Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship - autonomous ...
Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship - autonomous ...
Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship - autonomous ...
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artificial hells<br />
has <strong>the</strong> effect <strong>of</strong> rendering <strong>the</strong>m increasingly indistinguishable, to <strong>the</strong> point<br />
where – like Proletkult <strong>the</strong>atre – we seem to be dealing with only one play,<br />
performed over <strong>and</strong> again with minor variations. Participation was more<br />
important than watchability, dramatic impact or technical skill. For<br />
Kerzhentsev, speaking on behalf <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Proletkult, this was also true <strong>of</strong><br />
neighbourhood <strong>the</strong>atre: artistic talent was not in itself considered essential<br />
because ‘in <strong>the</strong> revolutionary epoch, it is not <strong>the</strong> centre <strong>of</strong> our concerns. A<br />
correct <strong>the</strong>oretical line, precise slogans, <strong>and</strong> burning enthusiasm are just as<br />
important.’ 82 It was more pressing for a play to express collective consciousness<br />
than to attain <strong>the</strong> old bourgeois goals <strong>of</strong> quality <strong>and</strong> posterity. Here,<br />
<strong>the</strong>n, we see <strong>the</strong> beginning <strong>of</strong> a clash <strong>of</strong> criteria that persists today: an art <strong>of</strong><br />
formal innovation that has relevance beyond its immediate historical<br />
moment, capable <strong>of</strong> speaking to both local <strong>and</strong> future audiences, versus a<br />
dynamic culture that involves as many workers as possible <strong>and</strong> in so doing<br />
provides an ethically <strong>and</strong> politically correct social model. The same<br />
dilemma is posed by <strong>the</strong> substantial overhaul <strong>of</strong> music that took place<br />
during <strong>the</strong> post- revolutionary period, <strong>and</strong> I will conclude this section with<br />
two striking examples whose forms reiterate this tension between quality<br />
<strong>and</strong> equality, artistic <strong>and</strong> social goals.<br />
Despite <strong>the</strong> popularity <strong>of</strong> collective <strong>the</strong>atre <strong>and</strong> amateur photography<br />
in <strong>the</strong> 1920s, <strong>the</strong> attempt to eliminate hierarchy <strong>and</strong> individualism in<br />
Soviet culture can be seen most vividly in two forms <strong>of</strong> musical innovation.<br />
The fi rst was <strong>the</strong> conductorless orchestra movement, which<br />
demonstrated its commitment to collectivism in musical performance by<br />
renouncing <strong>the</strong> tyranny <strong>of</strong> a single privileged conductor, but also by<br />
organising rehearsals <strong>and</strong> performances in a way designed to ensure<br />
maximum participation <strong>and</strong> equal voice. Musicians bore responsibility<br />
for <strong>the</strong> correct technical execution <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir individual parts, but also for<br />
tempo, nuance <strong>and</strong> interpretation; <strong>the</strong> orchestra sat in a circle, facing<br />
each o<strong>the</strong>r for maximum eye contact, even if this meant that some <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong>m had <strong>the</strong>ir backs to <strong>the</strong> audience. 83 The best known <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se orchestras,<br />
Persimfans (1922– 32), performed in <strong>the</strong> main concert halls in<br />
Moscow, but also in factories, working- class neighbourhoods <strong>and</strong> army<br />
garrisons. Concerts were introduced by short oral presentations on <strong>the</strong><br />
social background <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> composer, <strong>and</strong> pieces were <strong>of</strong>ten played twice to<br />
help <strong>the</strong>m stay in <strong>the</strong> mind <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> listener. Stites has argued that Persimfans<br />
‘was an example <strong>of</strong> continued belief in unalienated labour, equality,<br />
anti- authoritarianism . . . a utopia in miniature, a tiny republic <strong>and</strong> model<br />
workshop for <strong>the</strong> communist future’. 84 However, <strong>the</strong> project was also<br />
plagued by technical issues: without a conductor to unify <strong>the</strong> group, <strong>the</strong><br />
orchestra had problems with timing – <strong>and</strong> since <strong>the</strong>re were no great revolutionary<br />
composers, <strong>the</strong>y were obliged to keep performing <strong>the</strong> old<br />
bourgeois classics. 85 As with <strong>the</strong>atre, <strong>the</strong> principle <strong>of</strong> collective composition<br />
was ideologically desirable but artistically premature.<br />
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