Postmodernism and Consumer Society! Fredric Jameson te concept of posmodernim isnot widely acspted of even unde ‘a! day Some ofthe reac tot may some fom the unfai iyo the works eves, wich ean be found al the rt the poetry ‘Guin Ashbery, foristance, but slo the uch site tlk poe thst ‘Sine ot ofthe react aginst complex ni, aetdemic modest yosty a te 19605 the reacoa agaist modern steiecture ap a Furicuar aginst the monsmentalbuiings of the International Sie, the pop buns and decorted sheds cslebrated by Rohr Venta a hs anfsto, Learning fom Las Vegas Andy Wath and Pop at, bat tls the mote recent Phorvealm a muse, the momen of Toba Cage tut a the Iter sated of lnssal and popular sls found fo ‘oposers ike Philip Gas and Tery Rule, and als punk and pew Stine rock with such groups asthe Clash Talking Head’ and the Gang (Four iin, everthing that comes out of Godard ~ contemporary “oguard fm and video ~but ao a whole new le of commercial or evan Ems which has equivalent in contemporary novels a wel ‘sete the works of Wiliam Buroughs, Thomas Pyacon and Isneel eet onthe ane hand, and he French new noel on te othe, ate sso tobe aumered among the varies of what cas be clled posimoderm “Tis st woud scem to make two things lear atone: fist, most of the pommodeiiana mentioned shove emerge 28 specie reactions inst the esablshed forms of high modernism, agalast his oe Wat ‘mina high modernism which conquered the univers, te museum, thease galery seewor, and the foundations Those former sabversve fad embatled shies ~ Abstract Expressionism; the great medrast uspty of Pound, itor Wale Stevens the trations Se (Le Conta, Frank Loyd Weight, Mies) Stabs Joye, Prous tod Munn” [lt to he scandalous o shocking by or grandpa a, fo the yeeraion which ates tthe gate in te 196, fl to be the ‘stblsiment and the enemy ~ dad, sf, canon, the reed ‘monuments oe has to deroy to 0 anything new: Th cans tha “hte willbe as many diferent forms of postmodernism ae there wee high ean a ples, since the former sea eat tly peri tn Ya eatios agala thoe models Tit obviously does not take the ja of descebing postmodernism 2s 4 coherent thing any east, sine the unity ofthis pew impulse it has one is gen ot et but ia the very moderanm itsceksw dspace The second feature of ts iat of postmodern is the effacement a i of Some key boundaries ot sepatations ment notably the eoion of ‘he older asinction between igh cle and socalled mas or popu fare This & perhaps the most dstesangdesenpoent of al fe ‘cademic standpoint, which has trdidoaly ads vested itr in [reserving a fain of high o elite clare agit dhe surounding en Siroament of pista, of schlock and ish, of TV serie and Readers Digest ela, ain Wansmitg det spd compl kil of reading. Ustening and ocing to inttes. Hut many of te ewer pstmesderisms have bee faucet precy by that whole landseape (tadvertsing and motel, ofthe Las Vegas sp, of the lat sow and Grade Holywood ii, of so-called paralerture wih at azport rpertock categories of the gothic andthe romance, the Pop Bi [aphy, the murder mystery and the senor fcton of fmsy novel ‘They no longer “quote such "tens asa Joyce might have done or 3 Mahler: they incorporate them to the point where the ine Between i {it and commer forme scm increta luk to dam ‘A rather ileent ination of this effacement ofthe cde segues of geare and douse can be found in what i somes called fontemporary theory. A generation ago thre was stil a technical Aiscourse of profesional posh = the great sytem of Sart othe Penomenologss, the work of Watgensein or anys o cominen Finpuage philosophy - alongside whieh one could sil distinguish tht suite diferent dicours of the other acadeae dscpines ~ of pital Science, for example, or sodolgy or hear ein, Today, ree ingly, we havea kind of weg imply called theo’ which sal or ‘ae of howe things at nce. This ew Lind of dacouse, geecally ‘Ssocated with France an soslled French theory, bec wie Spread and marks the ead of posophy ay such Te the work of Michel Foeaul, fr example to be called pulosopy story, sca they or politcal Scenes? I's undesabe, st they say nomads ad 1 el eo NSIS eae ne Postmadernim and Consumer city 15 «tat such thors coun’ ot be mumbered among ounexatons of pstmoderasa. Wor matsp 4d owt he ope se of icone i ak utr word forte dsp of para se Ht so, a in yan a penn oocep whine fenton to cert he Phcgsce se fmol fester cltre wih the emerpence of [rope ot oc tt and sew sconomic order ~ nia often Tipsy els movrniaton, porindotial oF consumer “fie aisy of the meta or the sped er maton ‘Shulimris new momen of en ct be dtd fom the pos (rum inthe Ue Sts the ae 10 nd ent T9805 0 Wie tm hci of te Fit Rept 988. Te 196 {icnany ways th key testo! prt perio in shih the mew humana oder (oeestonaen, he Groen Rewttion, compute ‘i i deco tt) oad ee et pn und spe sd ken by ewe eral condition an Io estes, Tan eet sacha flow of he wan wh he tc node exes he nh of at any een (SulSir off apts, bt wil ve fo ni te dercpton to iy ewoof is signe fst wich {llc pte ad ‘Imari; thy ve chance sense the spect of he ronononat cxpercns of pce and ten espestey Pasiche Etipses Parody ‘One ofthe mos significant featres or practices in postmodernism tdsy ‘at, Lm fs exp this tes, which people generally tend (0 ‘oases wath ot asmoe #9 thal relied seal phenomenon called oy, Both pascke and parody vole the imitation or, bette il the muy of ter syle and partly of the mannerisns and Splice witches of ter sii Is obvi hat moder erature in| eral ery ch el for parody, ice the great moder wees five all been defined hy the iveaion or produetion of rather ungue| ‘bis think of te Fauknerian Jong sentence or of DAL Lawrences “raters autre agers think of Wallace Steveas'speclar way of ‘ning abstractions; hin al ofthe manoerisns of the piosopbes of Heidegger fr example, or Sarto; thnk of the masa yes of Mabe Ge Proofies, Alf these sts, however efferent fom each ott ae “Snyaabl ia thi each que uamitatabe;oace one earned itis til tobe confined wt something else ‘Now parody saptalizes onthe uniqueness ofthese ses and sizes cw heir osyeraies and eects to prodoce eo tiation which16 ‘mock the igi. won't sy hatte sti pulse conious in al evs of pay In ny ease, a good or reat pads has to ave some secret sympathy forthe oii, Js au ret mimic has 0 ave the ‘apy to pu mel ere in he pace the person imitated. Si, the generac of pred s-whther in sympahy or with malice 10 ‘tidal on the priate oatre of thse sili unsere ad tt ‘rcesvenen ad erent with rept the way people aorly {peak or wit So there remain somewhere bed al yoy the fe ing thar there sa Hague om in contast to which the ses of he _eat moderiss canbe mocked ‘But what would Rapper if one no longer eleva in the existence of oem! anguage, of ordaayspeeh, of the agus nem (he Kid of ‘laity and-communsative power clebeated by Orvel in his famous ‘say 9)? One could think of in tis ways perape the mmens rg ‘menu aed piven of moder borstre ~ ts expaion int 8 fest of iinet patate sys and anneisns~ foreshadows deer and Ino oneal tendencies nna ie ax whole Seppo ha modern 1 and modernism far fom being 4 Kad of spoiled aesthetic urosy™ actually eneipated soci development long these lines: “SSppoing that nthe deeds sine the emergence ofthe grt modern ties sory as tell begun to trpment i this waye each group ‘ning to speak a curious private language of Is own, each pofesion ‘veoping tt priate ode or inet, and finally each aide ‘ming to be a Kind of lings tnd, separated from everyone dhe? But tea in hat case, the very post) of any ngs aoe in ens of whch one could ridcle poate langages and iosynrati pee Soul vin, and we would have nothing bel syle diversity and trogen “That isthe moment at which psishe appcars and parody bas tecome impose, Paste fy ie parody, he itation of pei ‘or unigue syle, the wearing of a ylac mask, spocch in 4 dead Iinguage but tsa neural practice of such mimicry, without prods senior mote, without the satis np, without ge, ito "at sitet feting tat there exis someting normal compared 0 ‘which whats Being imitted s rather com. Paste I blank pod Pod that hassts sense of humor: pastiche isto parody what ht et Sus thing the modern practice of kid of Bank ony, ito what Wayne Booth cls he stable and comic rons ote phen entry. "The Death ofthe Subject, But now me need to introduce a new piece into this puzzle, which may pepper reneremnree i RR A EE Postmodernism and Consumer Society 17 alp to explain why casi modernism i thing ofthe pst and why Pieri shold hve taken is place. This ew component ‘hut generally elle the “eat of te subject” of, o ay Hin more ‘Nmvendonal language, the end of indian as suck The peat insu were, te fave sak, predicated oa the laventon of 3 sna, pete se, x anmstakable ws Your fagerpen, 3s neon Ines your own Bod. Bur this means tat he mort esthei 0 ‘tine way enganial inked tothe eoneption of & unique Self 20d Jrmaic idea, «unique personality and sodvidualiy, which can be Cie to generate is owe ungue vison of the worl and to forge ts ‘i ange, anmitkable se "Yetta om any sumer of tinct perspectives, the social her ‘ss the paychoanalyss, even the nguss, not to speak of those of os ‘hs tok nthe are of suture an etoral and formal change, are ll “rig the notion shat that Kind of indus and petsnal Wen {hy fs thing ofthe pasha theo individual or nid uj | ‘a and that ome might even desebe the concept of the ungue Intvdualanthe theoretical bs fda as olga. There ‘Nein fact two postons onal this ene of which moc adel than te ‘ther. "The fs one content 1 sy: em once pom tie, i the Tit age of competitive capitalism inthe heyday of he aucterfaly tthe emeraence of the bourecie as te hegemonic socal class, hore was such a ting as dial, ot indo sates But tl, in the age of eonpoate capitalism, ofthe s-eled organization ‘tm uf bursauraies in busines aswel the tte, of demographic ison today, that older bourgeois navidad sibject no fone hen there i second postion, the more radical of the wo, what one igh cll the ponstracurast poston. (adds not oaly 8 the Fetes india subject hing ofthe pst, aso a myth never Fealy eed inthe fit places there have never been autonomous ‘sts ofthat ype, Rather, this constr serely @ phiosphical and ‘hive mysicaton wish sought to persuade people tha hey “had nd subject std poses his unkwe personal deny or our prose, sts pot partial important to die which of sasse positon iv corel (or rather, which i more teresting and onocve). What we have to ean rom all this ater anaesthetic hora: bscause the experience andthe ieoogy ofthe uigue Sl, experience and Meoloy wick informed the sie practice of ‘ict modernism, over and dove wih then ts no longer clear What the arte and writers ofthe present period are supposed to be Ung. What lar merely that the older modes = Peso, Proust, TTS"ot do not work any more (ee ate posively Rar), snceFl rua hs ha hind of unig priate word and sie to empress any Tonger: An iiss pops not meray a peycholopa mate, we abo have to take im account te immense weipt of seventy o iy year fc modernism tel Tet soter sean wich te wets ‘and ars ofthe present dy wll ologer be able 1 invent new yes nd words ~ theyve aleady been invented only led numberof fombnations are posible; the ungue acs have Been thought of ttready So the weight ofthe whole madras setheticwaiton = now ead ~ also weighs kes nightmare onthe ruins ofthe ving as Mare ‘Siin another cote. ence, once again, asc: in worl ia which syne innovation i no Fnget possi, tts eft to init dead stm (0 peak Through the masks sod with the vices of the ses in the lmapary fmuseum. Hut this means that comtemporary of postmodernist {big 10 be abou arise in new Kind of ma eves more, meats {hat one ofits seat messges il involve the nosey fae of at andthe aesthetic the fale ofthe nem, the prone in the ps ‘The Nostalgia Mode ‘As this may sem very abstract, [want to ge few examples, one of| ‘whch so omnipresent tat we arly link wih the kinds of develope ‘ent in high at dscused Here. Ths parten pte of pasiche © ‘ot high-culrl but very much wiia mass clue, and itt generally own athe nostalia (what the French neal ell ero retrospective sing). We mast conceive of ths category athe broadest ay: mao 0 doubt const merely of fms abot the pas nd tout specie generational moments of that pase. Thus one the innugural lasts this new genre’ (i that's what ts) ae Lacs Amer ‘ean Graf, whic in 1973 et otto recap al he simospee nd Sos peculiar ofthe 1950s United Staten the United States ofthe Escahower era. Poza rest fn Chinatown does someting sar forthe 1930s, as does Bertouce's The Conformit forthe lian ad European context of the same pai, the fact ern ay, and 30 forthe We could go on Using thee ns for some tne! why fall them [usiche? Are they not rather wor nthe more tradooa ere knowa 5 the historia flm~ werk which can more simpy be theorized by ‘rpolting that other melt knowa frm which the hone one? Tae my reasons or thieking that me ned new categorie for fms: But etme fist ad some anomalies: Supping Tested tit ‘Star Warsi sso a nena fim. What cool hat es? | presune we fan agree tha his aot historia fim aboot oar own intergalactic Pe ern oe I earner nes cree a Posmodernxm and Consumer Society 19 os, Let me putt somewhat diferent: one of the most important (ual expecenrs of the generations tht aew up from the 19305 0 ihe 19s whe Study afemoon seri ofthe Buck Roget pe tea visio ue Americ Reo, hrencs indies, the death ry tithe doomsday bon andthe cifangr at the end whe acl ‘Lins to be oid ext Saturday neraooe Star arse ‘Se hep nh om oe at he Inger any put fo parody of rch sera since they are any extn Sur War a rom tenga pons sae of sch now dead forms, “ies dap (eight Levey reese longing experience then nm iiss complex objet which on some fest lee en and ascents an take te adventres sigh, we the adult pbc Sc py» depo i ore pope netic dee to ur © {ted pod stoke ke ange olf eshte arta tog {nce apn Ths fn st metonymtenly istrcal r nog hte merce Graft cs ot een tare of the ast inet tye, By rtventing the fel and shape of characteristic trees ofan eke period (he sr). ice ora a sense Sine ps esovted wh one teeta Rader the Lest rk, eae “ti oecupies an interna poison hereon some lvl i about The 130s a 1940s, but ety too conveys ta period metonya= ny though iy own chrcerae acheter whch te 00 owe me dics another inten enomaly whch may ake ws tuthc owas uadrsndg owl nm area a pesche ‘snc. "Tin om soles recent Sim eld Body Hea wig 3 ir unduly sea pled out bythe cries, kind a dant tenalvf The Postma Alms Rigs Twice Double nde (The sea cane plata flr ps of ours, ao a etre aici) Now Body Hea scaly ot anoxia sine {aks plac inv contemporary sting ia ile Fla vilage eat Sian On the ter bad. this techs comeporaniy i most tigi ined: he ceds~ abeys our fst cue = ate letered and Sie ina 1930s rcDeco ale which canot bt tigger sextape ‘Sreons (Gs to Chinato, no doubt, and then beyond i to some trove Moral rlten) The the sery se ofthe ero inset vmguus: Wika Hut sa ew star bat bas nothing ofthe dstineve Scot the preceding gneaton of le sper ie Seve MeQucen We Jc Noho ther, hi persons here a indo i of thc hres wit ap lef the pe pneraly associated ti Gar ati Soh toa there ily orn el al this The spectator begins to wonder why ths sory, which coal ve bees ute anywhere, set hn aaa Flv Towo, i spite of is» comtenporay referees One gis to ele fea whet the sal ‘tn sting ha ac state fc llows em do wi st ofthe ia were whch we mg sate wih th Contemporary world, ith consumer society =the aptnces and ut iets the high wey the beet mel of hue eapitism, Fecal, then, ts objets (ear, for instance) se 1980" pas, Bt ere thing in he fim eosprs to Bsr that immed Contemporary rc cand make pmb to ese hs fo as nop wera Suratve ein some ladenablenovalpe past an eral 1840s 5 eyond hry. scems tome eutedingy sympa oid he ey Spe nos ims vadng ad consng even those ovis day ic have contemporary setings: though forse reson, we wee Uhable toy to focn Our ava een, though we ane beeee incapable of aching aesthecfepecatsiny af our oma care txperience But ith othe it's ference of eons ‘apa Welle, athe very la, tn alsing aad pothole ‘mpm socket that has Boome cae of delng wih ne ancy So now we come bck 1 the gueion of why nesta fi or spite cme ie fo ale lm. ( sould ao include ths ssn the major err exam al ths omy min the nove f Es Dostvo = Rane wh turf tiocetuy amesphere, and Loom Lake fr the moe pre shout our 19308 Bu these ae iy opinion, hota! moves fn {ppearace nly. Doctorow i's sels art and one of te eine to ada mvc at mock td. Hs mo dete (0 fim, howe, ogg tha hs narrates doit scent or sor ‘at pst so mach they topcset our Hen o clue stereotypes 2hout that pst) Cull pectin hs bec den back ne he ‘tind, within the mona sec: enn no fonge ook dec out of ipeyer tthe veal wo for he reframe a Pato ee ‘ace ts metal images of the word on otning wale Uhre ay relsa thee, Tala which pang rom the shoe of gasping that cotnmen and of relsing ht, watever pec eso ‘ecm condemned io sek the orc ust hop row opis fees abt hat ft wh eas foe ot Postmodernism and the City Now, before I yt offer a somewhat mote pov concason, [want to skis the analysis of a full-blown postmodern tung ~'a work Poumon and Consumer Soity 21 $v sn many ways uncharaceriti ofthat postmodern architecture me pins names are Robert Venti, Charles Moore, Mista es and more reset Frank Gebr, but which to my mia offers sy sing lsons aboot the aapmaty of posimodeenst space Tov amply the figure whi as un trough the preceding remarks, Seva heten more exp Tam proposing the notion tat we ae Tenis presence of something ikea mation a Dik space st Sy onyleato i that we oureves, the Human subjects who happen Iie hs new space, have aot Kee pace ith tat evo: there as "wut the objet, unaccompanied 5 yey any eqialent lin the subject; we do at jer posses the peteepua suipment (ethane this new hypeapac, ae Til call am part becese out eval ate were formed in hat Olde Kind of space Ihave called {ic Sf high modem. The newer architecture therefore ~ He fn) of the other earl prot T have evoked io the preceding Tees staads a someting ike a perv to grow new os 0 ‘in! our sensor andes boxy to some new a et unimasoale, hap ltinately possi, dimensions. he Buventare Hotel Te ting whose fenures Lil very epi comer in he net (25 mens he Bonaventure Hot, Bo abe sew Los Anges ‘Elune by the ete and developer Jobs Forms, whose ber win imu the trou Hho Replace, the Peres Cente Nanas the Remsence Cott Deo tave mone the ‘hee apes fhe tol dees ot psi agai he Lien! epi) suse te pet areca mons: ‘Chua, inter word a hse newer bling re poplar ‘Sis onthe one fad an that ey resp the vera f the ican hy fat the her, tht a, a they no oer cd the marks onus th modern sonore sian att, tne opin ana noibe veya cmt ago of he sounding sy, bt aber ‘ate conn, eck to apa ta ey langue, ncn and “Sn t hs bcn cerca ene om Las Vea "Om the ist ofthe counts Potnats Bonventre fay confns uc elin isspopulr baling ste wih ets byes nie (sgh thal ren re ‘Src int espn). The populist con it the ya shomever, another fmt and ish thi that we vill ‘begin. There are thc eres tote Honest, one rn Puro, he ber thoy may of elevated aden he thr se ofthe hotel, Mhtui it the remaining hope ofthe ores Beacon Hl Nove of hese is anything ik th ol hot! marge or he monunenl portent ‘ith nich the sumptoous budags of yeeyea wer Wout Wage Your pase tom ey set othe ode tebe. The ety of he Bonaventure ate as were lateral and rather backdoor aft the ‘den ia the Back adit yout the ah foro the fowesy and een there you must walk dows one fight 1 fad the eeatr by wich you ‘in acess to the lobby Meant, what one tl emp otha of the font ear, on Fgueron, ads you, baggage sad al ont the ‘econd-storybalkony, frm which jou mus ake am exalt dw the min rpstraon desk, More about thee eats and saat ia $tnoment. What [fst waa apps shou thse crus uma ‘aysin tha they sem to have een inposed ty sme new category of Shore governing the laser space ofthe hoe al (an hs etd Shove the materl constants under wich ora had to work Believe tat, witha ertin numberof othr charset postmose| ‘igs, sich as he Beaubourg i Pars of the Exton Cote 0 Toronto, the Bonsvestre aries to Bein tot space, «sample ‘ords kindof miniature ky (and Twos vat toad tt wots acs {otal spceeoresponds «new sleep, «new ode in ch indvidvals move and compete something lik the peace of = nem {nd historical oil Kind hyper-sowd. tos ese, hem ely the minicty of Ponman’ Bonaventure ought otto have entanes at ice the enya lv the sey that ks te uling fo test ofthe cy da surrounds fo itdoes ot wh ote pr of he i, but ater equivalent an ts clacmeat or sti Tat, however, bmouly not posible or paca whcace the cinrats dlownpaying tnd reduclon of the’ entrance function tis tae ‘minimum But ths junction fo the surrounding ty very aie Et fom that ofthe reat noms ofthe lethal Sy: tee, teat of djuncon ws stn, ible, td had avery rl symbol Sonieance~ ain Lz Corbosers pet pls whose pee ae Separates the sew wopian space othe modern fom te dead and flea iy fabic which tereby ep epudates (ough he fumble ofthe mode was tht th sew stpin space Ith lees {its Novum, woul fa ut an aston tat evel byte power ‘15 new sti langogs). The Bonsvntre, however, conan 10 “the filen cy far cominue to bein ts cing (0 pred) Heide. £1); no farrell no inger prtoplal uepan wanton, Setner espe or dese. “This clagnois to my mind confined by te pret reflective ess shin ofthe Booaentre one fncon Il dow iret her fred tat Tid 8 moment ago when I the phenomenon of eereposerecenmnt spree tarsnenine tone Poumaderism and Consumer Society 23 sein general 8 devoning a thematic of reductive twehalory {inc wo fading re however ot inca). Now ope wou wan fae tres the way im which the askin epel the ct oui: 8 tepulon for which we bave analogs in these refer angi ‘ich mae impossible fr your nerlcitc ose Your omnes and Ty aeves cig oad and per over the Othe Its ainar way, the pla sin atch peclar and pads doc ti ofthe Bonen from hr nbc then a “urn iakmoch 5 when Jou sek To Hk tthe hott ur wal. Snot seth ht lb ony the id maps ve {ng ht surounds Now I nat sy sew words abot castors ad lato: en stat eal ples in Portman, paral hese Lt which the Shou pas termed “psn Wiesel” and wich enaisly “Netto much of ie sects andthe evctement of ot te iepraclry inthe Hit, where like great Japanese lmteras vad they ceelsy se and fall ~ ve such deberate marking Tt frepunding tn thi own ng, beeve oe hast pe such opi one (Foas ova om, acted om Dey se things tc moc than mere fonctions andengiaceing components, We win any ese th seen rhs They hasnt boo trom arate aly nother els and tet o2 ou yes trptone trong soc bugs is vital aranes ot movin 38 “jnami puts and arate praignswhih wea stor are sted 0 {Unndo comple wh our own fades and movement In the Thonaventr, however, we nd til belting of ths proces: ‘clin to me tte Cats and sear ere Reesor ele Tmvemen but alo and above al designe themes new elie “insand emblems of monencat proper ometing wth wil become ‘let when we come fo the whole queton of wt remains of oer iS of mone th ding tet mal waking). Here the'maratne all has bon. endrcored, symbeed, reid and Telaced by 8 tanipoabon machine wich Decmcs the aeprcal “fer of tat lr romenade we aren loner lowed to omc ur cn ands acts nisin of theatre iyo atmodern culture, whch tends to rn upon tela designate ‘town earl producon a cote, Trin mre or when comes conveying te thing ell che capercne of space you undergo when you sep off och algal {ices toe ody or aia, wih i eat. coma column ‘Seunds by miele, the whole orsond betwen he ou Smctcal ental towers wi hele ator, and sounded by ‘Sing blocs capped ys Kad of peenbowse oo a he sth vel 1am wept oa that sch space makes imposible for sw se the Iimguape of volume or volumes any longer, snc thes lta poy sile own. Hanging steamer inde sulfine ths empty space a Sch 2 way aso dstact systema and deliberately fom mbar frm ight be supposed Yo ave whi constant bunynes ies the fee ‘hat copies hire aboltely packed, that i san lemon wih hich you youre are anmersed, without any of tat ‘itnce that formes eatied the perception of orspectve ot volume. You ate ths hyperspace up to Jour ejes and your body andi eemed fo you efor that that suppression of depth spoke of n pentmoder pg erate would neces be diffe 0 acueve in achetire ise perhaps you may now be wil toe ti Heictng nnerson 15th formal equivalent ate ew mean ‘Yet eselao and elevator ae al in his oot tis opposites and we uy suggest that he pono movement ol he levaox fondle isa a dialectal compensation for thi filed space ofthe tu It es us the chance ata radical iferet, but complementary, pail Experience, ta of rap shooting op through the celing and ute, mg one a the for symm towers, with fe referent, Los Angeles ise spread ou breathtakingly and even alringly blore ws, But even ths vernal movements comtied: the elevator is you to neo those revolting cocial lounges, which you ened, ae again pss rotated shout and fled contemplative specs ofthe cy isl, now transformed ito hs ove inages by the glass window’ tough ‘hich You view {time quick conclude al his by returning to the satel space of the Toby itself (is he pang obsration thatthe bel oom ate ‘ily marginalize the cords inthe residential sections aw linge and dark, ost depressing Tuscon seed wile one Understands thatthe rooms are in the wort of taste). The descent Samatic enough, plummeting back down tough the root slash ‘owe inthe lke; What hsppens when you get tere something ee, whic eam only try to character ling sonfsion some I the vengeance this pace takes on hone who sl seh to walktrough ‘Given the abslieSyemety of the Four tomers, emp t ae your bearings in tasty; rece, clout coding and Seton Sigal have ben added in 2 pial and revealing ther desperate stfempr to resiore the coordinates ofan older space, L mil take 0 the mos dramatic practical result of th sptal mutation the ‘sotriows imma of the shopkeepers om the varios balconies i as teem obvious, since the very opening ofthe hl in 1977 tht woody ‘ould ever fd any of these stores and even f ou load the appro priate boutique, you would be mow unlikely te as fortunate send — Poumaderism and Consumer Socity 25 ine consequence commercial tenants ae in despa al the Inechanise is marked down lo batgaia paces. When You recall at vimana bsnetaman a ell aap ares, and mine ‘kvclper an arst who i atone aad the same te 4 expt a is tne pt yo canner bt fel that Ree too someshing of retire ‘So Feome finally 10 my prinspal point her, tha this es mution space postmoser hyperspace ~ hs Bally succended in trnsce Sing the caposesof the individ human body to late al 19 ‘nganize is immediate surroundings percep, and soil) 40 ‘api poston in muppatieexoral word. Abd 1 have already ‘gested hat thi tring disjunction point between the Body ad te tat envioament~ which i othe ial bewilderment of the older thai a the velo of paccrf ae to tose of the somos “he tnd rhe syed alo ofthat even sep lemme which the incapacity of our mins at estat present to map the seat {nal mulation and decentred coramuniatonal ner in shih ‘find oustves caught a inividalsubjes The Nem Machine ‘ut am ansious that Forman’ pace not be persed as something Sie exceptional or seemingly marginalized and lesurespeined on the erder of isevand, 1 would like in passing to jomapone the onplacent and enteraaing (although bewilders) leinure-time space With analog ina very diferent area, namely the Spee of postmodern alae pric st Michael Here cee in great bk onthe Sperone of Vietnam, called Diparches. The extraordinary ingisic Isnovaons of ts work may sll he considered postman, tthe fcletc way in which ts language inpesonaly fasts a mae ange of “Snterpuary collie lect; most notably rock lange a ack lungge: But te foson i ciated by podem of content. Tht fit ‘ele postmodernist war cannot be olin any ofthe anal prs tions ofthe war aoel or movie inde tat break own of al preios harratve paradigms is, slong with the breakdove of any stared language rough ic a vetran gh convey such experience, mong ‘he primal tbjects ofthe bok and maybe sal Yo open up the place fa whole new ree. Benjamin's account of Baul, and the fsergence of modernism fom new experience of iy technology stich anseade al the oer babi of bel perepton, both sng Uy teva hee, nd singular antqstd, nthe ih ofthe a Sad ‘tally oimaginable qunton lap in technlapea alienation,% He was a moines se, tei of he wa, case ‘pt fo the re mes hen ou were ped ede stn as fe tL be my Oa a who huhu ane 8 ‘ray tht you mere tere tepn wih end waned seh hae ‘dat i ag fa van pete Sa ed tin yous ae mie or ed of ate more {hear ie cy pope ul we Sus wich ny te tam ning ‘anymore, al ibe War all ver fe sre mh cco unepeted eset, Ang tn eas ea ee rater wha. hn La Vide Lace. la te montero ck Tine eps Twin teint dam tpi wal they (ered clive met choppe my mind te See tg tug siver-dsroer prot aia, nt nde an ine, De ‘Sty sn nao, bot sel see, ples cas nbn, ‘colin ad vareing vp gia, cate oc nd ltl Se fm en ee, he ys oy a, aly an | this new machine, which does not, like the okie madera Iuchinery of the lcmaive of the tiple, ceeesnl tetion, bet whic can only be represented in motion, samen of the mystery of the new postmodern pace is concentrated, The Aesth of Consumer Society Now 1 must ty very capily io conchson wo chante the re Itoship teal proton fh indo socal fel ths foun tod This wil ao be he ment to sess the pnp tijeton fo concepts of potmoderniem of the pe {hae sched tet: namay ht the furs me hve sumer ae ee tall ‘ut abundanly charred modern prope oe what Tcl igh ‘odes. Wes nt Thomas Manna i; nected nthe en of Fast, and are not certain capers of Uses on evo seal Zaton? Can Fluube, Malamé aad Gert Sent oe includ in 4 acount of pososerat temporality?” What ow abut al ‘st Do we realy need the once of powmoderian? ‘One kind of snmer to ths gesion woul abe the whe ue of pecosiation and of how horn hry ores) posts adel Beck between tw heft tin period Tat tml th Postmodemim and Consumer Society 27 yg that eal reas Between periods do nt general involve ‘Sinise shunges of content but rather the resieotriag of 2 cena Stinber of elements ead gen eure tht a9 caer period ot {yt were subordinate now become domainamt, td features ht bad (een dominant agin Become secondary. In ts Sense, everthing We Ise dered ere ean be found ie ear petiods and mos nobly ‘i smoderisen proert my point tat unt the preset day those Ting ave been ssondary or minor features of modernist a, aril ate tha ental ath we have something now whe they becose (ie cota fears of tral producto "io Tan argoe ths more conreely by turning othe relaonsbip ‘noc elt! puting sod soi fe generally. The oder orcas (Sasori wean oppostional a: emeraed within te busines wh ofthe ied ape ar candalous and offensive to the midle-css ite uy dona, bokemian, semsally shocking. Was something make fun of when the pice were not ale ia Sethe Book OF “ince exiitons: an offense fo gol ate and to common vere ‘ieud sod Marate would have pot provocative cullen 0 the ‘Sng eal and performance-panepien of early ewentthecntry tiles soit. Modernism ia geacal di pot go well with over Mived Visran furniture, wih Vitoran moral abou, wih he “Snnenons of polite society. This 10 sy that whutevee the expt Fria conen ofthe great high moderalsms the later wet alba {Se mostly plist ways dangrovs and expiive,subwesve wu Ihe cabled order then we sienly return 10 the preset day, we can measure the sunny ofthe alta changes that ane taken ple, Nov only 3 Kijee and Pls no longer teed and repulsive, they have become {iss and now ok rather rise ous. Meanwhile there very ile US the orm or the content of contemporary at hut contemporary “ey finds intolerable and scandlous. Tae mast offensive forms of| Uisart- ponk ret sy, or what scaled sexually exon material ~ate ii ken in sede by Soy, and they ae commerialy sucess ke te prodcton ofthe oiser hgh moder. Bu tis means hat ‘Shot if eomemporary art has al the same formal feature a the ole | toxemia, as sll sted poston fundamental witha our Ihe Foe ooe thing commodity production and ia parol out “hing, frntre, bung and eer atts are no imate) td inn ying canges wich deve fom ust expeientation; oat overt, for example, Is fd by postmodern in al the a nd ‘Sconciabl without For anotier the cass of igh moder are tw par of the so-called cabo and ae taught in schools and vers (irae at ones emis them of any of tee oder subversive power.2 Indeed, on way of marking the beak beween the periods and of ding the emergence of postmodernism is pesly tobe found ther: i he ‘moment (te eat 1960 one would ik) it which he psi high ‘tadmisn and is dominant estes become estabshed ithe teademy an ae henseforth fet ote scadeae by «whale new ene ion of pos, painters and musics But one can lo come a he best om the ter sie, and dsr icin terms of evade of recent eval ie. As I hve sggete, non “Marssts nd Maris ake hive come around othe general ee hi 2 some pt following Wodd War Ia ew Kind of wocety Beso © nerge (variously desebed av posindusrial soe, mulation ‘Spam, contmer sce, med solely ads ort). New types of sumption; planned chsiscence, an ever more rapid thn of fishing nd sing changes te penton of averting. eeison fn he media generally fo hiteto unparalled Segre throughout ‘city the replacement ofthe old tenon between ey and COUN), ‘ter snd province, by the subuthand by universal standardization the {rom a the wear etworks of supetighays and te anal of aio- Snob cltre= thee are some ofthe features ich mou! Seem 0 Iman a rad break with that older prewar soe ie wich igh imeem wast an underground force “aleve tha the emergence of pxtmodernii clo relate to the emerpence of hs new moment of te consiae or loan’! ‘Brian. [Believe ao tht forma etares im many ways express fhe deeper Inge ofthat puter socal stem tl ony be abe however to show this fr oae mj theme? ame the disappearance (fa sens of history, the ay in which our ene costemporay sol ‘stem as ite bye beg ols apy to retain Hs Ov es, is begun olive Ina pespetal present an in perpetual cheng at bitrate adios ofthe Kid wich al eat soc fomations have 1 inooe ny or another to pesere. Think oly o the medi ext tion of new of ow Nason an, even more $0, Kenedy ae Ces From a ow dips. One fergie toy tat he very faction of the news media isto enpte such recent isto! expescaes 3s fapidy as pole ato the past The informational funtion of the ‘edi woul this bet help forget to serve a the Yer) agents and ‘mechanisms for our streams Bali hat ease the two features of postmodernism on which U have elt er =the ensformation of reat ito tapes th agent tine into tenes of perpetual presets are both exrardinay nsoant ith thir proces My own concason here must take the form of gustion abou the eal Value ofthe newet art. Thee is ‘tne areement tha he oller moder fancioned aust i Soy Poumoderisn and Consumer Socity 29 ways which ae variously deserted a crcl neptiv,contestatry, Siverive, opposidonal tnd the ke. Can any of the soct Be Sitod sbout postmodernism ands Socal momeat? We have seo {iat there es may in which postmodernism repictes o reproduces ‘ores = the logis of copsimer capil, the more sgniant “owton wheter tee alos way in which eit ht loge Bat hie question we mint leave open ish at een “he Clu Lage of Line Capo, New Lat Ree 1 "TR Ht, ak Kes 177 9.