Consequences of a Duchampian accelerationism [1]

Acutely and strategically accelerating the overall parameters of the aesthetic encounter in modernity, the Duchampian readymade forces to recognize the latent possibilities that surround experiences of objects. This aesthetic envisioning of the subject has some important consequences that define the parameters of a Duchampian accelerationism. Marcel Duchamp proud claim of indifference becomes the boredom of possibilities in modern culture, where choice is positioned as the ultimate creative act – one that he, rather than accepting or rejecting, transforms by locating it within the realm of the aesthetic. Duchamp’s readymade aesthetic is different from avant-gardist tendencies. Capitalist society from the 19th century to the present is about teaching people to think and act through ready-made possibilities, and art’s attempted resistance to such limitations, through avant-gardist and neo-avant-gardist aesthetic strategies have proven for the most part insufficient in the face of everyday needs and desires.