A utopian idea or not: an art history professor explores Russian Constructivist Theatre at conference in Helsinki

Kiasma

Kiasma – a museum of contemporary art in Helsinki. Photo by Dr. Roann Barris.

Avant-garde theatre, a play about single motherhood, and utopian beliefs are the topics Art History Professor Roann Barris’ discussed at the end of August at the Fourth Annual Conference of the European Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies in Helsinki, Finland.

To an audience of peers from Russia, Finland, Europe, the United States, Canada, South America and Africa, Barris, also Department of Art chair, presented her paper “Reification of Utopian Theatre.” She discussed her research on Russian Constructivist Theatre, which was based on earlier work and also insights gained from her Fulbright research in Moscow four years ago. Papers were presented in English, Russian and French

“I actually argued the opposite of my title – that the avant-garde, constructivist theatre, particularly in the work of the producer Vsevelod Meierkhold, subverted the notion of a socialist utopia,” Barris said.

Her paper focused on a Meierkhold production about a woman who wanted to have a child out of wedlock.

“This was not acceptable behavior and she was accused of being a prostitute. But more important for the production (which never took place), Meierkhold planned to have certain people in the audience respond to staged questions about morality in the play,” Barris explained.

She said other audience members would have been under the illusion these actors were regular theatregoers like themselves. Therefore, instead of seeing people freely participating, what they would have seen was also an act.

“The second illusion was the stage: the stage had a glass, oval center. Glass suggests transparency, the idea that nothing is hidden but everything in this production was an illusion – sort of the Wizard of Oz in reverse.”

Though this was a censored play, Meierkhold was permitted to produce it staged as a discussion. This provided an illusion of compliance with the Socialist Repertoire Commission while defying them at the same time.

This play was never performed.

“We don’t know why but can only guess that he no longer wanted to play the game of pretense,” Barris said, “In the last few years before he was arrested and killed, his productions were mostly conservative and academic and loved by the state.”

According to Barris, it is within the past decade Meierkhold’s personal papers and documents became available for study.

Barris interest in theatre history stems from the belief that in the 1920s theatre was the most important art form as a means of reaching the people. It combined all media, it was political and it was revolutionary.

This conference was an opportunity for her to express her thoughts on the subject and receive feedback from others working in the fields of literature, art, dance and theater, with a particular focus on the avant-garde.

It also allowed her to learn about new artists and developments in the arts. These she will use in her teaching. She enjoyed the opportunity to explore Helsinki’s culture and as this was her first trip there, she found the city to be a mixture of Rome and St Petersburg.

To learn more about the art history program in the Department of Art, please visit their webpage.

Sep 10, 2014
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