CARNEVAL CHARACTER OF THE YUGOSLAV NEW WAVE: CASES OF “GREETINGS FROM ZAGREB“ AND “GREETINGS FROM BELGRADE” FESTIVALS
Text topic: Cultures of Rhythms and Spectacle
Text author: Нинослава Вићентић
The text analyses those events and features that indicate a specific carnevalesque character of the Yugoslav New Wave scene. Methodologically, the work relies on the Bakhtin's interpretation of carneval literature, holidays and grotesque, and his systematization of its most important characteristics. Bakhtin's statements were practically applied to some of the phenomena which introduced New Wave, and especially festivals, "Greetings from Zagreb" and "Greetings from Belgrade". These festivals were promotion of both - some of the basic characteristics of the New Wave movement, as well as of the arts that will be positioned at the top of the movement (rock music and photography), as the most influential arts.
These specific characteristics of carneval art were presented with "Greetings". The first is the actual reality, in which only current news, tendencies and thoughts of contemporary and popular culture are something worth artistic attention. Second is the fact that the New Wave art rely on its own, althought begginer's experience, improvisation and free fantasy, and not on historical legacy. The third feature is the use of speaking dialects and jargon (newspaper's clips, news from the daily press, parody of the serious genres, parodic life and art citations).
New Wave with its strong presence of music and games, becomes close to the visual performances and especially theatrical-presentational forms that belong to urban, street culture. New Wave, though temporary, becomes, like a carneval, form of life itself.