Dispute Plan to Prevent Future Luxury Constitution

by Benjamin H. Bratton, Julieta Aranda (Editor), Brian Kuan Wood (Editor)

Equal parts Borges, Burroughs, Baudrillard, and Black Ops, Dispute Plan to Prevent Future Luxury Constitution charts a treacherous landscape filled with paranoid master plans, failed schemes, and dubious histories.

Benjamin H. Bratton's kaleidoscopic theory-fiction links the utopian fantasies of political violence with the equally utopian programs of security and control. Both rely on all manner of doubles, models, gimmicks, ruses, prototypes, and shock-and-awe campaigns to realize their propagandas of the deed, threat, and image. Blurring reality and delusion, they collaborate on a literally psychotic politics of architecture.

The cast of characters in this ensemble drama of righteous desperation and tactical trickery shuttle between fact and speculation, action and script, flesh and symbol, death and philosophy: insect urbanists, seditious masquerades, epistolary ideologues, distant dissimulations, carnivorous installations, forgotten footage, branded revolts, imploding skyscrapers, sentimental memorials, ad-hoc bunkers, sacred hijackings, vampire safe-houses, suburban enclaves, big-time proposals, ambient security protocols, disputed borders-of-convenience, empty research campuses, and robotic surgery.

In this mosaic we glimpse a future city built with designed violence and the violence of design. As one ratifies the other, the exception becomes the ruler.

Genres: Philosophy, Fiction, Technology, Science Fiction, Theory, Architecture, Literature

177 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2015

About the author

Benjamin H. Bratton is a theorist whose work spans philosophy, computer science, and design. He is Associate Professor of Visual Arts and Director of the Center for Design and Geopolitics at the University of California, San Diego. He is also Visiting Professor of Critical Studies at SCI-Arc (the Southern California Institute of Architecture) and Professor of Digital Design at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.

Reviews

[Jonfaith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uneven but Deleuzean. Intermittent but pulsing, a gig economy with ascending eschatological requirements. Entry fees redeemable in black sites across the former Pact.

I’m not sure the term Brutalist is used but there are meditations on Orgone machines and vampire architecture.

Be patient with it. The rewards are immense, if troubling.

[Chris Beiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good one.

Some of the themes (terror / the city / images of violence) have been written about at length, but Bratton has solid insights and tight prose. More than anything, this book reminds me of Infinite Jest’s more esoteric sections—histories of fictive medias, the esoteric politics of unrealized terrorist cells and architectural projects—with a focus on a newer future.

[channel]

really fun when it works (opener, 'blast footage'), but sections like the Genet one are real slogs, despite offering intriguing enough overlaps that someone as distant from academic architectural culture can have fun with it. is that the audience?

i'm more motivated to work with the actual alien philosophic projects (which seem to be available in the works of henry flynt, hennix, or: laura riding, actually attempting to work with blanchot in 'the infinite conversation' or 'the step not beyond', or, for real non-cowards: michael bertiaux) than taking a specific and hackneyed (to me, as outsider) vernacular and driving it to 'alien' ends. i think. i'm willing to be open minded.

but you could definitely do worse than this, either way

[eve massacre · Rating 4 out of 5]

A many-layered little beast of theory-fiction that is very very good when it's good, so the few weaker chapters are easily to be forgiven. Theory fiction often is in danger of indulging in intellectual crypticism fetish, in the pleasure of obscurantism. Dissimulation even.* It's a fine line but Benjamin H. Bratton IMHO manages to stay on the thrilling and inspiring side of it most of the time.

[Sam Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very mixed! The Spratly Islands section that opens the book is genuinely amazing. Quite a lot of pretty dry terrorism/architecture/violence theory elsewhere, which isn't bad but will be familiar to anyone who's followed critical theory discourse post 9/11.

[Bas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heerlijke verbijsterende theorie-cultuurtrip die je net zo verbouwereerd als gefrustreerd achterlaat. Precies wat het beoogt, denk ik. Zoals alles van Bratton :)

[Cole Blouin]

this one was really challenging. I think a lot of it went over my head. Glad to have read it, and looking forward to digging deeper into Bratton.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first 2-page "chapter" in this book was fantastic. After that, it was much more hit-or-miss, and felt like it was leaning a bit on Negarestani's Cyclonopedia. I like the general idea of this "theory fiction" genre but couldn't help feeling a bit let down after the strong opener.