Beasters: DADA

Dada is a cultural movement that primarily involved visual arts, literature, theatre, and graphic design. It concentrated its anti-war politics through a rejection of the prevailing standards in art through anti-art cultural works. For many participants, it was a protest against the bourgeois nationalist and colonialist interests which many Dadaists believed were the root cause of the war.

Origin of the word Dada:
There were many different explanations of the origin of the word Dada:
Originates from Romanian artists Tristan Tzara and Marcel Janco’s frequent use of the words da, da, which translates into the English language yeah, yeah
Some believe it is simply a nonsensical word
A group of artists assembled in Zurich in 1926, wanting a name for their new movement, chose it at random by stabbing a French-German dictionary with a paper knife, and picking the name that the point landed upon.

History of Dada
Dada is a cultural movement that primarily involved visual arts, literature, theatre, and graphic design. It concentrated its anti-war politics through a rejection of the prevailing standards in art through anti-art cultural works. For many participants, it was a protest against the bourgeois nationalist and colonialist interests which many Dadaists believed were the root cause of the war.

When and where did Dada Start
Began in Zurich, Switzerland in 1916
Berlin, Germany in 1918
Cologne in 1920
New York City, NY
Paris, France in 1920
Netherlands in 1923
Georgia in 1920
Tokyo, Japan
Yugoslavia between 1920 and 1922

Some activities involved in Dada were public gatherings, demonstrations, and publication of art/literary journals.

The following art movements and groups were inspired by Dada:
Avant-garde
Downtown music
Surrealism
Nouveau realisme
Pop art
Fluxus
Punk rock

Art techniques that were developed during this period are collage, photomontage, assemblage, and readymades.

Artists that were involved and some of their artwork:

Hans Arp-"Forest"