Foregrounding a strategy of experimental techniques which Neustadt call "(con)fusing signs," the book explores critical and political dimensions of contemporary Spanish American artistic practices that are often explained away in the vague name of postmodern fragmentation. (Con)Fusing Signs explores the techniques, consequences and purposes for this type of fragmentation. This study reassesses the much discussed "crisis of representation" through an analysis of the complexity of political critique in areas as diverse (and related) as postmodernity, military dictatorship and postcolonialism. This book explores the manner in which multimedia artists Diamela Eltit, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Guillermo G-mez-Pe-a articulate political critiques through textual (con)fusion while paradoxically underscoring their inability to get outside of discourse.
Author(s): Robert Neustadt
Edition: 1
Year: 1999
Language: English
Pages: 232
BOOK COVER......Page 1
HALF-TITLE......Page 2
TITLE......Page 4
COPYRIGHT......Page 5
DEDICATION......Page 6
CONTENTS......Page 7
ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 8
SERIES PREFACE......Page 9
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 10
INTRODUCTION......Page 12
CHAPTER 1 (Con)Fusing Approaches to a Postmodern Position......Page 21
READING THROUGH THE SIGN FIELD......Page 24
THE MYTH OF CRITICAL DISTANCE......Page 27
INSIDE IN THE SEEING MACHINE......Page 33
NOTES......Page 41
(CON)FUSING IMAGES: THE BODY AND THE TEXT......Page 43
PERFORMANCE ART-POLITICAL PERFORMANCE......Page 48
LUMPÉRICA: READING BETWEEN THE SIGNS......Page 51
READING A MULTIMEDIA NOVEL......Page 53
SITUATING L.ILUMINADA: THE EMPTY SPACE BETWEEN THE SIGNS......Page 55
THE PLAZA AS FRAME: THE MARGIN AS CENTER......Page 57
LOS GRAFITIS DE LA PLAZA: REINSCRIBING THE PUBLIC SQUARE......Page 59
INTERROGATING THE PLAZA: RE-PRESENTING REPRESENTATION......Page 61
THE ENSAYO GENERAL: NARRATIVE MUT-IL-ATION......Page 65
READING INCISIONS: REHEARSING AN IN-SCRIPTING PERFORMANCE......Page 69
(RE)ARTICULATING THE DISCURSIVE BODY......Page 72
FROM ‘LUMPERICA’ TO ‘MAIPU’ AND BEYOND: TRACING THE PROJECTION OF ELTIT’S PERFORMANCE......Page 74
LOS VIGILANTES: WATCHING POWER PLAY......Page 80
NOTES......Page 90
CHAPTER 3 Alejandro Jodorowsky: Reiterating Chaos, Rattling the Cage of Representation......Page 100
ALLEGORICAL ALLEGORY: MOVING TOWARD THE ORIGIN......Page 102
QUESTS FOR AN ORIGINAL COPY......Page 104
SERIALIZATION: DETHRONING THE ORIGINAL......Page 106
(CON)FUSING THE INSIDE AND THE OUTSIDE......Page 110
EL LORO DE SIETE LENGUAS: REITERATING THE QUEST OF LANGUAGE......Page 112
CHAOS AND NARRATIVE: A NONLINEAR PARADIGM......Page 114
SIETE LENGUAS IN SEARCH OF A CHARACTER: A CASE OF INITIAL INDETERMINACY......Page 116
TAROT: A CARTOMANCIC METAQUEST......Page 117
(MIS)TAKEN IDENTITIES: (CON)FUSING THE COPY OF A COPY WITH A COPY......Page 126
CONFUSING THE CHAOS OF BABEL......Page 129
L’INCAL: REITERATING ITERATION......Page 132
LAS ANSIAS CARNIVORAS DE LA NADA: RE-MEMBERING HISTORY......Page 138
NOTES......Page 142
CHAPTER 4 Guillermo Gomez-Pena: Re-Drawing the Borders......Page 149
FOLLOW THE BOUNCING BORDER: (CON)TEXTS BETWEEN OTHERS......Page 151
NATIONS, BORDERS AND PEOPLE: RE-IMAGINING THE LINES......Page 154
PERFORMING BETWEEN THE LINES: READING BETWEEN THE NATIONS......Page 157
BORDER BABEL: (CON)FUSING TONGUES......Page 160
(CON)FUSING THE AUDIENCE......Page 163
A MULTIMEDIA BODY: DRESSING ACROSS THE BORDER......Page 165
EL 7 MÁSCARAS FRONTERIZO: SUPERHEROES, WRESTLING AND COLLECTIVE NON-IDENTITY......Page 170
TWO UNDISCOVERED AMERINDIANS VISIT…......Page 173
THE COUPLE IN THE CAGE: GAZING THROUGH BARS......Page 174
NOTES......Page 185
CHAPTER 5 Conclusion......Page 191
NOTES......Page 203
WORKS CITED......Page 204
INDEX......Page 213
