PP: The essay “Under Leviathan’s Eye” in your book Taxonomy of the Barricade was informed by the Paris revolts of May 1968, the event that this exhibition also hinges upon. In expanding this study to encompass a broader history of barricades, were there any unexpected findings?

WS: We arrived at new insights concerning the nature of image actions or deictic actions, as I would say. Those concerning the characteristic transitions in the iconography of the barricade after 1830, and at the recognition of the significance of the barricade’s obsolescence in terms of military strategy for the unfolding of its metaphorical power as expressed in the art of the early 20th century avant-garde. In most historical cases, the barricade as an obstacle proves to be only transitional, intended to impede and slow down the advance of a sovereign adversary, since this opponent, as the epitome of hegemonic power, usually retains the upper hand militarily. Advances in light mobile artillery gradually rendered barricades useless, at least as a strategic instrument. But at the same moments, their symbolic meaning appears with unexpected significance – with repercussions right up to the present day.

PP: What was the process for choosing what events, images, and narratives to connect with Paris? What’s the significance of this exhibition taking place in Rome?

WS: The performative motif of the barricade developed in Paris. It was initiated by the Holy League (La Sainte Ligue) with the Day of the Barricades on May 12, 1588 during the French Wars of Religion. It continued with the so-called Fronde, which culminated in the Parisian Barricade Battles in August 1648. Two hundred years later it spread across the world as a method of urban rioting in multiple conflicts of the 19th century. Beside Paris, Rome is the only major city that saw serious barricade building in both 1848 and 1968.

PP: The exhibition includes popular visual culture representations of barricades, including the 1976 arcade game Barricade—which was an early example of the “snake” videogame genre. What’s the importance of this pop culture element? Why did you choose to include this?

WS: The performative power in the metaphor of the barricade lies in the fact that, for the ruling class, its erection represents the sudden and spontaneous emergence of unity among a serious mass of the people who have taken action. The apparition of this spectre must seem frightening to any government. The pride in this sole tool of an otherwise inferior class made it a powerful popular symbol in all cultural spheres, be it games and entertainment.