Cosmos, Fiction and Transcendence: Photography and Conceptual Art in Communist Bratislava

The aim of this paper is to analyse the development of Conceptual Art in Bratislava during the communist period, with specific emphasis on the practices produced throughout the so-called ‘Normalisation’ (1968–1989). The text starts by introducing the functioning mechanisms of the Czechoslovakian artistic scene of the time. It then moves on to analyse the work of Július Koller, Rudolf Sikora and Ľubomír Ďurček. It would be argued that, despite the difficult conditions for art production present in Bratislava during Normalisation years, Conceptual Art served its precursors as an escape valve for their political vindications, which they manifested through the use of puns, parody, irony, metaphors and the design of elaborated cosmological fictions through utopian and dystopian projections of their own political and cultural reality. In doing so, the unique properties of photography, such as its reduced size, low cost and indexical qualities, turned the medium into the most suitable form to materialise their conceptual practice

Towards an Emancipation of Photographic Vision: ‘Visualism’, ‘Opsognomie’ and ‘Elementary Photography’

Throughout the 1980s, three different photographers from Germany, Czechoslovakia and Poland articulated a series of similar theories aiming for a new, free vision of ‘the real’, with the purpose of producing a contemplative reflection of their surrounding world through visual means. This paper is dedicated to analyse the content of each of these theories and their relation to the shifting context of art production present during that decade. The paper starts by considering the work of German photographer Andreas Müller-Pohle, whose ‘Visualist’ theory from 1980 explains how the detachment of conventional signifiers is key to deepen into the ‘true nature’ of our surrounding world. Following this analysis, it introduces the Czech concept of ‘Opsognomie’, published also in 1980 by photographer Bořek Sousedk, which stresses the intuitive attitude of the photographer as a key element to reach authentic perception. Finally, the paper will discuss the program ‘Elementary Photography’, developed between 1984 and 1989 by Polish photographer Jerzy Olek, which was directed to explore which ways of making could lead to complete the autonomy of the photograph from the depicted object. It would be argued that, although the overall novelty of these theories might well be put into question – given the evident resonance of Modernist principles - an understanding of the relation between each of these theories and their particular context of art production is key to appreciating the meaning of certain photographic practices produced in Central Europe during the 1980s, which moved from ‘representing’ the outside world to ‘conceptualising’ the photographer’s inner view of reality

Cosmos, Fiction and Transcendence

This article analyses the development of Conceptual Art in Bratislava during the communist period, with specific emphasis on the practices produced throughout the so-called ‘Normalisation’ (1968–1989). The text starts by introducing the functioning mechanisms of the Czechoslovakian artistic scene of the time. It then moves on to analyse the work of Július Koller, Rudolf Sikora and Ĺubomír Ďurček. It is argued that, despite the difficult conditions for art production present in Bratislava during Normalisation years, Conceptual Art served its precursors as an escape valve for their political convictions, which they manifested through the use of puns, parody, irony, metaphors and the design of elaborate cosmological fictions through utopian and dystopian projections of their own political and cultural reality. In doing so, the unique properties of photography, such as its reduced size, low cost and indexical qualities, turned the medium into the most suitable form to materialise their conceptual practice

Toward an Emancipation of Photographic Vision: “Visualism” Under Czechoslovakian “Normalization” (1968–89)

This article discusses photographic approaches that emerged in the Eastern Bloc and in Western Europe during the 1980s, with reference to the theories of Andreas Müller-Pohle from West Germany, Bořek Sousedík from Czechoslovakia, and Jerzy Olek from Poland. In their search for emancipation from externally imposed ideologies and ways of understanding their surrounding world, these photographers articulated a series of similar ideas that called upon photographers to see their medium as a means to express their inner views of reality rather than as a mere representational instrument of ‘the real’. This article demonstrates how their discussions of photography contributed to promoting social and political emancipation specifically in Czechoslovakia, at a time in which the communist regime strove to normalize its rule, after an internal attempt to reform the political system in the country had been oppressed. The text begins with a discussion of the period of ‘normalization’ (1968–89) and how it redefined the scene of art photography in Czechoslovakia. It then analyses the theoretical and practical work of Müller-Pohle, Sousedík, and Olek. It argues that, although the theories of these three photographers were known by some practitioners in Czechoslovakia, it was Olek’s theory ‘Elementary Photography’ and pedagogical program that was most influential in their practice. The article explains how the involvement of Czechoslovakian photographers in the activities of Olek’s gallery in Warsaw contributed to the development of a so-called ‘visualist’ style in Czechoslovakian photography that embraced an entirely subjective approach in the depiction of reality, and that signalled the decline of the communist power in Czechoslovakia during the 1980s

Transitional Frames: From Normalisation to Democracy Czech and Slovak Art Photography (1968-1998)

This thesis studies the development of art photography practices in Czechoslovakia throughout the Normalisation period (1968-1989) and the decade following the collapse of Communism in the country (1989-1998). Its aim is to analyse the relationship between the production of art photographs and the shifting socio-political context during these years, with the intention of understanding the different creative strategies applied by Czechoslovakian photographers to preserve their artistic autonomy despite the existing censorship under the communist rule, as well as their artistic evolution following the establishment of a democratic and capitalist system in 1989. The project has been carried out from the perspective of the social history of art, which implies an analysis of artworks taking into account the presence of relevant social structures affecting its production, such as the different institutions and ‘formations’ operating during the studied period, the concrete biographical circumstances of each artist and their specific relations with power structures. The research has been developed using a variety of methods, including the collection of primary research material from various photographic archives and private collections, as well as twenty interviews with the main actors of the photography scene of the time. A latter semiotic analysis of photographs has served to disclose a range of ‘coded messages’ in their images, often revealing the hidden critical content of the work. I would argue that the political context present during Normalisation years and its resulting social structures determined the development of art photography in Czechoslovakia at different levels, including not only its material production, content and style, but also the way these photographs were distributed and communicated through exhibitions and publications. This took place within a photography scene that was clearly divided into official and unofficial spheres of practice, but where ‘inner migrations’ constantly took place among those photographers who aimed to earn a living and communicate their work while simultaneously protecting their artistic autonomy. I would also argue that, although it would be very difficult to generalise the changes observed in their practice after 1989, it is possible to envisage certain tendencies among their work that suggest that the political transition that took place since 1989 produced different effects depending on the photographic style at stake

Subjective Documentary Photography in ‘Normalised’ Czechoslovakia (1968-89). Decoding Vladimír Birgus’ Work

This paper aims to study the use of a ‘subjective’ view in Czechoslovakian photography through documentary practices developed during the period of ‘normalisation’ (1968-1989). Its intention is to analyse how are we to understand the notion of ‘subjective’ in Czechoslovakian documentary photography and its significance during the last two decades of communist rule in the country. Through the analysis of Vladimír Birgus’ work, the article discusses how the principles of ‘subjectivity’ in photography aided Czechoslovakian photographers to express their reactions against the established power; a reaction that, thanks to the attributes of this ‘subjective view’, was able to remain ‘under-cover’ through the use of a coded visual language in the photograph.El objetivo de este artículo es estudiar la aplicación de una ‘mirada subjetiva’ en el documentalismo fotográfico desarrollado en Checoslovaquia durante el periodo de Normalización (1968-1989). La intención del texto es comprender cómo debemos entender la noción de lo ‘subjetivo’ en relacción a la fotografía documental Checoslovaca y su relevancia artística durante las últimas dos décadas de régimen comunista. A través del análisis de la obra de Vladimír Birgus, el artículo estudia cómo los principios de subjetividad fotográfica permitieron a determinados fotógrafos Checoslovacos expresar su crítica hacia el régimen comunista mediante el uso de una serie de mensajes codificados en sus fotografías

Immune response profiles of calves following vaccination with live BCG and inactivated Mycobacterium bovis vaccine candidates

<div><p>Conventional control and eradication strategies for bovine tuberculosis (BTB) face tremendous difficulties in developing countries; countries with wildlife reservoirs, a complex wildlife-livestock-human interface or a lack of veterinary and veterinary public health surveillance. Vaccination of cattle and other species might in some cases provide the only suitable control strategy for BTB, while in others it may supplement existing test-and-slaughter schemes. However, the use of live BCG has several limitations and the global rise of HIV/AIDS infections has furthermore warranted the exploration of inactivated vaccine preparations. The aim of this study was to compare the immune response profiles in response to parenteral vaccination with live BCG and two inactivated vaccine candidates in cattle.</p><p>Twenty-four mixed breed calves (<i>Bos taurus</i>) aged 4–6 months, were allocated to one of four groups and vaccinated sub-cutaneously with live <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i> BCG (Danish 1331), formalin-inactivated <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i> BCG, heat-killed <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i> or PBS/Montanide™ (control). Interferon-γ responsiveness and antibody production were measured prior to vaccination and at weekly intervals thereafter for twelve weeks. At nine weeks post-priming, animals were skin tested using tuberculins and MTBC specific protein cocktails and subsequently challenged through intranodular injection of live <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i> BCG.</p><p>The animals in the heat-killed <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i> group demonstrated strong and sustained cell-mediated and humoral immune responses, significantly higher than the control group in response to vaccination, which may indicate a protective immune profile. Animals in this group showed reactivity to the skin test reagents, confirming good vaccine take. Lastly, although not statistically significant, recovery of BCG after challenge was lowest in the heat-killed <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i> group.</p><p>In conclusion, the parenteral heat-killed <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i> vaccine proved to be clearly immunogenic in cattle in the present study, urging further evaluation of the vaccine in challenge studies using virulent <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i> and assessment of vaccine efficacy in field conditions.</p></div