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Chapter I. What is an assemblage?
Actually, this should read "Plateau" instead of "Chapter." Chapters reflect linear organization, and the first thing you need to know about Deleuze and Guattari is that they are only linear when it suits their mood. Lines are cool; linearality is merely plebeian. I'm guessing blog posts would mess with their mental schema just a bit.
Situated somewhere in the middle of the introductory plateau is the root (ahem!) of the idea of assemblages.
Situated somewhere in the middle of the introductory plateau is the root (ahem!) of the idea of assemblages.
Here are some of the things D&G say about them:
- "They are produced in the strata, but operate in zones where milieus become decoded...Every assemblage is basically territorial" (p. 503). Milieu = middle. In other words, to understand how systems work, we need to begin in the middle and try to make sense out of the way the various pieces of an assemblage work together, then trace the roots as they spread. Assemblages rarely have easily discernible edges, but the centers are easy to identify.
- "[A]ssemblages are complexes of lines" (p. 505). They are connections between units, links between members of a herd, flock, or other system. They are always in a state of fluctuation. As Eugene Holland said, "An assemblage is never fixed; it is always part of a process" (Holland, 2010).
My Pop Analysis:
Click Play to hear Gould creating lines. Is this an assemblage? It is many, it is two hands' worth of chords spelled out one note at a time, it is one genius compounding another. It is too fast, yet it is its own logical system. It is almost organic in its progression from one harmony to another. It is linear, though, not rhizomatic because it does not branch out in myriad directions (it remains within the genre, for example). Thus, since it is lines and measurable speed, it is indeed an assemblage (see p. 4). Assemblages do not have to be organic; in fact, many are mechanical. By those definitions, the performance itself is an assemblage.
Thank you for providing clear definitions (and page numbers) exploring the idea of assemblages. I think if we can come to an understanding of the D&G's buzz words, we'll be one step closer to understanding 'A Thousand Plateaus'. I adore (and then some) your link to the Koons' exhibit at Versailles! I cackled at the delightful juxtaposition of the giant inflatable lobster and Versailles' gaudy bedazzled hall. So (to use my terms) does the lobster serve as the reterritorializing 'text' acting to deterritorialized Versailles? This post is 'playful' and highly educational ^_^
ReplyDeleteOh my heck! You MADE the graphic for the faux 'newbies' text! I LOVE it and need a festively 'playful' print off.
ReplyDeletei agree with rebecca. i think your approach is a great one. i love the graphic!
ReplyDeletei also think you did a great job of sharing a ton of resources on the reading this week. bravo.
i'd love to see you situate the pop analysis a little more concretely within your notion of an assemblage or an organizational scheme. the performance is not an organizational scheme, right, but it does operate within one/many organizational schemes? that is to say that i think that the performance is a set of signifiers that act out/emanate from/indicate an assemblage of signifiance and subjectification. the assemblage provides us with the tools to understand the performance.
does this jive with your understanding of the concept?