Wonderlands of the Avant-Garde: Technology and the Arts in Russia of the 1920s (Studies in Russian Literature and Theory)

In Postrevolutionary Russia, As The Soviet Government Was Initiating A Program Of Rapid Industrialization, Avant-garde Artists Declared Their Intent To Serve The Nascent State And To Transform Life In Accordance With Their Aesthetic Designs. In Spite Of Their Professed Utilitarianism, However, Most Avant-gardists Created Works That Can Hardly Be Regarded As Practical Instruments Of Societal Transformation. Exploring This Paradox, Vaingurt Claims That The Artists' Investment Of Technology With Aesthetics Prevented Their Creations From Being Fully Conscripted Into The Arsenal Of Political Hegemony. The Purposes Of Avant-garde Technologies, She Contends, Are Contemplative Rather Than Constructive. Looking At Meyerhold's Theater, Tatlin's And Khlebnikov's Architectural Designs, Mayakovsky's Writings, And Other Works From The Period, Vaingurt Offers An Innovative Reading Of An Exceptionally Complex Moment In The Formation Of Soviet Culture.-- Introduction: Imaginative And Instrumental Technologies -- Part 1. Homo Faber, Homo Ludens -- Poetry In Motion: Aleksei Gastev And The Aesthetic Origins Of Soviet Biomechanics -- The Biomechanics Of Infidelity: Range Of Motion And Limits Of Control In Meyerhold's Theater -- Part 2. Alternative Technologies -- Writing As Bodily Technology In Zamyatin's We, Or A Portrait Of An Avant-garde Artist As A Malfunctioning Machine -- The Incredible Heights Of Organic Architecture: Tatlin, Khlebnikov, And The Technological Sublime -- Olesha's Suicide Machine -- Part 3. The Homeland Of Technology -- Convention, Play, And Technology In Russian Explorers' American Discoveries -- Red Pinkertons: Adventures In Artificial Reality -- Conclusion: Poetics Of The Unconscriptable. Julia Vaingurt. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 279-294) And Index. Longlist finalist, 2015 Historia Nova Prize for Best Book on Russian Intellectual and Cultural History In postrevolutionary Russia, as the Soviet government pursued rapid industrialization, avant-garde artists declared their intent to serve the nascent state and to transform life in accordance with their aesthetic designs. Despite their utilitarian intentions, however, most avant-gardists rarely created works regarded as practical instruments of societal transformation. Exploring this paradox, Vaingurt claims that the artists'fusion of technology and aesthetics prevented their creations from being fully conscripted into the arsenal of political hegemony. The purposes of avant-garde technologies, she contends, are contemplative rather than constructive. Looking at Meyerhold's theater, Tatlin's and Khlebnikov's architectural designs, Mayakovsky's writings, and other works from the period, Vaingurt offers an innovative reading of an exceptionally complex moment in the formation of Soviet culture. Contents 8 Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction Imaginative and Instrumental Technologies 16 PART I - Homo Faber, Homo Ludens 36 Chapter One Poetry in Motion: Aleksei Gastev and the AestheticOrigins of Soviet Biomechanics 38 Chapter Two The Biomechanics of Infi delity: Range of Motionand Limits of Control in Meyerhold’s Theater 67 PART II - Alternative Technologies -1 Chapter Three Writing as Bodily Technology in Zamyatin’sWe, or a Portrait of an Avant- Garde Artist as aMalfunctioning Machine -1 Chapter Four The Incredible Heights of Organic Architecture:Tatlin, Khlebnikov, and the Technological Sublime -1 Chapter Five Olesha’s Suicide Machine -1 PART III - The Homeland of Technology -1 Chapter Six Convention, Play, and Technology in Russian Explorers’ American Discoveries -1 Chapter Seven Red Pinkertons: Adventures in Artifi cial Reality -1 Conclusion Poetics of the Unconscriptable -1 Notes -1 Works Cited -1 Index -1 About the Author -1 978-,0-,8101-,2894-,1 978- 0- 8101- 2894- 1 Longlist finalist, 2015 Historia Nova Prize for Best Book on Russian Intellectual and Cultural History In postrevolutionary Russia, as the Soviet government pursued rapid industrialization, avant-garde artists declared their intent to serve the nascent state and to transform life in accordance with their aesthetic designs. Despite their utilitarian intentions, however, most avant-gardists rarely created works regarded as practical instruments of societal transformation. Exploring this paradox, Vaingurt claims that the artists fusion of technology and aesthetics prevented their creations from being fully conscripted into the arsenal of political hegemony. The purposes of avant-garde technologies, she contends, are contemplative rather than constructive. Looking at Meyerholds theater, Tatlins and Khlebnikovs architectural designs, Mayakovskys writings, and other works from the period, Vaingurt offers an innovative reading of an exceptionally complex moment in the formation of Soviet culture. In postrevolutionary Russia, as the Soviet government was initiating a program of rapid industrialization, avant-garde artists declared their intent to serve the nascent state and to transform life in accordance with their aesthetic designs. In spite of their professed utilitarianism, however, most avant-gardists created works that can hardly be regarded as practical instruments of societal transformation. Exploring this paradox, this book claims that the artists' investment of technology with aesthetics prevented their creations from being fully conscripted into the arsenal of political hegemony. The purposes of avant-garde technologies, the author contends, are contemplative rather than constructive. Looking at Meyerhold's theater, Tatlin's and Khlebnikov's architectural designs, Mayakovsky's writings, and other works from the period, the author offers a reading of an exceptionally complex moment in the formation of Soviet culture. -- Provided by Publisher