantht'spittleof arol\'ingdt"miurge.roaringwithlaughterat ha\"ingt'xp('('(oratedsuchalaru:(omk.1tadpolepuffingitst'lf upintomt'at insufllated adt"migod"(DocumtnrsI119291.no.7.p.182;Enqdopatdia ,lph.lic p.80). 19.Tht',","ordinf