HARTAIXX2016-V013300

Summary

The script discusses the pivotal '68 Paris events that catalyzed the Pompidou Center's creation. It highlights the student demonstrations and their convergence with workers' strikes, reflecting a desire for social and political change. The Situationist International's avant-garde ideas on urban practice and cultural production, such as psychogeographic maps, are detailed. The script also notes the global impact of these events, influencing cultural practices and art forms, despite not achieving significant political success.

Takeaways

• 📅 The 'events of May '68' in Paris led to the creation of the Pompidou Center program.
• 🎓 The demonstrations involved students occupying sites and striking alongside workers, predominantly in Paris but affecting all of France.
• 💥 Violent confrontations occurred between demonstrators and authorities, reflecting the intensity of the social unrest.
• 🎨 The Situationist International, an avant-garde art group, sought to change the perception of the city and everyday life through cultural production.
• 🗺️ The Situationists created a 'psychogeographic map' of Paris, altering the traditional map to suggest new ways of navigating and experiencing the city.
• 🚂 The map featured 'plaque tournante' or rotating tables, symbolizing the reorientation of urban spaces and experiences.
• 📝 The student demonstrations were seen as a model for a new cultural production, with the Situationists producing posters and slogans that became emblematic of the movement.
• 🏖️ A key slogan, 'Sous les pavés, la plage,' suggested a desire to uncover new spaces for leisure and cultural expression beneath the traditional urban fabric.
• 🚫 Another slogan, 'Il est interdit d'interdire de dire,' highlighted the movement's resistance to censorship and the importance of free speech.
• 🌍 The spirit of change was not confined to Paris but resonated globally, influencing movements and attitudes in the United States and London.
• 🎭 The events of May '68 had a lasting impact on cultural practices, suggesting a shift towards new forms of art and performance that challenged conventional norms.

Q & A

What were the events of May '68 in Paris?

The events of May '68 in Paris were a series of student demonstrations and occupations of certain sites, which at times involved general strikes and violent confrontations with police or the army. They were part of a broader movement across France but were most intense in Paris.

What role did the Situationist International play in the events of May '68?

The Situationist International was an avant-garde art group that sought to change the understanding of the city and everyday life through their artistic activities. They produced psychogeographic maps and other materials that promoted a new way of practicing urban space and cultural production.

What is a psychogeographic map, and how did the Situationists use it?

A psychogeographic map is an instructional map that suggests alternative ways of navigating and experiencing the city. The Situationists created such a map by altering the traditional 'Paris Taride' map, cutting out and rearranging famous places and reconnecting them with red arrows to suggest new urban experiences.

What is the significance of the term 'plaque tournante' used by the Situationists?

The term 'plaque tournante' refers to a rotating table or turntable used to reorient locomotives. In the context of the Situationists' psychogeographic maps, it symbolizes the reordering and reconnection of the city's different parts to create new experiences and attitudes.

What were some of the slogans produced by the Situationists during the events of May '68?

Some of the slogans included 'Sous les pavés, la plage,' meaning 'Underneath the pavement is the beach,' and 'Il est interdit d'interdire,' which translates to 'It is forbidden to forbid.' These slogans represented new cultural attitudes and a call for change.

How did the events of May '68 influence cultural practices and art?

The events of May '68 served as a paradigm for a new way of practicing the city and a new spatial practice. The posters, slogans, and performances, even the violent ones, became a form of urban performance art that challenged conventional theater and cultural expressions.

How did the events of May '68 compare to similar movements in the United States and London?

The events of May '68 in Paris shared similarities with the anti-Vietnam War and civil rights demonstrations in the United States and the desire for participation in London, as expressed in the Rolling Stones' song 'Street Fighting Man.' These movements reflected a global feeling of change and the need for new cultural practices.

What was the impact of the events of May '68 on the Pompidou Center program?

The events of May '68 were responsible for the program of the Pompidou Center, as they highlighted the need for cultural institutions to reflect the social and political changes of the time and to embrace new forms of cultural production and artistic activity.

What was the significance of the student occupation and demonstrations for the Situationists?

For the Situationists, the student occupation and demonstrations were a paradigm for a new kind of cultural production and a new way of practicing urban space, offering alternatives to traditional spatial practice and challenging the status quo.

How did the events of May '68 contribute to a global sense of change?

The events of May '68 contributed to a global sense of change by inspiring similar movements and attitudes in other parts of the world, such as the United States and London, and by promoting the idea that cultural and art practices needed to reflect and adapt to this new way of life.

What was the outcome of the events of May '68 in terms of political success and cultural impact?

While the events of May '68 were not a huge political success, they had an enormous social and cultural impact, influencing the way people thought about urban space, cultural production, and the role of art in society.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 '68: Cultural Revolution and the Birth of New Urban Practices

The first paragraph discusses the pivotal role of the May '68 events in shaping the cultural landscape of Paris, leading to the establishment of the Pompidou Center. It highlights the student demonstrations and occupations, which were not just political but also involved artistic and cultural expressions. The Situationist International, an avant-garde art group, is mentioned for their innovative approach to urban life, proposing a psychogeographic map of Paris that reimagined the city's spatial relationships. Their slogans, such as 'Underneath the pavement, the beach,' symbolized the desire for a new social order and cultural attitudes. The paragraph also draws parallels between the Parisian events and similar movements in the United States and the United Kingdom, suggesting a global shift in cultural and artistic practices.

05:02

🌐 Legacy of May '68: Social and Cultural Impact Beyond Politics

The second paragraph emphasizes the lasting social and cultural impact of the May '68 events, despite their limited political success. It suggests that the events catalyzed a transformation in urban performance, with the demonstrations and posters taking on roles akin to traditional theater and poetry. The paragraph concludes by reflecting on the broader implications of these events, indicating that they served as a catalyst for a new way of life and a reevaluation of cultural practices, with the potential to redefine the role of art in society.

Keywords

💡May '68

Refers to the events of May 1968 in Paris, involving a series of student demonstrations and occupations, often combined with worker strikes. These events were characterized by intense protests, sometimes violent confrontations with police, and were part of a broader social and cultural upheaval that questioned traditional norms and sought significant changes in society.

💡Pompidou Center

A cultural institution in Paris that was influenced by the events of May '68. It symbolizes the intersection of cultural and political changes inspired by the demonstrations, aiming to foster new forms of artistic and social engagement.

💡Situationist International

An avant-garde art group that played a significant role in the May '68 events. They aimed to transform everyday life through new urban practices and cultural productions, advocating for a reimagining of city life and social interactions. Their concepts and actions exemplified the radical changes sought during the protests.

💡Psychogeographic map

A type of map created by the Situationists to alter the perception and experience of the city. By rearranging well-known locations on the 'Paris Taride' map and connecting them with arrows (plaque tournante), they aimed to create new urban experiences and moods, challenging traditional navigation and use of urban spaces.

💡Plaque tournante

Literally 'turntable,' this term was used by the Situationists to describe red arrows on their psychogeographic maps that connected different parts of the city. It symbolizes a method of reorienting one's experience of the city, akin to how turntables reorient trains, thereby fostering new social and cultural interactions.

💡Sous les pavés, la plage

A slogan from the May '68 events meaning 'Underneath the pavement (underneath the paving stones) is the beach.' It encapsulates the idea of uncovering new, liberating spaces beneath the constraints of the current urban environment, suggesting that radical change can reveal new opportunities for leisure and freedom.

💡Il est interdit d'interdire de dire

Another slogan from the May '68 events, translating to 'It is forbidden to forbid speech.' This highlights the protests' emphasis on freedom of expression and the rejection of censorship, advocating for open dialogue and the right to dissent.

💡Cultural production

Refers to the creation of art, literature, and other cultural artifacts that reflect and influence social and political attitudes. During the May '68 events, cultural production was seen as a means to bring about social and political change, with students and artists producing posters, slogans, and performances that embodied their revolutionary ideals.

💡Urban performance

Describes the demonstrations and actions during May '68 as a form of performance art. These urban performances, including violent confrontations and artistic expressions, were seen as new forms of theater that replaced conventional cultural practices and reflected the societal upheaval of the time.

💡Global change

Indicates the broader, worldwide impact and interconnectedness of the protests and cultural shifts of the late 1960s. The events in Paris resonated globally, inspiring similar movements against the Vietnam War and for civil rights in the United States, as well as influencing cultural productions and social attitudes in other countries.

Highlights

The events of May '68 in Paris were pivotal in the development of the Pompidou Center's program.

May '68 in Paris involved student demonstrations, occupations, and strikes that sometimes led to violent confrontations.

The events were part of a broader movement across France, but were most intense in Paris.

The movement also involved artistic and cultural ideas aimed at bringing about social and political change.

The Situationist International, an avant-garde art group, played a significant role in promoting new ways of practicing the city.

Situationists created a 'psychogeographic map' of Paris to encourage people to experience the city differently.

This map involved rearranging famous locations on the Paris map, symbolizing new ways of navigating and experiencing urban spaces.

The Situationists used the term 'plaque tournante' to describe the connections between these rearranged locations, signifying a reorientation of city life.

The events of May '68 represented a paradigm shift for the Situationists in terms of cultural production and spatial practice.

Slogans from May '68, like 'Sous les pavés, la plage' ('Under the pavement is the beach'), symbolized uncovering new cultural spaces and attitudes.

The slogan 'Il est interdit d'interdire de dire' ('It is forbidden to forbid speech') reflected the revolutionary spirit of the time.

The global impact of May '68 was felt in other cities, inspiring similar movements and artistic expressions.

In the United States, the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements echoed the spirit of May '68.

The Rolling Stones' song 'Street Fighting Man' was inspired by the events of May '68 and reflected a sense of global change.

May '68 had a lasting social and cultural impact, even if it wasn't a complete political success, influencing urban space practices and artistic expressions.

Transcripts

K. MICHAEL HAYS: What's referred to as the events of May '68 were responsible for the program of

the Pompidou Center.

The events of May '68 in Paris involved a series of student demonstrations and student

occupation of certain sites.

There were times when the students would gather together with certain workers

and make a general strike.

It actually was happening across France, but it was most intense in Paris.

It sometimes involved violent confrontations, as the students demonstrated or the workers

demonstrated and came into conflict with police or the army.

But it also involved artistic ideas, ideas about how culture and cultural production

and artistic activity could actually bring about social and even political change.

One way of focusing it is to consider the activities of an avant-garde art group called

the Situationist International.

What the Situationists wanted was a way of practicing the city, a way of being in the

city which would divert and change the understanding of the city and of everyday life.

An example of some of their production includes a kind of what they call this a psychogeographic

map of Paris that would be a kind of instructional map of how to practice the city differently.

They took a map of Paris that everybody in Paris would have had, a way

to navigate the city.

It was called the "Paris Taride."

And they took certain places, very famous places or well-known places on the map and

would cut them out and then rearrange their relationship.

As you can see in the photograph here of the poster, they would then mark these connections,

reconnect the pieces with little red arrows that they call "plaque tournante."

A plaque tournante is like a rotating table or like a turntable that would reorient locomotives

and trains and things like this.

But the idea here is that through this new way of practicing the city, you would take

the different moods of different parts of the cities, the different atmospheres, the

different sort of attitudes that one experiences as you move through the city and you would

try to reconnect them and reorder them to detour them, to divert them and create new

attitudes, new experiences of the city.

The events of May '68, the student occupation, the student demonstrations were for, the Situationists

a kind of paradigm for a new kind of cultural production, for a new way of practicing urban

space, new alternatives of spatial practice.

And indeed, the stillness himself produced posters, slogans, new forms of art.

Here are some examples of the slogans.

This one, "Sous les pavés, la plage," that is "Underneath the pavement (underneath the paving

stones) is the beach."

And this was the idea that if you dug up the cobblestones, if you dug up the paving stones

of the street and threw them through the windows of the university, that eventually you would

uncover a new territory, you would uncover a beach in the very center of Paris.

So it has this idea of uncovering a new place for leisure or performance, but also a beach

from which could be launched a kind of new cultural attitude.

Or this one, "Il est interdit d'interdire de dire."

You can't do that in English.

Yeah, you could do it in English.

"It is forbidden to forbid bidding."

"It is forbidden to forbid speech..." would be another example.

And while Paris was the center of this kind of attitude, of course it

happened at other places.

In the United States, also around the summer of '68, the demonstrations against the Vietnam

War, the demonstrations for civil rights were very, very similar to the events of May '68

in Paris.

London sometimes felt left out as it looked to Paris.

The Rolling Stones were inspired to write a song about the events of May called

"Street Fighting Man," where they lament the fact that the Londoners weren't participating in

the way that people of Paris and maybe people in the States were.

But there was a general feeling of global change.

There was a feeling that, out of this moment was emerging what would be simply a different

way of life, and that cultural practices, art practices would have to reflect that.

The events of May '68 were a paradigm of what the Situationists were calling for, a new

way of practicing the city, a new spatial practice.

It was as if the posters made by the students would replace the sort of paintings that Whitney

would protect.

It was as if the slogans became the poetry of a whole new generation and the performances,

the demonstrations, even the violent ones, became a new kind of performing art, an urban

performance that would replace conventional theater.

So if the events were not a huge political success, they had, nevertheless, enormous

social and cultural impact.