coincidence

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imagery

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comments | program | gallery |
if you participated in the performance and would like to have your comments posted
please e-mail doug at mrdoug@aznet.net.

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opening statement by erica wolfsen
photo: ladonna green

we welcomed you to the performance of coincidence

1919 - a crumbling germany gives in to the full rush of expressionism. widespread creative activity rises as pressing social chaos demands recognition. art becomes a clear reflection of the world war one catastrophe. in the shame of defeat and the unstable state of government following, german artists have more to say than ever...

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opening newscast by nathan luedtke

1914- gavrilo princip, a serbian national, assassinates francis ferdinand, archduke of austria-hungary in sarajevo, igniting decades-old tensions into world war one.

1920's- radio quickly becomes the new standard of communication. its growth spreads unchecked across the nation, except for some concerns about government regulation and censorship.

1917-the bolshevik revolution puts lenin in power. by 1922, russia becomes the ussr, the most powerful communist country in history.

early 1900's- expressionism emerged as a major movement in art. moving away from the bright colors of fauvism, but keeping and intensifying the abstract quality, expressionism was a raw, emotional, angry artistic force.

1998- serb police and the kosovo liberation army skirmish in kosovo. the entire area of the balkans is in conflict, and many fear that the conflict could escalate.

1990's- the internet quickly becomes the new standard of communication. its growth spreads unchecked across the nation, except for some concerns about government regulation and censorship.

1989- the ussr dissolves. russia, and many other former soviet states, become democratic, yet are still fraught with economic troubles.

Late 70's- modern art begins to take shape. not a cohesive art movement, but more a general trend toward abstraction, modern art moves away from the clearly defined forms of Pop Art, and has become abstract almost to the point of incomprehensibility.

in the performance of coincidence the audience experienced film, music, painting, and dance. however, the purpose of this show is not just art, but history. the two are closely intertwined. art is a reflection of socioeconomic trends. as world war one ripped europe apart, the dark, brooding expressionist movement took shape and in the 1940s, as technology began to truly lead society, abstraction and industrialism, found new ways of expressing societies fascination with science and technology.

as new technologies are discovered and developed in the new millennium, new social and economic changes will take place. we can undoubtedly expect a strong reaction in the art world. however, we must be aware of conflicts that could arise from social upheaval, and we must be aware of the responsibilities that come with new technologies and power.