"How does one achieve eternal bliss? By saying dada. How does one become famous? By saying dada. With a noble gesture and delicate propriety. Till one goes crazy. Till one loses consciousness..."
Hugo Ball suggests the power of the word dada in his Dada Manifesto. It's extremely interesting that this group created not only a new form of art, but a way of life which was unconventional -- in their time and in ours. Ball describes dada as a therapeutic method for reforming life. "A line of poetry is a chance to get rid of all the filth that clings to this accursed language...Dada is the heart of words." He never actually suggested mixed media art as a part of dadaism but mainly as a form of poetry and language. This basis gave way to a whole mode of art which was previously non existent, a fact which is extraordinary.
In Ball's time period his words inspired a plethora of art and poetry, but his inspiration did not stop in his lifetime. Dan Eldon was a journalist and artist who lived from 1970-1993. Sadly, his work didn't gain popularity until after his death in 1993. He was researching the starvation in Somalia and was stoned to death. He and a group of colleagues went to photograph the site of a bombing, and a group of onlookers who were angry about the bombing attacked the group until they died.
While this end is indubitably tragic, Eldon left behind art which is obviously inspired by the artful insanity of Dadaism.
No comments:
Post a Comment