During a session of Introduction to Sound Arts we looked at some notable 20th century art movements and their relation to sound arts. I was quite familiar with Futurism and Modernism; however, Dadaism is something I have a very vague understanding of. In order to familiarise myself with Dadaism, I have given myself 3 questions to answer.
What was Dadaism and where does it come from?
Dadaism was an art movement that developed in the early 20th century, and was shaped by the Great War and the ideas of Futurism. The name Dada supposedly comes from Richard Huelsenback jabbing a knife into a dictionary and landing on the word Dada (French for hobby horse). Although some say the name is down to its multilingual neutrality and to emphasize its infantile sound.
Dadaism was first established in 1916 in Switzerland by émigré artists and writers. (Émigré meaning someone who has moved and settled in a different country, usually due to political reasons.) Hugo Ball and Emmy Hennings established the Cabret Voltaire nightclub in Zurich where there were nightly performances. Hugo Ball also wrote the ‘Dada Manifesto’ in 1916, this combined with him setting up the Cabaret Voltaire leads many to consider him the founder of Dadaism. Lots of artists who performed at Cabret Voltaire and were involved early on in Dadaism used their work to protest the Great War, they also protested against wider society and the social views and conventions of the day. Being based in neutral Switzerland allowed them the freedom to do so. After the Great War, Dadaism quickly spread throughout Europe, America and Aisa.
Dadaism didn’t last long. Due to its broad nature, the movement was unstable. Dadaism quickly melded into other art forms and movements. For example, in Paris by 1924 (only 8 years since the Dada manifesto had been written) Dadaism had almost completed melded into surrealism. By the later 1920s lots of artists had moved on to new ideas and art forms, adding to Dadaism’s decline. Another massive blow to Dadaism was the Nazi regime in Germany, Dadaism was deemed as ‘Degenerate Art’ and those involved with it were actively prosecuted.
Which notable figures and artworks were involved in Dadaism?
Hugo Ball is possibly the singular most important person in Dadaism. Ball wrote the Dada manifesto and established the Cabaret Voltaire, his work enabled Dadaism to become an established art movement within itself and created a place for artists to gather and share their work and ideas. I feel it would be unfair to mention the Cabaret Voltaire and not mention Emmy Hennings, a poet and performing artist who co-founded the Cabaret Voltaire.
Artists within Dadaism utilised a wide array of techniques such as, Collage, Photomontage, ‘Cut-up’ and Readymades.
An example of Dadaist collage is Hanna Höch’s 1919 work ‘Cut with the Kitchen Knife through the Last Epoch of Weimar Beer-Belly Culture in Germany ‘. This work was also my first introduction to Dadaism as a movement back when I was in school.
Perhaps the most famous example of work within Readymades and potentially even Dadaism, is Marcel Duchamps ‘Fountain’. This work from 1917 consists of a urinal laid out on its side signed ‘R. Mutt’. This work is considered a landmark of 20th century artwork by many art history writers. Some people believe this work may have actually been created by Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, however the majority of art historians firmly believe the work was in fact made by Duchamp himself.
What is Dadaism’s legacy and how does it relate to Sound Art?
Dadaism has had a phenomenal impact on the art world, influencing countless movements, techniques and individual artists. From what I’ve researched, I am of the view that Dadaism massively helped lay the foundations for most postmodern art. Admittedly I am probably not using that entirely correctly, by postmodern art I mean contemporary and avant-garde art from the 20th century and later. Dadaism embraced and encouraged a rejection of reason and to embrace absurdity and to use art as a form of protest. This is a theme that appears to crop up all the time whenever you look at postmodern art, as somebody studying (sound) art in the 21st century I see Dadaist principles in nearly all contemporary art. Dadaism has also had an impact on music, with artists such as David Bowie, Frank Zappa and even Kurt Cobain naming Dadaism as an influence on their music and writing techniques. Sound Art embraces the avant garde with many artists creating experimental work or creating using unorthodox methods. Works within Sound Art are also used to make statements and protest, another key principle of Dadaism.