Photopoetry and the Bioscopic Book: Russian and Czech Avant-Garde Experiments of the 1920s by Aleksandar Bošković A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Slavic Languages and Literatures) in the University of Michigan 2013 Doctoral Committee Professor Jindřich Toman, Co-Chair Assistant Professor Tatjana Aleksić, Co-Chair Professor Matthew Nicholas Biro Professor Yuri Tsivian, University of Chicago © Aleksandar Bošković 2013 For my father and in memory of my mother Katarina Bošković 1946-2010 ii Acknowledgements This dissertation would not be possible without the generosity and support of my friends and colleagues at the University of Michigan. I am particularly grateful for the guidance and critical feedback of my committee: Jindřich Toman, Tatjana Aleksić, Matthew Biro, and Yuri Tsivian. Jindra and Tanja, I have enjoyed working with you immensely, thank you for your support and constructive criticism—and for having sense of humor along the way. Due to your expertise, insight, and wit, I felt encouraged and truly enjoyed working on this project. Special thanks to Herbert Eagle—my path through graduate studies and work on this dissertation would not be as joyful and exciting without your generosity. It has been such a gift to teach with you and to have you as the Chair of the Department. Many thanks to the brilliant graduate students at the Slavic department: Vladislav Beronja, Yanina Arnold, Jessica Zychowicz, Eric Ford, Renee Scherer, Adam Kolkman, Sarah Sutter, Jody Greig, Marin Turk, Meghan Forbes, Jamie Parsons, and Paulina Duda. Thank you Omry Ronen, Olga Maiorova, Michael Makin, Mikhail Krutikov, Benjamin Paloff, Sofya Khagi, Andrew Hercher, Svitlana Rogovyk, Nina Shkolnik, Marija Rosić, Piotr Westwalewich, Frederic Amrine, Vassilis Lambropoulos, Xiaobing Tang, Michele Hannoosh, William Paulson, Karla Mallette, and Sara Blair—it was rewarding being your student and collegue. I would also like to thank Jean McKee, Patricia Boyer, Jennifer White, Sheri Sytsema-Geiger, Nicole Howeson, Julie Claus, Marysia Ostafin, Donna Parmelee, and Nataša Gruden-Alajbegović for your help and support during these five years. iii A big hug to my dissertation writing group of the past two years—Sara Jackson, Alexander Igor Olson, and Helen Ho—thanks for seeing my project through endless drafts drawn in the quagmire of byt. To Mikey Rinaldo, Meghan Forbes, Vladislav Beronja and the Avant- Garde Interest Group: it was such a pleasure to be involved in this progressive collective, thanks for all the stimulating conversations along the way. Special thanks to Kerstin Barndt and Johannes van Moltke for being wonderful mentors, inspiring avant-gardists, and friends. Thank you to the outstanding visiting scholars—Yuri Tsivian, Tim Harte, Christina Kiaer, Matthew Biro, Alex Potts, Branislav Jakovljević, Kristin Romberg, Ming-Qian Ma, Mikhail Yampolsky, Malcolm Turvey, and Patricia McBride—for your inspiring workshops and sharing your time, expertise, and unpublished manuscripts. I would like to thank Caitlin Geier in the Knowledge Navigation Center for your technical assistance. Also, this dissertation would not have been possible without the crafty know-how of Larisa Alekseeva from the Archive of GLM in Moscow. I hope that, at the end of the day, Rozhkov will be rescued from oblivion. Finally, veliko hvala to Alisha Wessler, for all your love and support—here’s to a future resonating with wonder. iv Table of Contents Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. vii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1 Introduction: The Avant-Garde Photo-Poetry Book .......................................................... 1 1.1 Poetry of Modern Life .................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Photography and Crisis of Representation ................................................................................ 11 1.3 Photomontage and Montage Thinking ....................................................................................... 17 1.4 The Bioscopic Book ...................................................................................................................... 27 1.5 A Brief Chapter Outline .............................................................................................................. 35 2 A Merger of Dada and Constructivism: Mayakovsky’s Poetry & Rodchenko’s Photomontages in About This (1923) ......................................................................................... 39 2.1 Russian Constructivism and Montage Culture ......................................................................... 42 2.1.1 Kino-fot and Constructivist Montage ...................................................................................... 44 2.1.2 Photomontage and Illustrated Press ......................................................................................... 48 2.1.3 Re-editing and Non-fiction ...................................................................................................... 51 2.1.4 Constructivism and Dada Convergences ................................................................................. 54 2.2 Programs of the Left: Managing Everyday Life (byt) under the NEP .................................... 57 2.2.1 Mayakovsky’s program ........................................................................................................... 60 2.2.2 Rodchenko’s program .............................................................................................................. 67 2.3 The Constructivist Bioscopic Book: An Apparatus with Alternating Current ...................... 75 2.3.1 Fetish ....................................................................................................................................... 78 2.3.2 Duel ......................................................................................................................................... 81 2.3.3 The Double .............................................................................................................................. 85 2.3.4 Byt ........................................................................................................................................... 88 2.3.5 Partying .................................................................................................................................... 91 2.3.6 Crucifixion ............................................................................................................................... 96 2.3.7 Rejuvenation ............................................................................................................................ 99 2.3.8 Zoo ......................................................................................................................................... 102 2.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 105 3 An Agit-Book that Remained a Project: Yuri Rozhkov’s Photomontages for Mayakovsky’s Poem “To the Workers of Kursk” (1924) ..................................................... 111 3.1 Rozhkov: Life of a Revolutionary ............................................................................................. 114 3.2 Programs of Industrial, Monumental, and Political Propaganda ......................................... 124 v 3.2.1 Kursk Magnetic Anomaly ..................................................................................................... 125 3.2.2 How to Commemorate the Working Class? .......................................................................... 129 3.2.3 Comrade Rozhkov—An Agitprop Prosumer ........................................................................ 133 3.3 The Memorial: A Poster Photo-Poem ...................................................................................... 140 3.3.1 An Agit-Apparatus: Alternating Rhythm and Sequencing .................................................... 142 3.3.2 Prologue ................................................................................................................................. 146 3.3.3 Agitation Propaganda and the Struggle against the Backwardness ....................................... 152 3.3.4 Documentary Photo-Material: Political Commentary and the Mobilization of Labor .......... 169 3.3.5 The Industrial Land of the Future .......................................................................................... 179 3.3.6 Anti-monumental and Anti-canonical Satire ......................................................................... 187 3.3.7 Running Memorial to the Proletariat ..................................................................................... 202 3.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 209 4 Poetry and Typophoto