What is Dada ?

“The true dadas are against DADA,” Tristan Tzara wrote in the “Dada Manifesto.” “In principle I am against manifestos, as I am against principles.” Dada was a big no, a radical negation of art and reason, the partisan of a resolute Nothing. I am with GAP, global art project, a group of international artists working in various media; a group for people who don't belong to groups or identify with any particular philosophy who operate individually but take the risk of gathering in collaborative settings, then retreating, informed by the experience and in turn creating some sort of imprint both externally and upon the external environment; working inside and outside of traditional cultural systems. Fluidity, growth, openness, risk might be the credo of GAP which changes in personnel and modes of presentation through workshops, organic exhibitions, exchanges of ordinary frags ( raw materials ) and openness to what actually happens as opposed to what might be planned. If this in anyway connects us to the spirit of Dada, then so be it.

HAF : Carl Heyward, when did your involvement with the Dada movement begin ?

I have been aware of principals of the Dada art movement since my youth when I struggled to make sense of abstract art, eschewing art history, which led to the discovery of Surrealism which was a no-brainer because it resonated with my dreams prior to any intellectual or academic introduction to the Freudian party line. I have always been a hunter, someone who walks miles till I a get lost in any city, seeking visual stimulation that gives rise to musing about the orgins of things, the fascination with the ordinary, the familiar slightly out of context; was called a scavenger when I was a kid collecting rusted nails, distressed bits of paper, random notes, etc. When I discovered Duchamp, Bearden, Cornell and Man Ray, all those who celebrated and elevated the ordinary right up to Warhol and his media-savvy recapitulation of the daily news, so to speak, I felt "at home" or at least an affinity with these artists outside of the context of their direct or extrapolated affinity or connection with the Dada movement.

HAF : How did GAP's participation in SFIAF come about ?

The curators Matt McKinley and Hanna Regev became aware of GAP activity and recognized a kinship in our practice and invited us to participate in a festival that is usually performance heavy meaning dance. The Dada connection, while not necessarily conscious is certainly contained in our efforts and we seemed a good fit though not affiliated with most of the neo-DADA " purists".

HAF : What significance does the dunce cap have with your installation ?

The GAP installation at SF International Arts Festival and our segment DADA HERE AND NOW needed a simple symbol with universal identification that reflected literal usage by the original Dadaists but also something that triggered a connection with contemporary ( even nostalgic or archaic ) identification of seeking, being wrong, being ostracized, being excluded both literally and philosophically; images of Hugo Ball and the head wear at Dada soirees came to mind. What better Alfred E Newman image of our awe and anxiety, uncertainty and cowardice than the funnel of knowledge, the old fashioned dunce cap ?Additionally our Akiko Suzuki ( Osaka, Japan) has been tasked with the creation of a 40 foot quilt using frags from most of our 20 or so international " members" for inclusion in the festival, a ceremonial contemporary update of the traditional western quilt but with bite. The dunce caps as well as the quilt allow an inclusion of our nationals in the GAP collaborative practice and is consistent of , if not elevating the mundane, at least calling attention to the potential beauty and utility of the ordinary, something I think the Dadaists would appreciate.

HAF : This is a multiple question presented by SFIAF curators: Can art successfully challenge a fixed mindset? Is dialogue generated by provocative art possible and can it lead to change, co- existence, tolerance, and cooperation? Can art inspired by Dadaism be important or relevant today, or is it something that was of its time ?

Any mode, any sincere insistent form of communication can change a mindset...give comfort to the uncomfortable, to paraphrase an old saw. If it is not the function of art to change minds and hearts it certainly has the mission to confront those who engender harmful, limiting, rigid notions of what art or the simple experience of life should be about; of what it might contain. Donald Trump ain't changing his mind, but those threatened by him might attain a sense of solidarity by certain signs and symbols, noises in the veiled fascist dark. And like these re-emerging scary monsters we too are heartened by the sight and exertions of fellow travelers.

HAF : Europe was apparently in a different place in regards to awareness and proactive fortitude. The US on the other hand produced racially charged "birth of a nation" D.W Griffith. Racial disparity was present during the onset of Dada and still is present in this country. What is your assessment on how the Dada movement would handle racism ? 

Europe is as racist as any corner of the US, it is naive to think otherwise. Birth of a Nation flourished in a global atmosphere of fascination with Black culture as threat, novelty and fantasy, a misplaced ill informed pat on the back is no different than a kick in the ass if it's intention is in error. Europe demonstrates on a daily basis that it is just as intolerant and fearful for it's racial power status quo. Human beings fear other human beings and it is only a matter of degree that these fears are manifest and find expression in law, mob and riot or attitude or institutionalization of these fears via custom, law, tacit agreement or internal policy.

BUT WHAT CHA' GONNA DO ?

Our job is to remain free and make effort to recognize and secure the freedoms of others. To incorporate and respect difference. Simple as that . Across the board, it is sort of a mixed-media construction be it racism, sexism or religious intolerance, it's a bad idea, stop doing it...these are the noises I am making in everyday gestures, my thinking, my practice, in my life in GAP; through a realization that life is temporary and impact can be made in modest ways, through generosity of mind and spirit, by making mistakes, by being clear of intentions, by preparing and participating in the collaborative future.

Carl Heyward GLOBAL ART PROJECT founder

San Francisco , California March 2016