Alicja Muller
Faculty of Polish
Jagiellonian University
Poland
(Un)spectacular Bodies (Do Not) Go to War
Uniforms and Discipline
Abstract: The aim of this article is to present uniforms (or costumes) as masks used by the disciplinary authority to control and change bodies. By the word “costume” I understand both the material object and a repertoire of abstract rules according to which bodies are formed and trained. Defined in this way, the mask is a medium which, on the one hand, covers the individual characteristics of whoever wears it, and, on the other, somehow directs his or hers actions. To describe this mechanism, I choose two seemingly different spaces: classic ballet and the military. I show that in both disciplinary power operates on similar – perhaps even identical – principles. In the first part of the article, I develop the concept of mask-costume, focusing on its theatrical character. In the second part, I study two texts of culture: Cezary Tomaszewski’s play Cezary goes to war (2017) and Artur Żmijewski’s short film KRWP (2000). They provide excellent material to exemplify my initial diagnoses.
Keywords: mask, body, power, ballet
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No. 37 (2018)
Published: 2019-02-05
10.31261/errgo
English
Język Polski