things have become things again...

I'm still not quite sure of this phrase but it keeps taking me to a book i read last year called Crowds and Power by Elias Canetti. In particular Canetti's discussion of 'unmasking.' He argues that if we continue unmasking 'all the leaves of the tree will start to look the same' (apologies for the lack of reference but i haven't got the book within reach). I feel this statement echoes the argument that 'things things have become things again.' By unmasking things based on their facts as opposed to the world of concern i feel like Latour is arguing the world diminishes. The process of unmasking as i'm using it i feel is aptly described by Klara's post when she describes the search for 'ultimate truths' removed from the concerns of the object.

realist attitude celebrated...

"reality is not defined by matters of fact" (Latour quoted in an earlier post by Milana). I agree with Milana in that i feel this assertion is a key concern that provokes Latour's celebration of the realist attitude. The other reference that appears to feature heavily in people's responses is the move toward appreciation of the objects concern as opposed to its matters of fact. The only way i feel able to to shed further light in this area is to consider this attitude in the field of performance studies. Perhaps it is plausible to contrast two readings of an object on stage. For example a recent production i collaborated on worked intensely with underwear as an object in performance. To read this according to 'matters of fact,' the underwear could be studied for its positioning in the space, its material qualities, its motion through time etc. To read this object through matters of concern may lead to a reading that focuses on how the object of underwear was in relation to the other objects on stage. What conditions brought this object to its place in the parliament of objects on stage? Perhaps this is too much of a break from Latour considering he was levelling an argument on critique itself. However it seems to me to read performance according to matters of fact is a futile exercise whereas critique based on matters of concern appear to provoke more fruitful readings.