Preface

The Handbook of International Futurism offers a synthesis of the state of scholarship regarding the international radiation of the Futurist art movement in thirty-eight countries and its influence in fifteen artistic disciplines

Noise: A category in futurist theatre and music

Noise was a central category in Modernist art and literature as it formed an integral part of the modern urban experience and had a profound effect on the human psyche. It also became an important feature in musical aesthetics. The Futurists were amongst the first to give it a profound theoretical foundation. Luigi Russolo sought to reclaim the infinite variety of sounds found in Nature and the metropolis and to generate a new musical culture from them. Bringing together the world of music and the modern sonic environment was one of his key objectives and led him to create an orchestra of mechanical instruments - so-called intonarumori - and to present his concept of arte dei rumori in a variety of concerts and musical soirées. Russolo's concerts and writings were widely discussed in Russia, where they fostered the development of microtonal music amongst professional composers and a materialistic conception of noise art advocated by Proletkult leaders. The substitution of conventional instrumental music with mechanical and industrial noises came to be practiced by noise orchestras and in theatrical open-air performances. Thus, the Futurist idea of joining art with life and the Marxist concept of overcoming alienation from the products of labour found a concrete realization in the musical sphere. The Futurists' desire to liberate theatre from its subservience to the written or spoken word gave rise to a number of projects in which mechanically produced noises played a key role. One of the most successful examples was the Théâtre de la Pantomime futuriste, produced by Enrico Prampolini in 1927/28, with music composed and performed by Luigi Russolo. The performances in Paris, Turin, Bergamo and Milan transported the mechanized, modern life into the world of dance and music in a suggestive and often magical manner

Developing limits for driving under cannabis

ABSTRACT Objective Development of a rational and enforceable basis for controlling the impact of cannabis use on traffic safety. Methods An international working group of experts on issues related to drug use and traffic safety evaluated evidence from experimental and epidemiological research and discussed potential approaches to developing per se limits for cannabis. Results In analogy to alcohol, finite (non-zero) per se limits for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in blood appear to be the most effective approach to separating drivers who are impaired by cannabis use from those who are no longer under the influence. Limited epidemiological studies indicate that serum concentrations of THC below 10 ng/ml are not associated with an elevated accident risk. A comparison of meta-analyses of experimental studies on the impairment of driving-relevant skills by alcohol or cannabis suggests that a THC concentration in the serum of 7-10 ng/ml is correlated with an impairment comparable to that caused by a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05%. Thus, a suitable numerical limit for THC in serum may fall in that range. Conclusions This analysis offers an empirical basis for a per se limit for THC that allows identification of drivers impaired by cannabis. The limited epidemiological data render this limit preliminary

Lothar Schreyer and the scenic art of Expressionism

Ekspresjonizm jako zjawisko artystyczne był przede wszystkim fenomenem niemieckim. Teatr ekspresjonistyczny narodził się w Republice Weimarskiej, gdzie rozwijał się do 1924 roku, przyczyniając się do powstania nowoczesnej niemieckiej sztuki dramatycznej. Pierwszy ekspresjonistyczny dramat, Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen, jego autor, malarz Oskar Kokoschka, wystawił w Wiedniu, 4 lipca 1909. Lotar Schreyer (1886-1966) wybrał inny wariat ekspresjonizmu, bardziej mistyczny i duchowy. Podczas gdy wiedeńska inscenizacja Kokoschki była dziełem teatralnego outsidera, Schreyer posiadał gruntowne profesjonalne wykształcenie w tej dziedzinie. W latach 1916–1921 poświęcił się tworzeniu całkowicie nowej sztuki scenicznej i założył dwa przedsiębiorstwa teatralne, w których mógł konsekwentnie realizować swe utopijne cele. Schreyer uważał teatr za instytucję metafizyczną, która może dać wgląd w harmonię i magię kosmosu, a także pomóc przezwyciężyć „dawnego człowieka”.Expressionism as an art movement was primarily a German phenomenon. The expressionist theatre begun and flourished in the Weimar Republic where the style lasted until about 1924, contributing to the rise of a truly modern form of dramatic art in Germany. The first example of Expressionist drama was the play Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen by the painter Oskar Kokoschka, who staged its Vienna première on 4 July 1909. Lothar Schreyer (1886–1966) chose another path of Expressionism, grounded in mysticism and spirituality. While Kokoschka’s Viennese production was the work of an absolute theatrical outsider, Schreyer had a thorough professional education in this field. In 1916–1921, he devoted himself to the creation of a completely new form of scenic art and founded two theatre companies in which he could consistently pursue his utopian goals. Schreyer saw the theatre as a metaphysical institution that could give an insight into the harmony and magic of the cosmos, which would enable to distance oneself from “a past man”

Azione/Reazione: il futurismo in Belgio e in Europa

Recensione di: Bart van den Bossche, Giuseppe Manica & Carmen Van den Bergh (a cura di), Azione/ Reazione: Il futurismo in Belgio e in Europa. Atti del Convegno Internazionale Bruxelles/Lovanio, 19-20 novembre 2009, Firenze, Franco Cesati Editore, 2012, 336 p., ISBN:9788876674372, € 30,00