THE PATH TOWARDS DISCOVERING MEANING IN THE MELTING POT OF CULTURES (Droga do odnalezienia sensu w tyglu kultur)

• Authors: Mankowska Alicja
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The authoress evokes philosophers (including Jacques Derrida, Zygmunt Bauman, Martin Heidegger, and Michael Foucault), who while creating their intellectual systems tried to diagnose the condition of the post-Cartesian man torn between spirituality and corporeality, and submerged in endless discourse. She goes on to point out the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and George Bataille as well as Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of the grotesque. All these thinkers stressed the possibility of rediscovering the path towards metaphysics and freedom. The 'Gardzienice' Theatre applied the grotesque in order to skilfully create a distance towards surrounding cultural excess. By annexing assorted beliefs and styles merged with ribald laughter it tried to provoke the collapse of the conscience, and by resorting to unadorned culture - to encourage a return to the primeval world of human spirituality. Friedrich Nietzsche indicated the moment of the fall of the tragedy as a time initiating the process of ridding the myth of all transcendence. Within this context the 'Gardzienice' spectacles endeavour, by creating a new type of drama, to generate an equally new mythical domain. In 'Bóg Nizynski' (God Nijinsky) the Wierszalin Theatre portrays the tragedy of a demented genius. As a post-Cartesian creature he experiences and believes in spiritual-corporeal unity and the cathartic might of the Absolute - the price is insanity. The contemporary anthropological theatre tries to discover meaning within a melting pot of assorted cultures. It is incapable, however, of reviving the old myths, since it is possesses the awareness and experience of post-modern dispersion. It attempts to build a horizon of senses based on a new myth, whose hero is man in the act of becoming, rent between insanity and recollections of sanctity. This moment of transgression can be grasped thanks to the distance emerging from the grotesque.

Keywords

EN

GARDZIENICE THEATRE; GROTESQUE

Discipline

• ANTHROPOLOGY: ANTHROPOLOGY

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Sztuki PAN
• Journal: Konteksty - Polska Sztuka Ludowa
• Year: 2008
• Volume: 62
• Issue: 1(280)
• Pages: 108-112
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Mankowska Alicja

• Alicja Mankowska, c/o Uniwersytet Gdanski, ul. Bazynskiego 1a, 80-952 Gdansk, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

09PLAAAA059414