The Spectacle of Disintegration: Situationist Passages out of the Twentieth Century
At once an extraordinary counter history of radical praxis and a call to arms in the age of financial crisis and the resurgence of the streets, The Spectacle of Disintegration recalls the hidden journeys taken in the attempt to leave the twentieth century, and plots an exit from the twenty first.
The dustjacket unfolds to reveal a fold-out poster of the collaborative graphic essay combining text selected by McKenzie Wark with composition and drawings by Kevin C. Pyle.
Hardback, 256 pages
ISBN: 9781844679577
May 2013
$26.95 / £16.99 / $28.50CAN
Other Editions
Ebook
ISBN: 9781844679584
May 2013
$12.99
Reviews
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“Wark's readable explanation of the movement's ideas is the best I have read. ”
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“A playful, smart and occasionally epigrammatic study of the Situationists ... this brilliant account is not only an essential work for our own times; it also comes with a cover that, with the minimum of manual dexterity, folds out intoa collaborative graphic essay. ”
Blog
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Mckenzie Wark: two interviews, 3D printing and four events
McKenzie Wark's latest book The Spectacle of Disintegration is published today. Wark discusses the latter history of the Situationist International (SI) and the concept of disintegration in two interviews for Rhizome and the New Statesman.
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McKenzie Wark: Never Work, 3-D printing & KimKierkegaardashian as détournement
McKenzie Wark talked to Rhizome about his new book The Spectacle of Disintegration: Situationist Passages Out of the Twenty-First Century; Aaron Swartz and the cultural commons; and KimKierkegaardashian as détournement.
Wark explained the twenty-first century relevance of the SI’s critical approach towards technology, culture and capital:
There’s an absolute failure to perform the critical task in relation to technology. There’s a kind of "No, I don’t like the iPhone." Well, what the fuck do you like then? What do you want? Describe another world. Describe it to me. For seven billion people. Among the Situationists, someone like Constant Nieuwenhuys did exactly that, he imagined an entire other planet based on mid 20th Century technology.
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Books of the Year - As Chosen by Verso
In between publishing the works of Žižek and plotting ways to destroy capitalism, many of us at Verso occasionally like to read books.
As usual we were stunned by how little the newspaper's books of the year seemed to represent our own reading so we gathered together our own top books of 2012 (and beyond) and the resulting list is a refreshing reminder of just how lively much of the independent publishing scene is.
Upcoming Events
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May 25, 2013
London, United Kingdom
Furtherfield Gallery
The Spectacle of Disintegration: Situationist Passages out of the 20th century
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May 26, 2013
London, United Kingdom
Southbank Centre
The Revenge of the Situationists
