What is the difference or similarities in situationist techniques that Jacqueline de Jong and Banksy using?



In this essay I’m going to research about the connection between situationist movement, détournements, propaganda and activism while using works of Jacqueline de Jong and Banksy. Their works became a potent tool for inspiring social change. This research delves into the ways in which Situationist détournements merged art and activism, to explaining the profound impact of these practices on challenging dominant narratives.

The Situationist International (SI), active from 1957 to 1972, believed that capitalism's alienation infiltrated everyday life through consumer culture. They drew inspiration from Marxism and Henri Lefebvre's "everyday life" concept, advocating for liberation from a commodity-driven society. Their central technique, détournement, involved bring down existing cultural elements to expose hidden bourgeois ideologies and economic motives.

Détournement was a means to turn consumerism and the society of the spectacle against itself. By manipulating ads, texts, art, and other cultural components, they aimed to reveal the creators as betraying the working classes. Graffiti, comics, posters, and media like radio and film were fertile ground for these distortions, sparking creativity and innovation. Notably, Guy Debord dismissed the idea of "Situationist art," considering it untrustworthy, part of the capitalist system. Instead, he emphasized "Situationist means of quoting and twisting the society of the spectacle." The SI disbanded in 1972, but their influence persisted as former members continued to apply Situationist methods in various creative pursuits.

If we talk about detournement we directly think about Guy Debord, Asger Jorn, Jacqueline de Jong. These are examples of longer ago. An artist that is using these techniques now a days is Bansky, but probably also other street artists or different artists are using this technique.