European project of designing new corporeality: mutant body, body without organs, agender body

Abstract

The object of this research is the introduced into postmodernist discourse concept of body without organs. This article advances a hypothesis regarding the causes of occurrence of the aforementioned concept replacing the Cartesian teaching on parallelism of body and soul. Cultural practices of postmodernism fight against thinking of binary oppositions, which led to repression of the corporeal beginning. On the examples from the field of art and fashion, it is demonstrated that the theoretical model of body without organs finds its practical implementation. In this research the author applies analytical, hermeneutic and comparative methods with regards to the outlined ideas from the area of philosophy and art. The scientific novelty consists in interpretation of art phenomena through the concept of body without organs. The concept of the Theatre of Cruelty developed by Antonin Artaud inspired the philosophers and art community to pursue the experience of a “living body”. Cunningham carried over the principle of coincidence from music to dance, undermining the traditional perception of body as a hierarchical system with organs subordinate to the center. In a commercial sphere, Gucci Luxury Fashion House created a visual reflection of the idea of agender. Abreaction practices in performance art are aimed at liberation of body from imagery. Postmodernists are sure that freedom from dyadic thinking, idea of the center and periphery, principles of hierarchy and teleologicity that are so common to any mind, would lead to regeneration of corporeality and human as such, realizing the true value of the European culture – value of freedom.