Nick Montero

CS-500-2
4/1/10

My current artwork revolves around the interest of how structures/barriers occupy space and
forms a power of control; this paper will show to how the state occupies a space and forms
control from ideas revolved around Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s a thousand plateaus
capitalism and schizophrenia; translated and foreworded by Brain Massumi.

“In the war machine, the family is a band vector instead of a

fundamental cell; a genealogy is transferred from one family to
another according to the aptitude of a given family at a given time
to realize the maximum of “agnatic solidarity” (Pg 366).
–Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari

The Deterritorialization of The State

Deconstructing how ideas are formed can give insight of understanding the purpose of

the state and how it functions in relation to power and control. Taking the opposition of Deleuze

and Guarttari purpose of the state we can see why there is conflict and reasons for why the state

fuels the war machine. Taking the body of the state and reducing it down to an organism starting

with what makes the state; people within the population.

People are what make a state function in hopes to work collectively together with people

who have similar interest and desires. This battle or struggle can be understood through the basic

role of survival. Darwinism supports this form of ideology that the strong survive and will

continue to live on. From my observation through my life experience that the nature of life is a

constant battle to survive because we are always competing against the elements in need for the
required necessities to live. These basic necessities are needed for all life to function, food;

health and shelter to maintain stability in order to survive. The state functions in a similar way as

a human does, for the need of having control of these resources for each state. This functioning

system can be further explained by using Deleuze and Guattari’s rhizome model.

The survival of life is the center of gravity for all development; personal and state. The

Rhizome model can connect and represent multiple layers revolving around the states desire for

survival. These basic needs or desires are the driving forces of the state. Following the order of

capitalism control for resources is important for each state to have available for the people to

survive. The state is always struggling to survive against other states because of constant

competition for resources. Without one state, other states would not exist. Unfortunately we do

not live in a utopia, so the power struggle will always exist as long as life continues to be a

struggle to survive. Different ideas develop over time in which direction the state should focus

on working towards. There will always be an imbalance in resources for providing health, food

and shelter because population growth outnumbers the working force in each area of need. This

creates a problem of always trying to find a balance between available resources for human

survival in a growing population. The imbalance of human life can follow the ideology of

capitalism.

The nature of capitalism is always searching to grow and expand in a specific market

area, constant competition against relating business create a need to survive until it out produces

the competitors in similar markets; unfortunately production reaches its limit. The state also

functions as a producer in the competitive world. The energy and resources that is used for the

conquest to reach the top, time is sucked in a vortex or the momentum of always growing and

never reaches a stable point. As soon as the maximum point is reach there the energy diffuses
and a new desire or market/product/idea has to be developed to either keep momentum or shift in

a new area. There will always remain a limited amount of resources because of the human desire

of never being satisfied. These desires are deeply entangled and withheld by capitalism for

always wanting to grow and capitalize. These struggles may be a burden to some, but the shift

between powers and obstacles is healthy for the human mind to continue pushing for new ideas.

Democratic interest is created so everyone is thinking that they are sharing equally the

idea of what direction the state should be driven in. The reality is that ideas are generated from

previous ideas; so all ideas are shared even if thoughts are in opposition. Deleuze and Guarttari’s

three segmenting lines can best describe the position and opposition with interest in leaning

towards the line of flight. All ideas travel through the process of sharing it with others; everyone

has their own opinion so interest and ideas evolve over time. Based on influence of experience

the essential interest people have is structured in survival. These interests vary depending on past

experiences and current living environment.

Ideas are developed through experience, and every experience is shared in relation by

object and viewer. This is where structures have great power in generating experiences in their

own environment for those who interact or are exposed to the space the structure occupies.

Structures can be viewed as barriers between social groups or a material marker of land. These

structures within cities distinguish between them, and us by building certain locations where

groups of people with similar interest can meet to work/socialize/live.

“Everything escapes, everything creates-never alone, but

through an abstract machine that produces continuums of intensity,
effects conjunctions of deterritoriaization, and extracts expressions
and contents.” (pg 142).
Not everyone is welcomed in each building because of privatization of land and ownership. For

example not everyone is allowed into SFAI because of different personal interest and goals. A

process has been set before us for the initiation into the socialization of being a member of SFAI.

Like a state, SFAI has members who have been socialized to be the leaders of the state. These

leaders control and distinguish between US and who is THEM. The desire for competing against

other art schools has been established by the nature of survival. The conflict arises between

schools (states) of the line between commercial art and fine art. Physical structures become a

representational object to the environment and are symbols for the belief system in which the

people have that occupy the space. The desire to keep these two areas completely separate in art

creates confrontation and the state of the war machine is triggered to battle for resources for

survival. I would argue that these walls are necessary to allow SFAI to continue to function and

requires a control, otherwise will dissolve over time and there would be no distinguishable

differences between fine art and commercial art. States put up invisible walls or lines on a map to

distinguish which groups are us and which groups are the “outsiders”; otherwise the state and

ways of life will be influenced by the outsiders and be under constant change of directions.

States or structures act as a power controlling lines and boundaries to separate US from

THEM. Attempts to change power in another boundary manipulate the function and causes

conflict of interest. The process and experience of change in ideas require time and socialization

to get the majority of people headed in the same direction. Structures in relation have been

strategically mapped out to control the direction of interaction that takes place within the built

space. An architect who maps out where social, live, and work space designs the power of a

structure and controls all interaction for within each space. Specific ideas lay out which direction

to take and require constant enforcement to maintain the original form of the idea; the most
resistant side or power will last and live on for the future. The submissive side will vanish over

time and will rise up again once the idea of failure has been forgotten. Throughout history this

form of power has existed for controlling states. This is the cycle of power; there will always be

a controller. From my experience for all collaboration work there has to be grounding, someone

will eventually have to take charge and keep power moving in the same direction to keep

everyone cohesively working towards the same goal. Different roles have to be taken up or

assigned by the leader to maintain a productive experience.

The power of the state in most recent times the United States occupation in the Middle

East. Power in capitalism is resources; one of the most valuable and useful resource is oil that

allows “easier” and faster production of the three elements of survival; food, health, and shelter.

The state that controls oil holds the power of resources. States are in constant competition for the

interest of the population within the state against other states (The War Machine).

Using Deleuzien concepts to dismantle the power the state structure imposes control.

Capitalism (like survival) influences and forms the state’s structure. Alike an architect’s design

for building a structure, the design of the state also imposes the power of control. Capitalism

creates a problem of always have the desire to want more; in order to grow and expand.

Capitalism is one initial element that creates constant struggle for power and will always hug the

segmentarity lines for the War Machine.