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[[File:Lucas Levi-Nietz.jpg|thumb|Passport photo<ref>https://nitter.net/UrbanMaoism/status/1627815506110562307</ref> of @UrbanMaoism]] | [[File:Lucas Levi-Nietz.jpg|thumb|Passport photo<ref>https://nitter.net/UrbanMaoism/status/1627815506110562307</ref> of @UrbanMaoism]] | ||
Lucas Levi-Nietz ( | '''Lucas Levi-Nietz''' (@'''UrbanMaoism'''<ref>https://twitter.com/UrbanMaoism</ref> on [[Twitter]]) is among Infrared's first ever guests during [[What Marxist-Leninists can learn from Accelerationism|one of the earliest livestreams]]. He has been a consistent ally and source of aesthetic inspiration for the Community since. His ideological contributions are meaningful, but it is difficult to judge their scope because of their esoteric (often religious) nature and lack of explicit interconnection with [[Infrared]]'s own original work. It is very likely that his aesthetic influence on the community is as significant as that of [[Fan Wennan]] because of his early appearance, but has already been mutated within the community beyond recognisability unlike the more obvious influence of [[People's Punk]]. | ||
== Aesthetics == | == Aesthetics == | ||
=== Universal Empire === | === Universal Empire === | ||
The flagship aesthetic of @UrbanMaoism is "Universal Empire", which is a first attempt at finding a modern expression for the aesthetic of [[Mongol Modernity]]. The term [[wikipedia:Universal_monarchy|"Universal Empire"]] is | The flagship aesthetic of @UrbanMaoism is "Universal Empire", which is a first attempt at finding a modern expression for the aesthetic of [[Mongol Modernity]]. The term [[wikipedia:Universal_monarchy|"Universal Empire"]] is used in this context in more or less explicit reference to Alexandre Kojeve's use of the term. It can also be read as general reference to the premodern land empires whose sovereigns claimed hegemony over what their people considered the whole of the world. The aesthetic binds these two readings of the term together by creating mood boards in which the aesthetics of archaic Universal Empires are displayed as a symbolic synonym-ring that constitutes a modern Universal Empire in the kojevian sense. At it's most simplest the aesthetic can be summed up as a fusion of [[Socialist Realism]] and Vorticism. Origin of the aesthetic has not yet been tracked down conclusively, but [https://twitter.com/Reach4ACopsGun Wahaddin Trotposting (@Reach4ACopsGun)] was likely the origin. He has also elaborated it into a Neo-Utopik magazine. | ||
[https://levinietz.substack.com/ Nietz's Substack] is named after this aesthetic, though it is not exclusively dedicated to it. | [https://levinietz.substack.com/ Nietz's Substack] is named after this aesthetic, though it is not exclusively dedicated to it. | ||
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** The follow-up assumption that defines the aesthetic is that people would gladly show up to a work just to smoke some ciggies with their friends and fuck around | ** The follow-up assumption that defines the aesthetic is that people would gladly show up to a work just to smoke some ciggies with their friends and fuck around | ||
** This culminates in the implication of a society that acts as a museum and theme-park dedicated to the memory of the hard work that made this state of leisure possible | ** This culminates in the implication of a society that acts as a museum and theme-park dedicated to the memory of the hard work that made this state of leisure possible | ||
* Smoking is cool and healthy | |||
* The appearance of Universal Empire is always localised to the culture of a place | * The appearance of Universal Empire is always localised to the culture of a place | ||
** This localisation does not act as a facade for an institutionalised Universal Empire (like the sci-fi clishe of the United Nations turned into a polity) | ** This localisation does not act as a facade for an institutionalised Universal Empire (like the sci-fi clishe of the United Nations turned into a polity) | ||
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**** In simpler words: There is no aesthetic difference between McDonalds in [[Germany]] and the [[United States of America|USA]] | **** In simpler words: There is no aesthetic difference between McDonalds in [[Germany]] and the [[United States of America|USA]] | ||
**** Universal Empire, in contrast, is itself the sum of commonalities among it's expressions in different cultures | **** Universal Empire, in contrast, is itself the sum of commonalities among it's expressions in different cultures | ||
* [[Communism]] and it's [[Post-scarcity economics|excess of leisure]] transform the common worker into a hobby intellectual who takes the time to engage with high culture previously reserved for the bourgoise that treated "having time for it" as privilege, yet the former worker still maintains a rugged aesthetic as philosopher-barbarian | * [[Communism]] and it's [[Post-scarcity economics|excess of leisure]] transform the common worker into a hobby intellectual who takes the time to engage with high culture previously reserved for the bourgoise that treated "having time for it" as privilege, yet the former worker still maintains a rugged aesthetic as philosopher-barbarian | ||
=== Institut d'AuGirLis === | === Institut d'AuGirLis === | ||
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=== Writings === | === Writings === | ||
Assorted writings on both (and likely more) of these aesthetics can be found on [https://levinietz.substack.com/ Substack]. | Assorted writings on both (and likely more) of these aesthetics can be found on [https://levinietz.substack.com/ Substack]. | ||
A special Infrared Community TEI Edition of "[[Suspended Enthusiasm]]" (that is enhanced with hyperlinks for terms that would benefit from glossary definition) is available via [magnet:?xt=urn:btih:318950B84AFCA988CA53A26E1535E2D005ED1584&dn=Suspended%20Enthusiasm.html&tr=udp%3a%2f%2ftracker.openbittorrent.com%3a80%2fannounce&tr=udp%3a%2f%2ftracker.opentrackr.org%3a1337%2fannounce Torrent]. | |||
== References == | == References == |