Krzysztof Skiba Cultural Studies Specialization: Theatre Index Nr 58490/S

Krzysztof Skiba Cultural Studies Specialization: Theatre Index nr 58490/S Happenings by the Orange Alternative An attempt to document the actions I dedicate this work to the Citizen Militia (MO) without participation of which, the Orange Alternative's happenings would not achieve the presented scope Master thesis written under supervision of Dr Sławomir Świontek, Institute of Theory of Film and Theatre Literature at the University of Łódź Chapter 1 ROOTS OF THE ORANGE ALTERNATIVE 1 The roots of the Orange Alternative reach to the year 1980 in which the Movement for New Culture [Ruch Nowej Kultury] was formed in the academic circles of Wrocław. The movers and shakers of the movement were two students of Wrocław's colleges: the University of Wrocław and the State Higher School of Plastic Arts [Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Sztuk Plastycznych]. Actions undertaken by the Movement for New Culture took a form of public happenings and, according to their organizers, were “an attempt to surmount a man's isolation in the industrial world”. 1 The action initiating the Movement's presence took place in the streets of Wrocław's Old Town in October 1980. The Movement's sympathizers organized a march-demonstration under a slogan “Away with symmetry, long live free imagination”. During the following action “Flower for a militiaman” 2 buckets of flowers were handed out to police patrols. In April 1981 the Movement for New Culture along with the Independent Student Union (Niezależny Związek Studentów or NZS], inspired by similar Easter marches taking place in Western Europe, undertook to organize a “Peace March”. However the march finally did not take place. It was called off under pressure from the Independent Self-governing Labor Union [NSZZ] “Solidarność”.3 Instead of the march, a meeting took place on the Olympic Stadium in Wrocław with the participation of “The Teatre of Rain” and groups such as “Happy Grass” and “Laboratorium”. The Movement for New Culture published its own newspaper - “Gazeta A” [Gazette A].4 Members of the Movement attempted to use reforms of August 1980 to spread anarchist and counter-cultural tendencies. Upon their initiative the “Anarchist-Counter-cultural Point Saturator” and the “Section for Rationing of Deficit Consumer Products” were born. The “Section...” began its activity by distributing toilet paper rolls in Wrocław's streets.5 In the beginning of November 1981 the Movement for New Culture joined student strikes in Wrocław's colleges. The Building of the Department of Philosophy began to be called as “Fort nr 1” and started to be considered as the main headquarters of the Movement. “Councils of Orange Revolution” were formed. One of them, active at the State Higher School of Plastic Arts issued the following proclamations: “PROCLAMATION nr 1” Free art is the only and the most dangerous form of fight with the reality of things and the reality knows it.” “PROCLAMATION nr 2” Since the reality is the most terrible and most dangerous enemy of a man, schizophrenia is the trench of the highest quality. Away with intellectual art. Long live socialism as the highest quality work of comics art. Hurray Sorbovit! The Revolution's staff consists of the roof - the natural highest authority.” These proclamations appeared in the newspaper “The Orange Alternative” which was published by the Movement's members during the strike. Its vignette was decorated by the appeal “Proletarians of all countries – be beautiful”. The style of the newspaper, which became the forum for unrestrained creativity of the students led to a conflict with the Strike Committee which demanded to censure “The Orange Alternative”. This intention was furthermore confirmed by the Resolution of The University Strike Committee, in which we can read among others that “.... in view of the higher aims of the strike, for the time of its duration it is forbidden /by the Strike Committee – mine/ to print the Movement for New Culture's newspaper, “The Orange Alternative” without prior censorship.” Editors of the paper and the Movement's sympathizers moved to the building occupied by the students of the State Higher School of Plastic Arts. In this more conducive to artistic expression environment the Movement's members organized next actions/ They were a continuation of artistic events initiated still while at the University. According to Waldemar Fydrych, one of the earlier actions organized still at the University took the following course: “Forces of order arrived in teams at the Philosophy Department Building and took out ladders and brushes in an attempt to paint over the posters placed on the building at the level of the first floor. Then, in the windows of the Philosophy edifice students leaned out. Everyone began to chant “The Internationale” forcing the order teams to withdraw. Photo cameras with blinding flashes were used, but also it was foreseen to use slide projectors with slides representing the image of Mona Lisa.6 Proclamation of the Martial Law interrupted the Movement's activity. The Movement for New Culture as the only creation brought to life by the August political thaw was consistently dedicated to the issue of Art. It undertook a wide in scope action to take Art into the streets and it attempted to liberate and expose the creative factor which broke barriers of academic habits. The movement was engaging a few number of persons, and the dominating figure was Waldemar Fydrych. The aim of the Movement was to free the people from that narrowly perceived rationalism of life, pulling them out of lethargy and despair, and discharging the pressure due to deepening feeling of nonsense and doubt which overpowered the young generation of Poles. 2 After December 13th 1981 the Movement for New Culture ceased to formally exist. Its place was taken by the “Military Academy of Arts”. Conformably with the conspiring lingo adopted by its members, the function of the Commandant-Rector in the Academy was held by Waldemar Fydrych. The members communicated between themselves in a self-invented jargon of “social surrealism” which was permeated with irony and pastiche. The grotesque character of the group was underlined by the fact that the members of the Academy considered themselves as being parts of a conspiring organization and therefore obliged themselves to military discipline with its own, becoming system of orders and dispatches. Goals of the Academy were as follows: 1. To entice the society to make slogans [anti-regime – note of translator], in order to increase the number of paint spots [ made to cover them by forces of order – note of translator], and in consequence to enhance the graphic aspect of the city. 2. To increase the number of dwarves in the graphic aspect of the city in order to cause the transformation of quantity in quality in accordance with the aesthetic convention of socialist surrealism. 3. To cause the presence of three-dimensional dwarves in streets and factories and to make the surrealist social revolution.7 Within the scope of the “Chair of Tactical Painting” headed by him Waldemar Fydrych began to paint dwarves on Wrocław city walls. Dwarves appeared on white blotches with which the authorities dotted building elevations when covering up Solidarity slogans with paint. At a later date Waldemar Fydrych and friends painted dwarves also in Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań, Gdańsk, Szczecin, Kraków, and Katowice. In consequence the dwarf became the Orange Alternative's identifying symbol and slogan. After dwarves, city walls had also appearing on them militant surrealist slogans, ironic sentences, poems, comics and above all templates - “artistic hole in space” = the most popular and striking form of graphics.8 Actions of the Military Academy of Arts equally abounded with street actions. One of them consisted of placing mock, cardboard made police patrols at Wrocław street corners . The most popular at the time of the Martial Law were the so-called “whistling actions”. Their course was as follows: at a given place, somewhere where people could easily gather, for example in front of a shop, cinema, at a street corner or in an underground street passage the Military Academy of Arts members would appear carrying with them a banner with some surrealist content. Using plastic whistles they would try to capture the attention of pedestrians. The first major street action organized by the Academy was the happening “Tubes” in October 1986. It took place on the Old Market Square in Wrocław and was an attempt to recall the Martial Law atmosphere. For this smoke candles and burning paper tubes were used. 3 After 1985, an agreement of college student self-governments was made in Wrocław. It was commonly called “The Tvelve.” The Twelve was an informal association sympathizing with the opposition. Its entourage wanting to stimulate and develop activities of anarchist student groups organized several actions which had clear aspects of happenings. One of them was the “Ride to Ślęża” in March 1987. The motto of the ride was “Smile, for tomorrow will only be worse”. Happening was organized in a form of a tourist excursion, in which about 70 persons took part. Participants carried signs saying “We distance ourselves from destructive incitations, instigators, and academic enemies”, “Writers to pens, students to study, polish to shoes”, “We want Gorbatchev”, “Students go to Madagascar”. Participants of the ride were equipped with halberds, sabres, rakes and plastic machine guns, butts and scarves with the inscription: “Veterans of the Great Patriotic War”.for their dangerous service (...)”9. Another idea of the “Dwunastka” (“Twelve”) was a drive-around at city streets in a bus rented for the Wrocław Admirers Society. On the bus, which happened to be a convertible one, the participants set a banner with a slogan “RELIABILITY shall prevail” (SOLIDNOŚĆ zwycięży). Students, dressed as a secret police, were greeting passer-bys and scattered single pages of “One Year in a Coffin” („Rok w trumnie”), a book written by Roman Bratny.

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