La manumisión de las imágenes

This article proposes a revision and an expansion of the concept of performativity from a Peircean semiotic perspective. We will seek to demonstrate how the linguistic origin of the concept of performativity imposes only a symbolic nature to that notion, limiting image analysis. Along with this, the notion of the Peircean triadic sign allows us to show the possibility and the need to incorporate the iconic and indexical aspects in the analysis of visual performativity. The second task aims to display the nine subsigns defined by Peirce for further analysis of the triadic performativity by using a semiotic operative model called Semiotic Nonagon. Finally, we will use this semiotic model to analyze an incident that took place in December 2011 in the city of Buenos Aires: the peculiar meeting of the great photographs of the police repression of 2001, the traditional commemorative march, and the installation of a monumental Christmas tree in the Plaza de Mayo with its later set on fire by the protesters. Though, the necessary concurrency of the three performative aspects allows us to propose the concept of contingent performativity.