The futurist poem Europa by Anatol Stern, published in 1929, became a source of inspiration for a number of quasi-film and film productions. After the photomontages by Mieczysław Szczuka and a film by Franciszka and Stefan Themerson, the poem was also referred to by Akademia Ruchu in its street performance in 1976. The verses of the poem, copied onto banners were exhibited by actors running out of the dark on the busiest streets. It was accompanied by the sound of horns and strong headlights. In the context of workers’ strikes in Radom and Ursus, the poem rose to the status of a current “performative political allegory“. Apart from the streets of Łódź, where the present video was shot, Europa was also performed in Warsaw, Gdańsk, Olsztyn, Bydgoszcz, Cracow, Lublin, Poznań and Wrocław.
References: Akademia Ruchu. Miasto. Pole akcji. City. The Field of Action , ed. by M. Borkowska (Warsaw 2006).
Ed.: edycja 6/6 + 1 AP Medium: digital beta
Format: 02:53
Acquisition: gift Ownership form: collection Source: Stowarzyszenie Przyjaciół Akademii Ruchu Index: MSN: 4300-28/2015 Acquisition date: Dec 18, 2015