Installation and conversation
Is populism made of plastic?
This article approaches the topics at hand from the less typical perspective of a practicing artist using a model developed in the studio rather than in the library. It explains how concepts such as political ideologies can be understood in the same way that I understand physical matter through my lens as a contemporary sculptor. It explores how culture, values and beliefs closely relate to the behavior of material, space and movement. I argue that the expansionist nature of neo-liberalism – greater mobility of people and commerce, expanded definitions of social acceptance, transparency, etc., are typical characteristics of an abstract entity. Populism, for its part, is rallying in the opposite direction. She identifies with characteristics that convey an idea of limits, confinement and clearly defined roles. It favors more traditional, nativist and protectionist policies. It seeks leadership from “real” people over the most distant elite. These more inward-looking traits generally represent a more material and tangible entity. A similar subject-based approach will be taken with regard to the recent pandemic. Covid-19, like any virus, is an essentially abstract matter. An important part of an abstract identity is the ability to move freely filling space. This is best done under the radar, under an ephemeral and intangible shroud. Other great abstract forces such as the digital dimension, the stock market or ideas show how these less perceptible characteristics provide the toolkit to effect profound change on our existence, as is currently evident. Taming the virus is in fact taming an abstraction by deploying its counterpart, materiality. A more material version of space is no longer open and accessible but embodies confinement, limits and lock-in. The article will examine how, when it comes to their own country, authoritarian populist leaders are quick to turn inward to limit a perceived abstract threat. But when it came to stopping the virus, people like Johnson, Trump and Bolsanoro were painfully slow. The talk concludes by illustrating how the world has witnessed a broader movement towards an abstract state and at breakneck speed in terms of technology, climate change and communication and that shifts from neoliberalism to populism are part of this more general trend.
Discussion basis given for: Democracy and populism Equality, truth and disagreement in the Covid era Center for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics
University of Brighton (UK)
The rise of authoritarian right-wing populism –a backlash in an increasingly abstract world
Populist leaders and movements are shaking up mainstream politics showing a worrying trend playing out across Europe and the EU, including Brexit (UK), Marine Le Pen (France), Norbert Hofer (Austria), Geert Wilders (Netherlands), Viktor Orban (Hungary) and Golden Dawn (Greece) etc. Many pundits, journalists and political commentators describe a battle of values between older and younger generations. They observe how older generations who grew up under the umbrella of a more traditional and less liberal value system feel increasingly alienated by neoliberalism and social progress like feminism, LGBT rights and social measures. anti-discrimination. Likewise, changes in the functioning of the economy such as globalization, deregulation and automation are said to have contributed significantly. These changes have occurred gradually over the past century and have now reached a tipping point. But rather than explaining this phenomenon through the traditional socio-political or economic lens of academic experts and relevant commentators, it is told through the unusual and creative perspective of an established practicing artist. The talk will explain how it might be useful to see them in terms of art, aesthetics, space and movement. It will describe how what we witness can and perhaps even should be framed in terms of space, aesthetics and form as well as figures, cohorts and trends. It is perhaps not a cultural backlash that can explain the rise of populism but a backlash of the physical against the abstract and its movement in space.