Political Action Theatre As A Performative Genre

Abstract

Abstract From the inception of the Futurist movement, Marinetti made it quite clear that he saw in it not only an artistic, but also a social and political force of innovation. His project of renewal encompassed all aspects of human existence, and was conceived as a total and permanent revolution. What was later called ‘Futurist Reconstruction of the Universe ‘ was aimed at a transformation of life in both its physiological and psychological aspects, and especially of the social and cultural political conditions in the modern metropolis. The aim of the Futurist movement was not just to bring about an aesthetic revolution, but to effect a total overhaul of society. The Foundation and Manifesto of Futurism implied that the one could only be realized in conjunction with the other. Hence Marinetti ‘s exultation of the masses and the world of industrial labour, of political agitation, strikes, and especially, of the anarchists ‘ violent actions in their destructive and creative forms. Futurism was conceived as a means of bridging the gap between art and life. Life was to be changed through art, and art was to become a form of life. It was Marinetti ‘s firm belief that artists with their superior creativity, intuition, and vitality had an important contribution to make to this process of renewal. From developing a programme of change in art and life it was a natural and logical step to enter into the political arena and to become engaged in the political struggles of the era. However, as Marinetti emphasized in several interviews and articles of the period, the Futurists were not to become like professional politicians (the ‘merchants of arguments who prostitute their brains in shops erected for the sale of subtle ideas and chiselled syllogisms ‘). He aimed at an ‘aestheticization of politics ‘ and a ‘politicization of aesthetics ‘, which was probably best demonstrated in the performative genre which I shall refer to as ‘political action theatre ‘.