I'm A Groucho Marxist
Saturday, July 7, 2012, 8:30 pm
Airline Street, NE @ Edgewood Avenue overpass
Drawing from the history of literal and socially imposed barricades and barriers in Atlanta's past, artist Anya Liftig will construct a barricade made of repurposed steel and reclaimed materials. Liftig will attempt to surmount the structure while blindfolded and partially bound. This work evokes the physical and emotional difficulties involved in challenging entrenched systems of prejudice, elitism, and entitlement.
"I'm a Groucho Marxist" was a slogan painted on the walls of the Sorbonne by members of the Situationist International during the May 1968 student uprisings in Paris. Situationist International (SI) was an advocate of the importance of psychogeography in contemporary urban space. They believed that the history of a city, the story of its successes, failures and collective life, was essential to modern existence. Fighting against the forces of gentrification, SI held that citizen’s lives were enhanced by an awareness of the events, places, and people that came before. They railed against bland, dehumanizing architecture that suppressed individual expression and capitalist forces that erased local culture and business. The slogan in French--"Je suis Marxiste, tendance Groucho,"--literally translates to, "I am a Marxist, of the Groucho variety" and suggests playful, ironic way SI mixed elements of culture to provoke action. Liftig’s title is a reference to the importance of psychogeography in Atlanta and this humorous and yet, subversive slogan.
Additional support:
Malina Rodriguez -Technical Director and Lighting Design
Keif Schleifer- Construction Design
Jason Butcher- Sound Engineer and Design
Blake Williams, Proper Medium - Audio Visual and Documentation
