Theses on the Expansion of Capital and the Destruction of London

I

Capital has no interest in history other than how it can be commodified into tradition and heritage. Tradition and heritage must be constantly manufactured and re-manufactured in a distorted image of the past. In the process the contradictions of Capital and class tensions appear to be resolved. But this is just appearance. The tradition of Capital reveals itself in this domination of the past with this expression of the new.

II

Capital must constantly move. It must never stop. Not even for a moment or two. The split second of the photograph frame gives the illusion that the rotors have stopped. If they had, the helicopter would fall from the sky. Part of the revolutionary process is the working class developing the organisational power and ability to stop Capital. Thus begins the overthrow.

III

A new phase of identikit capital which generates flat-pack culture. A one-dimensional topography is emerging at a global level. It gives the appearance of a one-dimensional world. It has a powerful appearance but it is all predicated on the supra-exploitation of labour. Exploitation and alienation are built into these expressions of capital but it is never directly expressed.

IV

All previous eras created an architecture which reflected the values and behaviours of those societies. Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, the Italian city states, the Renaissance. Now large scale architecture reflects nothing but money values. But this is too obvious. A huge industry has emerged to describe an image of exchange value as apparently being something else. Through this process the architecture becomes an expression of widespread ruling class paranoia and neurosis. War is another manifestation of despotic psychopathy.

V

The origin of this ruling class paranoia, neurosis and despot-psychosis is the endless pressure of competition. From the very top of the tallest building they can see a new building start to emerge at ground level. It quickly grows. Will it be higher? Who will look down on who?

VI

How much of this is real? Capital can never be sure of its own identity. It has no nationality, race, gender, family origins. It has no social connections. The only relationships capital has is with things. Yet it constantly strives to come to life. It is the Frankenstein monster that fails to breathe. Therefore it must demand that life becomes authentic.

VII

The images endlessly reflect each other. It is no longer possible to determine where the physical and hypothetical character of the image begins and/or end. Each image is individual but cannot exist in isolation. An immense tension develops between the single example and the totality. This becomes a social tension and is worked through in class antagonisms.

VIII

Occasionally there are glimpses of labour. The invisible: indispensable. Labour power is everywhere but lacks the coordinated marketing of the Spectacle. The process of revolution will include the revelation of what is currently out of sight.

IX

The total amount of Capital invested in London is unknown. The map of land ownership has been heavily redacted. There are blank spaces where title deeds should be. Investors hide behind shell companies hidden in tax havens and offshore financial industries.

X

These hidden, secret and corrupt forces are feeding the insatiable demands of capital accumulation. The city is being re-shaped by the demands of capital accumulation. This demands the expansion of exchange-values. These exchange-values only ever exist as money-abstractions and therefore lack ideas, art, design, imagination, ethics, principles and morals.

XI

The function of money can be determined but it is unclear what money actually is or what it represents. None of the characteristics of money are constant over time. The quality of money cannot be defined. And yet it has become the central determinant as to what cities are.