PINA BAUSCH’S CHOREOGRAPHIC ART AS A PRACTICE OF THE CULTURE OF INTERACTION

Abstract

The aim of this work was to investigate the relational and participatory practices within Pina Bausch’s choreographic art and to determine the role of her work in the comprehension of collective traumas in post-war Germany within the artistic culture of the second half of the 20th century. The research methodology combined historical-contextual analysis with a culturological approach that focused on the social commitment of P. Bausch’s choreographic art. The examination of the artist’s aesthetic principles through the lens of interaction culture was ensured by employing cultural-historical, art-historical, and analytical methods. Simultaneously, the biographical method was used to highlight the influence of personal experience on the formation of the artist’s worldview, which was reflected in her criticism of «philistinism» and the cognitive problem of «barrierism» between the individual and the social. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the conceptual reinterpretation of P. Bausch’s choreographic art through the combination of contemporary culturological perspectives, which allows for the uncovering of new semantic layers within her oeuvre. A key element is the direct application of the theories of N. Bourriaud and C. Bishop to the artist’s choreographic practices, which places P. Bausch’s work within the domain of the «artistic social project» and the culture of interaction. The analytical consideration of P. Bausch’s aesthetic principles from the critical standpoint of «philistinism» traces the genesis of this problem from German Romanticism to the 20th century, enriching the critique of the «consumer society» of post-war Germany with a cultural-historical and politico-social dimension. The complex biographical- contextual analysis clearly defines how the artist’s personal experience transforms the Expressionist heritage into a new, socio-political dance focused on the «de-commodification» of feminine corporeality and the comprehension of collective traumas. Conclusions: Following the tradition of German Expressionist choreography (R. von Laban, K. Jooss), Pina Bausch executed a radical transformation of this movement, integrating socio-political analysis into choreographic art, focused on the comprehension of collective traumas. The artist actively employed relational and participatory approaches with the goal of reorienting the viewer from the passive role of observer to a state of co-participation and immediate presence («here and now»), which corresponded to the concept of the «situation of Art» (according to N. Bourriaud). This modification was achieved through the use of non-trivial sound design (popular songs, radio music) and the creation of stage spaces that imitated everyday life (cafés, restaurants). The introduction of these practices of the mundane contributed to the dismantling of the barrier between the ideal and the quotidian; thereby activating the audience’s shared memory. Thus, the stage space functioned as an opportunity for open, cathartic interaction. This elevated P. Bausch’s oeuvre to the level of an «artistic social project», where the emotional perception of the public became an integral element of the work’s structure.