Why all this interest in the everyday? What is so special about “leftovers” that artists and philosophers have adopted it as a theme, or indeed, been inspired to create whole movements around this concept? The Situationists emerged in the 50s, when time-saving, convenient appliances were also emerging with regularity – products like refrigerators, washing machines, Tupperware – all designed to make our lives easier and give us more free time; theoretically, more time to immerse ourselves in and enjoy our everyday lives.
Technology has continued to bombard us with time-saving devices, which paradoxically has resulted in people having less free time than ever before. Lefebvre recognized in 1961 that “technological or industrial civilization tends to narrow the gaps between lifestyles (we are not talking about living standards) in the world as a whole.” (The Everyday, p. 27). Technology spreads and the global community shrinks.
As the microchip set continues to spit gadgets at us, the more we get caught up in how much we can cram into a 24-hour day. And the more we long for “the good ol’ days.” Exploring the complexities and ambiguities of everyday life helps us regain a sense of control as we are forced to approach things with a new perspective.
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