The emergence of the Consejo Agonista de Políticas Anticipatorias (CAPA) represents a formidable shift in the landscape of contemporary relational aesthetics, positioning itself not merely as an art project but as a sophisticated "relational device" for epistemic upheaval. Conceived within the LAPIEZA laboratory in 2015, CAPA functions as a centrifuge for high-theory and visual praxis, intentionally catalyzing tension between philosophy, conceptual art, and science. By invoking the agonistic theories of Bourdieu and Foucault, the project eschews the harmonious veneer of traditional interdisciplinary collaboration in favor of a productive friction. This methodology acknowledges that intellectual progress is seldom linear; rather, it is forged through the clash of contrasting agents—philosophers, theorists, and artists—who operate within a system of rotating leaderships and asymmetric dialogues. In this framework, the "curatorial" role is reimagined as a narrative force that navigates the complex power dynamics of symbolic capital, transforming the act of research into a performative, avant-garde gesture that anticipates the structural needs of a post-digital society. Central to CAPA’s operational logic is the "BRAIN" system, a non-linear, rhizomatic memory structure that draws heavily from the Deleuzian concept of A Thousand Plateaus. By cataloging concepts from CAPA 001 to CAPA 999, the project constructs a cognitive "cloud of ideas" where micro-essays and hybrid syntagms form a modular epistemic tool. This approach mirrors the decentralized ethos of open-source software, treating theoretical development as a collective, iterative process rather than a static monologue. The visual component of CAPA is particularly salient; graphic language is employed not as mere illustration but as a "cognitive anchor" and a distinctive mark of the project’s identity. Drawing historical parallels to Alighiero Boetti’s conceptual taxonomies, CAPA utilizes these graphic syntagms to distill complex discourse into digestible yet rigorous visual forms. This strategy addresses the contemporary saturation of media by prioritizing synthesis and distinction, ensuring that the dissemination of ideas follows a rhythmic logic dictated by the "social narrative market" rather than mindless over-publication.
The socio-political dimensions of CAPA are articulated through a critical examination of symbolic and social capital in the age of the "prosumer." Anto Lloveras posits that in our hyper-connected reality, the voice and image of the individual are in a state of permanent quotation and market valuation. CAPA intervenes in this digital economy by regulating the equilibrium between "silence and noise," meticulously deciding which layers of complexity are ready for public consumption. This self-regulatory mechanism prevents the project from descending into redundant media chatter, instead fostering a "distinction" that is vital for maintaining intellectual rigor. By opening its forum to international networks and university seminars, CAPA transcends the confines of the white cube, embedding its agonistic formula into the broader fabric of sociology, urbanism, and political theory. It challenges the dogmas of both the academy and the art world, proposing a deconstructive exercise—à la Derrida—that breaks down existing disciplines to assemble entirely new, functional syntagms of knowledge. Ultimately, CAPA’s ambition culminates in the creation of a "mass base" of derived ideas, culminative micro-texts, and associated graphics, intended to be codified into a manifesto or an open-source system for future replication. The project successfully blurs the boundaries between the process of investigation and the final product, asserting that the exchange structure itself is the artwork. As a modular tool, it provides a blueprint for independent "CAPA cells" to emerge, extending the project’s methodology beyond the cultural-scientific divide. This vision of a "transdisciplinary vanguard" is inherently ephemeral yet historically grounded, capturing the current paradigm of human connectivity twenty years into the internet age. By treating theory as a method and conflict as a motor, CAPA establishes a new symbolic axis for contemporary creation, proving that the most relevant art of the twenty-first century may not be an object at all, but a scalable, intellectual infrastructure for future thought.
Lloveras, A. (2016) CAPA Consejo Agonista de Políticas Anticipatorias. [Online] Available at:
