Plenary at the ‘Movement and Technical Technical Mobilization’ Conference, Conference, Lisbon (10-1 March !01"
Cyberpunk Phuturism: The Politics of Acceleration
Benjamin Noys (2012
There !oul" seem to be no place for the mo"ernist linear#"ynamics of pro$r pro$ress ession ion an" acc accele elerat ration ion in the "isper "isperse" se" an an" " slacke slackene" ne" form formss
of
post po stm mo" o"er erni nity ty%%
&het &h ethe herr
futu futuri rist sts' s'
cap ca pital italiists' sts'
or
communists' the aant#$ar"e )passion for the real* (Ba"iou 200+' that that trie trie" " to ac acce cele lera rate te us to ne ne! ! hu huma man n type typess se seem emss ,u ,uai aint nt'' kitsch' an" politically "ubious% An" yet the "ream an" reality of spee" machines is not merely the proince of "ubious nostal$ia' to be foun" in the remnants of )petrolhea"* macho e-cess' or in the fetishi.a fetishi.ation tion of contempo contemporary rary military military technolo technolo$ies% $ies% Accelerat Acceleration' ion' to"ay' passes from the car' the ,uintessential technolo$y of mass spee" spee" an" mo mo"er "ernit nity y' to the the com comput puter er%% /f the car !a !ass the the lie" lie" e-perience of mo"ernist time for many (uy 200 3 a ne! mass aest ae sthe heti tic' c' !h !hil ile e mo mo"e "ern rnis ism m ten" ten"e" e" to the the he herm rmet etic ic 3 then then the the computer plays that role to"ay% /t is the computer' especially for those !ho !ork !ith them' that embo"ies the )spee"#up* of labour' as ea each ch ne ne! ! mo mo"e "ell be beco come mess fast faster er an an" " fast faster er (or (or that that is the the promise% The /nternet proi"es the )one#click* solution' computers
1
spee sp ee"# "#up up an an" " slim slim "o "o!n !n'' se seem emin in$l $ly y pro proi" i"in in$ $ on one e of the the last last utopia utopian n remnan remnants ts !orthy !orthy of any com commo" mo"ity ity fetish fetishism ism44 the ery ery frustration of a computer slo!in$ "o!n or free.in$#up in"e-es our o!n internali.e" "eman" for spee"% The computer also no! ectors the allian alliance ce of spee" spee" an" !ar' !ar' as the acc accele elerat ration ion of com comput puter er proces processin sin$ $ permit permitss the rapi" rapi"ity ity of )5re#a )5re#an" n"#fo #for$e r$et* t* !arfar !arfare' e' the "rone attack' the militari.ation of ciilian space' an"' in 67#military jar$on' the )compression )compression of the kill chain*% chain*% 7o'' the 7o the inte inte$r $rat atio ion n of the the ma man# n#ma mach chin ine e "o "oes es no nott simp simply ly "isappear' but mutates% 8re"ric 9ameson remarks on: the fact that there are no $reat utopian te-ts after the !i"esp !i"esprea rea" " intro" intro"uct uction ion of com compu puter terss (the (the last last bein$ bein$ rnest rnest Callenbac Callenbach*s h*s #coto$ia of 1+;' !here computers are not yet in serice% /nstea"' !e hae the freemarket "eliria of cyberpunk' !hich assumes that capitalism is itself a kin" of utopia of "ierence an" ariety% (9ameson 2012: 12; 6n"erminin$ his o!n point' !e coul" summari.e that cyberpunk is the utopia of capital an" of acceleration% /t is that )utopia* / !ant to e-plore' !hich is rather more "urable an" robust than 9ameson*s o#han" "ismissal mi$ht su$$est%
Cyberpunk Avant-Garde Avant-Garde
This ne! aesthetic can be thou$ht of as the attempt to recapture the ener$y of the classical aant#$ar"e in the slackene" time of
2
postmo"ernity% /t is not simply the repetition of that aant#$ar"e' but
a
mutate" an" mo"ulate" futurism'
!hich'
in
typical
postmo"ern fashion' stra""les bet!een $enres' forms an" cultural "omains% This is !hat / !ill call )Cyberpunk Phuturism*% Certainly )cyberpunk phuturism* has an anachronistic an" kitsch rin$% )Cyberpunk* "i" not really recoer from Billy /"ol*s album of that title' release" in 1<% )Phuturism* is my a"aptation ia the Chica$o Aci" =ouse practitioners Phuture' !hose )Aci" Tracks* (1> has a claim to be the 5rst Aci" =ouse recor"% That sai"' perhaps the kitsch element' as !e*ll see' re?ects somethin$ of this aesthetic% @y account of this )cyberpunk phuturism* !ill be more impressionistic than e-haustie' an" more critical than celebratory% / !ill focus on three moments: cyberpunk 5ction' etroit Techno' an" their synthesis in )Cybertheory*% This criti,ue' ho!eer' !ill not be the usual one of "isenchantment !ith the aant#$ar"e an" celebration of chastene" conformity to the )"emocratic* protocols of the present% ather' / aim to probe the attraction of this aesthetic as a response to the mutations an" continuities of capitalism an"' in particular' to the contemporary moment of capitalist crisis% @y contention is that this aesthetic is not simply an historical curiosity but one that continues to e-ert a $raitational pull on the present' one !hich is e-acerbate" in the moment of a "eceleratin$ capitalism%
<
Thrill % Threat of &ematerialization
The
6r#te-t
of
cyberpunk
phuturism
is
&illiam
ibson*s
'eromancer (1>' !hich is perhaps its most eectie manifesto
an" pre"ictie of all its later mutant forms% The noel of )cyberpunk* science#5ction' an" to my min" the only successful !ork of this form (alon$ !ith its se,uels' it tracks the ne! shiftin$ forms of cybernetic embo"iment% The ery technolo$y of )jackin$# in* to cyberspace is roote"' !ithin the noel' in the frame of military technolo$ies: )DThe matri- has its roots in primitie arca"e $ames'E sai" the oice#oer' Din early $raphics pro$rams an" military e-perimentation !ith cranial jacks%E*(ibson 1> Also' the !ell#kno!n "escription of )Ni$ht City* as )a "eran$e" e-periment in social ar!inism' "esi$ne" by a bore" researcher !ho kept one thumb permanently on the fast#for!ar" button* (ibson 1>' pre5$ures the neoliberal future' an" the compulsie attachment to the spee" that promises to break the shackles of social con5nement% The simile su$$ests' in the 5$ure of the )bore" researcher*' that this "ere$ulatory fantasy has more than an element of (anti#plannin$ an" "irection' contrary to fantasies of the acephalic market% &hile spee" is the promise of the openin$ to a ne! "eterritoriali.e" ?ui"ity of social an" irtual space 3 beyon" the 8or"ist social#compact an" the )static* se$mentations of social "emocracy 3 this is no blin" process% The historical si$ni5cance of ibson*s noel (leain$ asi"e aesthetic ju"$ements lies in the fact that it is poise" bet!een an-iety an" en"orsement' critical "istance
an" immersie )oissance' in its ision of cyberspace' au$mentation an" the acceleratie "isembe""in$ of social relations% 9oshua Cloer has note" that 'eromancer incarnates the )thrill an" threat of "emateriali.ation* (2010: subten"in$ neoliberalism4 from the promise of the ?e-ible future to the risk of social "isappearance% /t is in that sense of )thrill*' in"e-e" to social "isinte$ration
an"
machinic
"eliberately e,uiocal
inte$ration'
that
!e
5n"
the
appeal of cyberpunk phuturism% This
spee"in$#up accelerates us to!ar"s the utopian hori.on of capitalism' as a social form of )pure* "rie an" accumulation' )free"* from its "epen"ence on the )meat* of labour 3 !hich can then be rea" in the )communist* "irection of the 5nal reali.ation of the )pro"uctie forces* that she" the capitalist inte$ument% The thrill also lies in the "iscar"in$ of the e$o' the fusion !ith the machine that "e#sleees' to use ichar" @or$an*s phrase (@or$an 2002' consciousness from its material support' an" !hich immerses us in capitalist creatie "estruction% At the same time' !e hae the )threat* of obsolescence' social aban"onment' an" the e-perience of bein$ con"emne" to the )meat* 3 of e-clusion from the "eli$hts of cyberspace (as the hacker Case is e-clu"e" at the be$innin$ of the noel' as a result of me"ical )punishment* for his entrepreneurial failure% ibson*s noel tracks a capitalist utopia in "ystopian
formulations'
5$urin$
the
self
literally
as
the
)entrepreneurial machine* that 8oucault ha" alrea"y anatomise" as the subjectiity of neo#liberalism (200>: 22#;%
;
Techno-Phtrism
Cuttin$ to another scene it is' / !oul" ar$ue' etroit Techno that forms one of the most fascinatin$ an" most aesthetically successful instances of cyberpunk phuturism% eliberately couche" as a post# in"ustrial Afro#futurism' it aime" to )erase the traces* of the 8or"ist soun" of @oto!n an" to mimic the ne! robot pro"uction#lines that ha" "isplace" the remains of )ariable capital* (i%e% humans for )constant capital* (i%e% machines at 8or"% /n this !ay it trace" the mutatin$ social space of etroit 3 from the )!hite ?i$ht* follo!in$ the 1F+ insurrection' the "e#in"ustrialisation that follo!e"' an" its o!n position in the suburban site of Belleille =i$h' !here errick @ay' 9uan Atkins' an" Gein 7aun"erson met% @i-in$ uropean in?uences (Graft!erk' Ne! Hr"er' epeche @o"e' etc% !ith the etroit funk of Parliament I 8unka"elic' the result !as a sin$ular form that "e5e" the stu"ie" re?e-es of postmo"ern colla$e for an inte*rated acceleration%
The a-es of etroit Techno !ere an increase in spee" (in bpm from preious forms of "isco an" =ouse an" a strippin$#out of the humanist resi"ues that often "ominate" those forms 3 not least the oice% The sin$ularity of its aesthetic inention lay in this !elcomin$ of the )mechani.ation*' or better )computeri.ation*' of the aesthetic (!hich ha" obiously been pre5$ure" by Graft!erk*s Man-Machine an" Com$ter +orld % The apotheosis of the form' at
least as / re$ar" it' is the !ork )/t is !hat it is* (1>>' by hythim
F
is hythim*s (aka errick @ay% This !as' as one semi#ironic "escription !ent at the time' )"ance music !ith bleeps*% etainin$ funk' the insistence of etroit Techno ha" the utopian' if not kitsch' elements of sci#5 futurism couple" to the "ystopian fra$mentation of the city#space ()Ni$ht rie Thru Babylon*' as the track by @o"el ;00
ha"
it%
A$ain'
the
e,uiocations
lay
in
a
sense
of
aban"onment: an escape to the future' escape from labour' or the loss of labour an" the collapse of the future into permanent unemploymentJ
Cyber*othic emi
The splicin$ of these t!o moments' an" the real instance of full# blo!n cyberpunk phuturism in e-plicit accelerationist form' can be foun" in the 10s !ork of Nick Kan" an" his allies in the Cybernetic
Culture
esearch
6nit
(CC6%
This
)noma"*
(anti#aca"emic $roupin$' forme" at &ar!ick 6niersity in 1;' couche" its )"isjunctie synthesis* of the )"rie* of sci#5 an" techno throu$h the !ork of illes eleu.e an" 8Lli- uattari' an" especially their .nti-/edi$s (1+2% The aim !as to format an aant#$ar"e practice that aime" to e-plo"e the limits of 10s inertia (eynol"s 1;% @ark 8isher' !ho !as part of the CC6' captures this sense of the splicin$ of cyberpunk an" futurist "ance music: 8ar from the "ry "atabasin$ of much aca"emic !ritin$ or the
pompous
solemnity
of
+
so
much
continental
philosophy' Nick*s MKan" te-ts !ere astonishin$ theory# 5ctions% They !eren*t "istance" rea"in$s of 8rench theory so much as cyber$othic remi-es !hich put eleu.e an" uattari on the same plane as 5lms such as .$ocaly$se
'o
an"
5ctions
such
as
ibson*s
'eromancer % (8isher 2010
/n terms of the synthesis / hae sketche" 8isher also insists on the role of "ance music: 9un$le !as crucial to the Ccru% &hat the Ccru !as about !as capturin$' (an" e-trapolatin$ this speci5cally British take on cyberculture' in !hich music !as central% Ccru !as tryin$ to "o !ith !ritin$ !hat 9un$le' !ith its samples from such as Predator ' Terminator an" lade nner ' !as "oin$ in soun": )te-t at sample elocity*' as
Go"!o shun put it% (8isher 2011 )9un$le* !as a spee"e"#up form that synthesi.e" the ener$y rush of rae !ith the breakbeats of hip#hop' peakin$ aroun" 1>0bpm (Noys 1;% 8isher notes that it is this precise elocity of )9un$le*' an" "rum#an"#bass' that inspire" the CC6% 1 The )rush* of this cyberpunk phuturism also operate" throu$h a ne! ra"icali.ation of acceleration% This is best capture" in Nick Kan"*s
restatement
of
eleu.e
an"
uattari*s
ori$inal
accelerationist formulation% Kan" $ies this accelerationism a "eliberately proocatie an" late#punk anti#socialist an" anti#social "emocratic form:
>
@achinic reolution must therefore $o in the opposite "irection to socialistic re$ulation4 pressin$ to!ar"s eer more uninhibite" marketi.ation of the processes that are tearin$ "o!n the social 5el"' )still further* !ith )the moement
of
the
market'
of
"eco"in$
an"
"eterritoriali.ation* an" )one can neer $o far enou$h in the "irection of "eterritoriali.ation: you haen*t seen anythin$ yet*% (1<: >0 The posin$ of the market a*ainst capitalism 3 an ar$ument "erie" from the historian 8ernan" Brau"el (see e Kan"a (1> 3 !as monstrously couple" to the cybernetic acceleration of ?o!' or lines of ?i$ht' in !hich the )pro"uctie forces* e-cee"e" capitalist control% &hile Brau"el sa! capitalism as a monopolistic )anti# market*' he con"emne" this hi$her#leel 5nanciali.e" capitalism for its acceleratie features 3 capitalism !as speculatie' opa,ue
an" e-ceptional (&allerstein 11: <;+% The reision of Kan" an" the CC6 is to reerse this point an" ar$ue that the market is acceleratie an" "isembe""in$' contrary to the sta*nations of capitalism% A puri5e" capitalism' she""in$ the "ictates of the 7tate' !oul" traerse to a pure market accelerate" out of capitalism alto$ether% @ark 8isher ar$ues that: )The Ccru "e5ne" itself a$ainst the sclerotic stran$lehol" that a certain morali.in$ Hl" Keft ha" on the =umanities aca"emy% There !as a kin" of e-uberant anti#politics' a )technihilo* celebration of the irreleance of human a$ency* (8isher
2011% But he also notes the limits: )The e-hilaration of the Ccru# style !as its uncompromisin$ bli..ar" of jar$on' te-t as a tattoo of intensities to !hich you just ha" to submit% But it*s har" to maintain that kin" of spee"#intensity for lon$er !ritin$ projects (8isher 2011% /n fact' much of the CC6*s pro"uction !as short pamphlets or essays' an" Kan"*s major !ritin$ is a collection of essays' althou$h he also publishe" a book#len$th !ork on Bataille entitle" . Thirst for .nnihilation (12% The position of the CC6' "espite its ra"icali.e" anti# humanism
an"
)inhuman*
immersie
promise
of
capitalism
e-plo"in$ its o!n limits' resonates !ith contemporary i"eolo$ical claims that capitalism !asn*t really allo!e" to )follo! throu$h* !ith its acceleration because it !as hel" back by 7tate spen"in$ an" 7tate re$ulation% /t !as' in this story' a )left* failure of nere to $o all the !ay to capitalism (an" not all the !ay to the leftO' that leaes us in the situation !e 5n" ourseles in% This !as couple"' in the !ork of Nick Kan"' to a s!itch to China as the only state formation really illin* to $o all the !ay (Kan" 200% &hat China coul" oer' in its post#@aoist embrace of capitalism' !as the 5nal synthesis bet!een 7talinist acceleration ()shock !ork*' rapi" an" iolent in"ustrialisation an" capitalist acceleration (althou$h' of course' the ultra#left ha" lon$ ar$ue" 7talinism !as really a form of 7tate#capitalism an" )primitie accumulation*% The 7tate#"irecte" e-cesses of China' in its uncompromisin$ "eelopmental "rie' become a to$ian element% A$ain' !e can see that the anti#7tatism
10
of this cyberpunk phuturism is more opposition to $articlar kin"s of 7tate' an" the "eman" for a 7tate that is !illin$ to acephalically "ecapitate itself 3 in )special .ones* 3 to en$a$e in self#termination (allo!in$ that this is certainly not !hat the Chinese 7tate is "oin$% Certainly' this kin" of cyberpunk phuturism aime" at a )barin$ of the (capitalist "eice*' this !as its anti#i"eolo$ical "rift' but in a !ay it also bare" itself to capitalism as the core of acceleration' e-posin$ the true i"eolo$ical roots of the "rie of spee" it lau"e"%
‘Stasis today, all over the world’
The
political
e,uiocations
of
these
aesthetic
forms
of
accelerationism "o not fall on the tire" tropes of fascism an" )totalitarianism*' but rather on this "iicult an" tense imbrication !ith the "ynamics of capitalism% /mplicit in cyberpunk phuturism is not only the lo$ic of increase" computin$ spee" an" po!er' but also the claim that capitalism is maintainin$ its "ynamic of acceleration 5rst $ien its most memorable form by @ar- an" n$els in )The Communist @anifesto* (1>>% &hile !e are all familiar !ith the line that )all that is soli" melts into air*' the more resonant line for cyberpunk phuturism' especially as articulate" by Nick Kan"' is: )Mthe bour$eoisie has "ro!ne" the most heaenly ecstasies of reli$ious ferour' of chialrous enthusiasm' of philistine sentimentalism' in the icy !ater of e$otistical calculation%* (@ar- n$els 200
11
The tension of the "ynamic of capitalism' en"orse" by @aran" n$els in this passa$e as the con"ition of reolution (else!here they !ere more cautious an" oere" alternatie formulations'
becomes
e-presse"
in
the
possibilities
of
a
cyberpunk phuturism to "ro!n the bour$eois e$o' or )He"ipus*' in the icy !aters of a capitalism' a capitalism that in the process ero"es its o!n supports% At the most obious leel of criti,ue thin$s "i"n*t !ork out ,uite that !ay% The burstin$ of the "ot%com bubble on 8ri"ay @arch 10 2000 in"icate" the emptiness of the cybernetic re$eneration or reinforcement of the )pro"uctie forces*% @ore broa"ly' !e coul" raise the ,uestion of the decelerative "ynamics of capitalism in the perio" after 1+<' a "eceleration that le" to the s!itch#oer to 5nanciali.ation an" the )5ctional capital* of personal an" 7tate "ebt% Hf course' in this ne! con5$uration it !as' precisely' computin$ po!er an" spee" that playe" a key role in the infrastructure an" possibility of 5nanciali.ation% The spee"# machine of the computer "i" not in"e- a "ynamic "eelopment of capitalist forces' rather it shifte" the material )"ra$* of capital into the suppose"ly )!ei$htless* !orl" of speculation% The she""in$ of labour throu$h the ne! computer technolo$ies !as also the si$n of the "esire to re#start an" re#intensify the $eneration of alue' an" to 5$ht the ten"ency to the fallin$ rate of pro5t% opal Balakrishnan' in his recent surey of the "eceleration of $lobal capitalism' notes that 8re"ric 9ameson*s account of postmo"ernism an" the e-cess of $lobal capitalism !as initially
12
pre"icate" on )unleashe" nuclear an" cybernetic pro"uctie forces*' before )the locus of the problem silently shifte" to mappin$ an opa,ue' pseu"o#"ynamic !orl" of 5nancial markets%* (200: 1; At the centre of both is the spee"#machine of the computer% &e mi$ht say that the )shift* in 9ameson*s !ork is the one not fully taken by cyberpunk phuturism' !hich remains at the 5rst moment% /n fact' cyberpunk phuturism often implicitly pose" the 5rst "ynamic of )cybernetic pro"uctie forces* a$ainst the emer$ent sense of the )opa,ue' pseu"o#"ynamic !orl" of 5nancial markets*% 8or all their )postmo"ern* panache' these forms of thou$ht !ere far more concerne" !ith the e-plo"in$ of opacity' rather than the reellin$ in the usual clichLs of the play of si$ns or simulacra% /n that sense' they "o not simply play )real pro"uction* a$ainst )5ctional 5nance*' but rather try to $rodce the real as the real of $rodction%
That is !hy / hae ar$ue" that cyberpunk phuturism is a postmo"ern )passion for the real*' passin$ throu$h the forms of simulation an" semblants to accelerate out an" beyon" the antinomy of circuit an" ?esh% Hf course' the "iiculty !as that it inole" a certain attachment to an acceleratie "ynamic of )pro"uctie forces* that proe" illusory (althou$h' in fact' this !as somethin$ of a material )transcen"ental illusion* $enerate" by capitalist forms of alue% The future it coul" not $rasp !as the future of crash an" crisis' the terminus of acceleration in the $rin"in$ to a halt of the spee" machine of capitalism%
1<
/t mi$ht be thou$ht this !oul" si$nal the en" of cyberpunk phuturism% This is not the case% 8rom 9ameson*s late#0s ar$ument for a retoole" Brechtian pro"uctiism pose" a$ainst )Mstasis to"ay' all oer the !orl"* (1>: ' to the )accelerationist criti,ue of neoliberalism* pose" by Nick 7rnicek (2010 or the )-enoeconomics* of Ale- &illiams (200>' !e mi$ht say the cure is pose" as more of the "isease% /n response to the "ra!n#out moment of crisis' !hich resists bein$ cast as the punctual interruption to capitalist serice soon to be resume"' the attraction of traersal throu$h the return to spee" is an unsurprisin$ "esire% /n fact' this "esire can een $ain purchase precisely throu$h the resistance to the slo!in$#"o!n of the moment of crisis' an" the self#serin$ an" nostal$ic lan$ua$e of austerity bein$ "eploye" as its reme"y ()Geep Calm an" Carry Hn*% Also' the process of creatie "estruction that is ensuin$' to suppose"ly )free up* capitalism from its o!n contra"ictions' can become reco"e" as a ne! piercin$ of e-istin$ barriers' inclu"in$ that of subjectiity itself% The accelerationist "esire can reel in the apocalyptic "estruction cause" by the crisis' or use" to resole the crisis' an" take this as the si$n of a ne! take#o% /f' as @ar- (1F sai"' )Mthe real barrier of capitalist pro"uction is ca$ital itself *' then cyberpunk phuturism can pose itself as the trans$ressie "esire to surpass that barrier )beyon" capital*% The "iiculty is that this )barrier* is' in fact' !hat seres the )"ynamic* of capitalism as contra"ictory social formation% The perpetual "esire to purify an" pierce the barrier of )capital itself* is
1
enco"e" !ithin the $enetic structure of the capitalist social relation% This leaes cyberpunk phuturism in the uncomfortable position of joinin$ !ith those attempts by the mana$ers of capital to in"uce moement an" acceleration by remoin$ the "ea" !ei$ht of ariable capital% This con?uence can be seen as a result of the attempt
by
cyberpunk
phuturism
to
resole
)the
moin$
contra"iction* of capital' !hich )presses to re"uce labour time to a minimum' !hile it posits labour time' on the other si"e' as sole measure an" source of !ealth%* (@ar- 1+<: +0F /t "oes so by inte$ratin$ labour or ariable capital into constant capital% The potential obsolescence of labour is resole" by a iolent sublation into the machine' or more precisely the computer or cybernetic "eice% Then the constant acceleration of the computer' ia increases in processin$ po!er' memory' or soft!are up$ra"es' promises the up$ra"in$ of the inte$rate" meat that can 5nally keep pace !ith capitalism: Kabour 2%0' or 2%1' an" so on% &e hae the )immortality* of labour not as )mere appen"a$e* of the machine' but as inte$rate" !ithin it% Qirilio remarks that: )The 9apanese Gamika.e !ill reali.e in space
the
military elite*s
syner$istic
"isinte$ratin$ !ith this ehicle
"ream
by oluntarily
!eapon in a pyrotechnical
apotheosis4 for the ultimate metaphor of the spee"#bo"y is its 5nal "isappearance in the ?ames of e-plosion%* (1>F: 1< This is the apocalyptic
reali.ation
of
spee"#bo"y
in"e-e"
to
military
acceleration4 another reali.ation takes place in the "ream of
1;
cyberpunk phuturism in"e-e" to capitalist acceleration 3 the "isappearance in inte*ration% The perpetual#motion machine of capital
$enerates
the
perpetual
temptation
to
cybernetic
accelerationism% Hne more eort' if !e are to really spee"#up capitalism' one more eort to "ispose or "isplace the )"ra$* of labour an" the )meat*% To put the brakes on' as &alter Benjamin su$$este" (KR!y 200;: FF#+' can only seem reci"iist from this point of ie!4 a capitulation to constraint%
No Phuture
8ranco )Bifo* Berar"i has recently trace" the belief in acceleration as a no! out"ate" i"ea roote" in the moment of /talian 8uturism (Berar"i 2011% =e ar$ues that this mo"ern belief in acceleration !as a masculine moment' pre"icate" on the male bo"y as the incarnation of the )spee" machine*% Set he notes' in line !ith my analysis' that this "esire mutate" into the 5el" of computin$ an" information% &e coul" also a""' in line !ith onna =ara!ay*s )Cybor$ @anifesto* (1>; I 11' that this )$en"erin$* also un"er!ent a mutation% /t*s tellin$ that one of the samples from 6G 9un$le a track of 1 !as )=ere is a $irl tryin$ to accomplish one thin$ an" that is to $et to the future* (9 Crystl' )Gin$ of the Beats* (@oin$ 7ha"o!' 1% /n
this
sense'
as
/
hae
ar$ue"'
!e
can*t
re$ar"
accelerationism as simply a thin$ of the past% &hile the machismo of 8uturism' its proto#8ascism' an" its naetL' make it easy to
1F
"ismiss' / hae tracke" the retoolin$ of accelerationism in the form of cyberpunk phuturism% The continuin$ appeal of this mo"e lies' not least' in its critical capacity' 5lle" !ith (anti#i"eolo$ical ere an" !ith a har"#e"$e" anti#humanism that refuses any consolation% The response of )Bifo* is to appeal to a reconnection of lan$ua$e an" "esire to counter the acceleratie forces of capital% 8rom the position of cybernetic accelerationism this can only appear as unnecessary nostal$ia' !hile from my critical position it seems to leae
untouche"
critical
consi"eration
of
the
forms
of
accelerationism embe""e" in our lan$ua$es an" "esires% Certainly' as 7tee 7hairo (2010 has note"' )accelerationist* aesthetics may proi"e a mappin$ an" analysis of the tren"lines of contemporary capitalism' it may also' ho!eer' replicate the fantasmatic core of capitalism% /t is for this secon" reason that / !ant to proi"e a more critical interro$ation of the tenets of accelerationism% /n essence' !hile promisin$ the traersal of capitalism / ar$ue that !hat it "eliers is a reinforcement of the )thrill*
of
capitalism
as
a
continuin$
operator
of
the
"emateriali.ation an" remateriali.ation of ne! )bo"ies* of labour' !hile minimi.in$ or alori.in$ the )threat* of these e-periences% Hf course' as the cases of etroit Techno an" "rum#an"#bass illustrate' / !oul"n*t un"erestimate the attraction of the spee" machine an" its utopian promise% &e hae to comes to terms !ith this i"eolo$ical stren$th' !hich makes the ambition to reconnect lan$ua$e an" "esire or to put the brake appear only as !eak
1+
humanist compromises in the face of the true embrace of the "estructie element% The "iiculty' at its heart' is that cyberpunk phuturism $ies oer to capital a monopoly on our ima$ination of the future as only the continuin$ intensi5cation of capitalism itself% The result is a reinforcement of the capitalist continuum that ra"ically embraces historical teleolo$y% / !ant to su$$est that rather than the reinforcement an" replication of capitalist relations as the means to achiee our future !e consi"er ima$inin$ ne! aant#$ar"es
an"
ne!
politics
that
take
seriously
the
recon5$uration an" ne$ation of these relations% /n this !ay !e coul" 5nally rescin" the promise of the cybernetic phuture%
Notes
1% The au"io recor"in$s from that eent can be accesse" here: http:IIback"oorbroa"castin$%netI2010I0IaccelerationismI
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22
