Download PowerPoint Presentation - Theatre and Visual Arts History after 1973

Theatre and Visual Arts
History after 1973
Group 1
OVERVIEW
 This slideshow will cover major
historical landmarks in Chilean theatre
and visual art after 1973, including:
 The death of Allende
 The Pinochet regime
 Street Theatre
 The Avanzada and Teatro Abierto
 The use of the body as an artistic
medium
The Fall of Allende
 Allende was the socialist leader in
Chile until 1973
 On September 11, 1973 a military
coup, orchestrated by Pinochet,
stormed the presidential palace
and seized control of the country.
 Allede, shamed, committed
suicide.
The Rise of the Pinochet
Regime and Censorship
 After Allende’s death Pinochet instituted
a military government.
 This new government began censoring
different aspects of life in Chile.
 Oddly enough, the theatre was
(technically) one of the least restricted
areas under the new regime.
The People: Stifled
 The new regime enacted many new
policies that censored the freedoms of
the Chilean people.
 Activists that opposed the new military
government would disappear, be
tortured and imprisoned.
 Anyone opposing the government was
“dealt with”
 Any institution that opposed the
government, if not shut down directly,
had its funding taken away.
The Theatre: Censored
 The theatre was not the
government’s primary concern.
 Government Officials felt that
theatre was not a danger.
 They didn’t believe that it was an
effective medium in which to
communicate ideas and, therefore,
didn’t worry about it.
The Theatre: Censored
 Even though the theatre wasn’t the
target of most government censorship,
this isn’t to say that the theatre wasn’t
effected.
 The government was always on the look
out for anything that is antigovernment.
 So any theatre piece that was openly
anti-Pinochet was shut down.
The Theatre: Censored
 “There is no criteria [on what is being
censored] so you have to decide how
much you are prepared to risk. That’s
why there is no censorship. If there
was, you could study the guidelines
before doing a production. But this
arrangement allows them to say that
we don’t have censorship. They decide
if it is cultural or not. And if its cultural
they will recommend students to go and
see the play. If it is not, they tax us
instead.” --Hector Noguera
Censorship Fosters
Creativity
 Many people maintain that the creative explosion
succeeding the military coup of 1973 would not have
been possible without the cruelty of the Pinochet regime
 During Allende’s presidency, the artistic and theatrical
scene of Chile was relatively stagnant, dealing mostly
with the social issues of the proletariat versus the upper
classes. They were merely demonstratory, educating the
populace about the beliefs of a socialist government.
 The Pinochet regime inspired Chilean artists with a
unified cause
Metaphor as Code
 In order to avoid government
persecution, theatre and visual
artists resorted to using metaphor
to express social and political
commentary without overtly
speaking out against the
government and risking torture.
Metaphor: The Continuing Story
 “Metaphor not only intervenes at the
level of thematic expression, or at the
documentary level of image selection,
but also at the material level of artistic
elaboration… That which is shown or
said is always tactically equivalent to
something else. That which cannot be
said or shown… whose secret is quite
familiar to the reader or viewer.” - Nelly
Richard, Margins and Institutions
Metaphor: Effective?
 Though metaphor was effective in
getting around the restrictions placed
by the regime, there is some argument
as to its effectiveness in reaching out to
the public.
 Because the metaphors needed to be so
abstract in order to get past the
regime’s censors, they were often lost
on a more general audience.
Teatro Abierto
 Theater Festival, 1981-1985
 Set up in opposition to the censorship
established by the Pinochet regime
 Numerous projects selected in order to
foster a formerly suppressed freedom of
speech and ideas
 Many artists around Chile participated
and it was a great success in its first
couple years
The Disintegration of
Teatro Abierto
 By 1985 Teatro Abierto had
collapsed due to its inability to
adapt to changing political and
cultural climate
 It was established to oppose the
regime, and once that had fallen,
the festival had fulfilled its purpose
Street Theatre
 Street theatre flourished during the
Pinochet regime.
 It created a public forum that was
normally kept private.
 The actors openly called out public
officials in the audience in order to
protect themselves as well as criticize
the regime.
 Street theatre was very dangerous in
that it was openly anti-Pinochet and it
fought against the censorships imposed
by his regime.
The Body as an Artistic
Medium
 Chilean artists began using their
own bodies as canvases for their
art.
 By using themselves as an artistic
medium, artists were able to
appeal to the public on a personal
and universal level.
Self Mutilation
 Later in the Pinochet period, artists began to use their
own bodies to mimic and expose the physical and
emotional pain brought upon them by the government
 They also considered it an act of rebellion and
martyrdom, mutilating and seizing ownership of the self
where it had be lost to a cruel and controlling
government
 “Zurita and Eltit appeal to pain as a way of approaching
that borderline between individual and collective
experience: their self-punishment merges with an ‘us’
that is both redeemer and redeemed.” - The Rhetoric of
the Body
The Fall of the Pinochet
Regime
 The 1988 Referandum
 Legally voted Pinochet out of office
 Only 56% were in favor of
removing him from office
 Chile began transitioning into
Democracy
 The censorship of the Military
Regime was lifted
The Fate of Pinochet
 He remained Commander in
Chief of the Army until 1998
 Chile made him a Senator for
life
 Created the status “ExPresident” which gave him
special rights.
 1998- arrested by Spanish
officials for crimes he committed
as a dictator-including torture,
mass murder, human rights
violations.
The Fate of Pinochet II
 Pinochet was released from prison
in 2000 for medical reasons.
 He returned to Chile without facing
trial.
 He died in 2006.
Post-Pinochet Theatre
 After Pinochet was removed from
power, most of the censorship imposed
by his regime was slowly removed.
 However, because theatre became so
politically charged under military
control, Chilean theatre today is still
inherently political in nature.
 Coco Fusco