ABSTRACT
An artistic standpoint adopted across Europe and in New York during the First World War as those who were disillusioned by the values of modern society sought to attack them through provocative acts and cultural propaganda. In 1916, writers Hugo Ball and Emmy Hennings formed the Cabaret Voltaire nightclub in Zurich. Writers and artists including Tristan Tzara, Richard Hulsenbeck and Sophie Taeuber participated in exhibitions and experimental performances. The photogram appealed because the technique demanded that the artist embrace the accidental, and created a disordered, often dreamlike aesthetic. Key proponents were Zurich-based Christian Schad; and Man Ray, who experimented with this technique after moving to Paris in 1921. The beginning of the 1920s marked the decline of Dada as many members turned to Andre Breton's Surrealism. By 1924, the Dadaists had in effect wiped the slate clean for art, and laid the foundations for cultural provocation that would emerge again in earnest in the postmodern era.
