Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship - autonomous ...

artificial hells
Umberto Boccioni, Caricature of the Futurist Serata Held in Treviso, 2 June 1911. Ink on paper.
sections: a Futurist symphony, a reading of Futurist poetry, and a presentation
of Futurist painting and sculpture. Part of theatre’s attraction to
Futurist artists therefore seemed to lie in its offering an alternative space
of exhibition: artists were in direct control of a display format in which
audiences could be confronted directly, rather than through the meditation
of an exhibition or book.
Viewing the serate as a new form of exhibition display, we can begin to
understand how abrupt and innovative the Futurist engagement with spectatorship
really was. Until that point, modern art had for the most part been
restricted to the display of two- and three- dimensional work indoors: in
salons, commercial galleries, and in the newly emergent form of the biennial
(1895 onwards). What art was shown outdoors was sculptural, and
tended to take the form of either monumental statuary or architectural
decoration; in both cases its role tended to be affi rmative in relation to offi -
cial culture. 2 By contrast, Futurist activities were performance- based, held
in theatres but also in the streets, assertively itinerant (touring cities
throughout Italy), and supported by a comprehensive assault on public
consciousness via printed matter. Events were preceded by manifestos and
fl ysheet actions in the city to stir up attention; after performances, press
releases were written up and sent to national and foreign newspapers. 3 To
describe Futurist experimentation as performance art, however, does not
adequately convey the confl ation of press, promotionalism and politics
devised by its leading spokesman, Marinetti.
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