The Dada Movement - Russian Avant-Garde on the Internet Essay -- Explo

The Dada Movement - Russian Avant-Garde on the World Wide Web Russia witnessed an artistic revolution during the turn of the 20th century that attempted to overturn art's place in society. Today, we are witnessing a new revolution that is growing at an alarming rate and attracting a variety of people every day. This phenomenon is known as the Internet. The World Wide Web is more than a medium for education and research, but serves as a tool for preserving and glorifying the treasures of art. This paper will argue that through the Internet, society still inhabits the world created by the Russian avant-garde whose legacy lives on in art, dance, music, and social groups. Members of the Dada movement in Pre-Revolutionary Russia found themselves unable to communicate the excitement of the avant-garde, however, with the Internet, that excitement is once again re-lived. The International Dada Archive of the University of Iowa is an example of the how the Internet is used as a tool to immortalize the works of the Dada movement. The purpose of the archive is to preserve and spread the written word of the Dada movement. Unlike contemporary art, the artist and writers of the Dada movement did not aim to create eternal works of art and literature (Shipe 2). Tristan Tzara and Hugo Ball, leaders of the movement, reacted against World War I and wanted to open the way to a new art and a new society. Though Dadaists published books and displayed their work, the real spirit of Dada was in events: cabaret performances, demonstrations, confrontation, distribution of leaflets, and small magazines (Shipe 2). These documents exist but can only be found within diaries, audiences, newspaper accounts, and throwaway leaflets. The documents are made a... ...ormation concerning all types of art within the click of a mouse. Because millions of people have access to the Internet, art itself will have a greater appreciation and a broader understanding. The World Wide Web is more than a medium for education and research, but serves as a tool for preserving and glorifying the treasures of art. Works Cited Heartfield, John. Available: http://burn.ucsd.edu/heart.htm. Mital-Underground. Available: http://www.mital-u.ch/index.html. Turner, Ron. Available: http:// www.connect.net/ron/dada.html Shipe, Timothy. International Dada Archive, University of Iowa Libraries. Iowa City: University of Iowa. Available: http://www.uiowa.edu/dada/about.html 1997. Stoppard, Tom. Travesties. New York: Grove Press, 1975. Zygonov, Victor. The Nuemerz Manifesto. Available: http:// www.smalltime.com/nowhere/neumerz/manifesto.htm.