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DADAISM
DADAISM
If you must speak of Dada, you must speak of Dada. If you must not speak of Dada, you must still speak of Dada.
-Jean Paulhan, 1920
Dadaism was the most explosive manifestation of the historic AVANT-GARDE. The movement flared up in World War I in Zurich, then reignited in capitals such as Berlin, Paris, and New York after the end of fighting; by the early 1920s, its flame was largely extinguished. Dada shared much of the spirit and style of movements such as FUTURISM, Cubism, and EXPRESSIONISM and was a precursor to the more long-lived SURREALISM. The frenzied and confrontational energies behind Dada also animated later cultural phenomena: 1960s situationism, Viennese actionism, and 1970s punk.
Though Dada did not last a decade, its impact on the art world is enormous. The movement's immediate engagement with its own moment transformed the turbulence of global conflict, the uncertainty of postwar economies, and the profound changes in the rhythms of everyday life wrought by new technologies into a source of cultural renewal. The significance of Dada beyond its historical origin lies in (1) the international connections made among artists; (2) its exploration of the boundaries between performers and audience and between scripted texts and embodied action; (3) the attention that dadaists brought to the interrelationship of media; and (4) the movement's focus on the revolutionary potential of creative activity, whether in political or more conventionally aesthetic terms.
Dada arose as an expression of protest against European tradition, which led, in the eyes of participants, to the horrors of World War I. The movement began in 1916 in politically neutral SWITZERLAND, when displaced persons and emigrés, largely from Central Europe, founded the Cabaret Voltaire. Named after the 18th-century French satirist and exponent of reason, the Cabaret Voltaire staged anarchic variety shows featuring readings of poetry in multiple languages (sometimes all at once), “negro” drumming and dancing, the spontaneous creation and destruction of paintings onstage, and political rants and declamations. The key figures in the Cabaret were Munich-born Hugo Ball (1886-1927), a former philosophy student with mystical tendencies formerly involved with MAX REINHARDT'S experimental theater in Berlin; his consort Emmy Hennings (1885-1948), a chanteuse, dancer, and poet; the Rumanian poet Tristan Tzara (born Sami Rosenstock, 1896-1963); his...