Background Information
Pussy Riot is a combination of visual and performing arts organization founded in August 2011 by a group of women. The collective’s identities remained anonymous for some time before getting involved in numerous activities. The group of female artist opposes the Russian regime and the close relationship between the President Vladimir Putin and Russian Orthodox Church (Lynn et al., 1). A female group artist felt agitated by the re-election of President Putin who in their view, is considered dictatorial. The group comprises of young women between the age of 20 and 33 years. To communicate their resentments with the regime and the Church, the group employs the use of unsanctioned and confrontational guerilla performances in public places (Lynn et al., 1). Such performances are recorded as music videos and posted on the internet for public viewing. As such, the group has been involved in various court cases due to disobedience to the law and authorities, provocation, and trespass. Most of their members and occasionally arrested and some, sentenced to serve in the prisons.
Introduction
This research of socially engaged arts in the contemporary visual arts performance on Pussy Riot addresses the questions: how do Pussy Riot and the arts they propagate and produce initiate change in individuals and communities? How does the art engage with its community? Who benefits and how? What are the issues associated with art in historical and contemporary perspective? Is the performance justified? As such, this paper seeks to establish the features of socially engaged groups and how they bring change for persons and communities and analyze how means through which art is practiced as well as the social impacts of the change process in the community in addressing the questions raised.
Experimentation and Diversity
The performance of arts by Pussy Riot breaks the established and accepted norms of the art performance. In the contemporary society, art performance is sanctioned by relevant agencies and publicized to enhance public participation (Lynn et al., 6). Pussy Riot breaks this established bay making their performance abrupt, experimental and diverse creating a new milestone in guerilla art performances in streets and rooftops (Weij, 490). This makes their art to be informative, untimely, demonstrate a high sense of originality and full of surprises hence attracting the attention of the community. As such, art policy needs to support experimental and risk-taking groups like Pussy Riot to meet the intended objectives.
Modes of Engagement
Socially inclined performances are developed and transmitted through participatory performance, collaboration, provocation, immersive experience and dialogue (Lynn et al., 6). Pussy Riot focusses on the process of transmitting the information and seeks to identify themselves with communities they perform within. They have occasionally joined anti-Putin demonstrations in Moscow and public support for minority groups like LGBT. Thus, they effectively respond to the immediate needs of the community and increase the number of intended audiences. Since the inception of Pussy Riot in 2011, the number of members has increased as well as their performance gaining worldwide popularity.
Socially Engaged Practices and Individualization
According to Lynn et al., individualization refers to the engineering of goods and services to personal customization which is a major policy in the public sector (10). Pussy Riot employs the use of socially engaged arts to construct connections among communities, perpetuate their interest and enhance their practices. They achieve this by engaging with the audience as social beings instead of customizing traditional commodities for the personalized audience.
The Beauty of Engagement
Interestingly, there exist aesthetics in the social engagement which enhance relational connections and practices building concerns for others and the community at large (Lynn et al., 18). Pussy Riot identified a relational gap between the Putin regime and the minority dissenting his leadership. They also establish that socially engaged art can revitalize the public role of art in supporting marginalized audience like the LGBT group.
Philosophy, Politics and Civic Education
Lynn et al. emphasizes that successful social engagement strategies should be necessitated by significant social intentions based on the comprehensible philosophies of rendezvous (38). He suggests that the techniques depict clarity of purpose and openness. Pussy Riot demonstrates that social engagement and puts arts at the epitome of a civilized society. Conversely, Rourke and Andrew contend that projects which produce justifiable transformation are well thought out and consume time (235). The effects slowly diffuse into the society, become complicated and immeasurable. As such, such diffusion generates substantial societal value in the long run.
Also, Rourke and Andrew observe that socially engaged practices stimulate commitment to developing and sustaining partnerships with like-minded agencies (240). For instance, Pussy Riot found a stepping stone to politicize the current regime and joined up with other agencies to fight the allegedly corrupt regime of President Vladimir Putin. They joined the political movement. As such, some of their members who were incarcerated were considered as political prisoners. In 2013, they joined demonstrators who were unsatisfied with the current regime. They employ art practices in the demonstration and their performance (Weij, 490). At the time, they seal their mouths during the performance as an indication of dissatisfaction with the regime as well as symbolizing that they have been silenced by the state organs. They rejoice when governments face a crisis. Lynn et al. confirm that partnership is both productive and destructive at the same time (20). Therefore, Pussy Riots needs to enhance their commitment to a mutual understanding to further pre-emptive and supportive policies without discriminating those with dissenting opinions.
Innovation and Ethics
Some of the artistic activities initiated by Pussy Riots create social dilemmas in the community. Such include an attack on Christian Cathedral that was considered blasphemous by the clergy. There is a need to be tactical in transmitting messages without losing its meaning. For instance, the performance in the holy premises of Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow in the year 2012 was publicly criticized for lack of respect for the deity and other individuals with dissenting opinions (Rourke & Andrew, 240). The purpose of the performance was to vindicate the belief that President Putin worked closely with Russian Orthodox Church. However, this message was neutralized by criticism from the public for not respecting other peoples’ beliefs even if they are dissatisfied some of their leaders and the church (Rourke & Andrew, 240). The group became famous for disrespecting a religious establishment that perpetuates hope, order, and morality in the society. Arguably, social engagement should create a working and receptive environment instead of segregated society subjugated by antagonizing groups.
Transformative Practices
This analysis present insight into the various mechanisms through which transformation is propagated in socially engaged arts. Sperling argues that socially engaged practices create transformation through collective feeling and expression of opinions while sustaining significant consciousness (600). Pussy Riot uses arts to communicate to the society how different things can be done, and changes brought in the society using a mixture of contemporary visual arts to theatre forms (Weij, 490). Transformative practices by Pussy Riots present an opportunity for communication among those engaged with the arts, specific personal experiences with the shared tradition, and creates an impression of how things can be done differently as well as incorporating modern visual performances languages required to characterize the realm from a diverse point of view.
Arts within Historical and contemporary contexts
History emphasizes on the chronological development of arts from creation to date. Art has played a significant role in the development of the modern communication and structures that were begun as the minor innovation of few individuals in the society (Sperling, 600). Traditional arts majorly reflected the surrounding where one lived. Arts began in the form of graphical representation of objects, events, landscapes, paths, rivers, buildings as well as beliefs. Looking but at the time of the Agrarian revolution, when man started to adopt mechanization in farming, the Egyptians developed the art of communication called Hieroglyphics this was majorly based on drawing of objects, events, and houses (Sperling, 600). This was a form of visual art although it cannot be compared to contemporary visual and performed arts; it played a role in shaping the modern communication. On the other hand, Mesopotamia developed a special type of artistic language called cuneiform. Despite traditional arts being based on events, feeling and occupation, the use of art today is still based on the same principles. Art is used to unite individuals with a specific interest, talent or reservations. Accordingly, Pussy Riot has employed the use of performance arts to attract attention and pass information on their perception and the happenings in their immediate environment.
Pussy Riot uses collaborative and provocative performance arts on rooftops, streets, and churches to pass artistic messages to their audience. Pussy Riot produced a series of songs to register their frustration and the stressful situations they are faced within their domestic countries (Sperling, 600). Interestingly, the internet has rapidly connected the globe and facilitated information sharing on a digital platform. Contrastingly, the traditional society did not create a digital platform thereby making different societies to possess unusual artistic instruments. Today, Pussy Riot can share their engaged cultural arts on the internet hence provoking individual minority groups in different parts of the world who feel oppressed and rejected to use the same approach to pass information. For example, the Syrian revolution was art driven by a graffiti drawn by 14-year-old boy in which it was said: “It is your turn, Doctor Bashar Al Assad” which sparked a violent riot in Syria to date (Rourke & Andrew, 240). Therefore, visual and performed arts play a vital role in socially shaping our society just as it was in the past. Historically, visual representations elicit pleasurable responses that define us and how we engage with the material world.
Rationale, Alternative Arguments and International Perception of Pussy Riot
The activities of the collective were founded on anarchist ideology to remove authoritarianism in Russian. They perceive Putin’s administration as not being liberal. The group argues that socially inclined arts which are sanctioned by the state do not attract media attention. As such, the resort to co-opted, barbaric, uncouth and guerilla performances that attract media attention (Sperling, 600). In my view, the use of the guerilla tactics is an appropriate way of attracting attention in an authoritarian regime established by the people themselves. The groups identify Putin as an imperialist who propagates Soviet Union agenda. Although the medium of engagement used by Pussy Riot is not suctioned, this research establishes that their demand is genuine hence their actions justified.
The demand for a liberal left style of governance that is established by the people to promote the well-being of the society is appropriate. They advocate for a centralized power, good governance, rights of minority groups like LGBT, proper medical care and education. Therefore, I find their actions justified.
However, the unsanctioned performances and use of guerrilla performance in the 21st century is incomprehensible. The randomly selected performance sites together with political activism, naturally attract the law enforcing agencies making their performances to lose meaning (Weij, 490). Additionally, I fail to understand the coincidence between the Graffiti kid who portrayed President Assad’s leadership as a failing regime and the establishment of the Pussy Riot in the same year. The graffiti kid sparked a civil war that is still consuming humanity to date. As such, I find the use of such tactics as detrimental to world peace.
Reflection and Analysis of Management Theories
According to Seal, management refers to the art or science of achieving goals through other people (Müller, 10). How does Pussy Riot apply this principle? Pussy Riot employs the use of barbaric visual performance to attract the attention of the media, government, human right groups’ as well as the public to listen to their problems. In line with definition, Pussy Riot demonstrates a high level of management skills through unsanctioned performances to pass their message. Several management theories advocate for open-mindedness and accountability in individual actions which leads to group achievements (Müller, 20). Each member of the collective is given critical roles to play in the performance to achieve desired outcomes.
Fredrick Taylor’s scientific management thought emphasizes on the simplicity of task for great achievements (Müller, 30). This theory is practiced in socially engaged arts by making their performances thrilling while very simple. In the case of Pussy Riot, some feminist activists just scream and make noise in their performance thereby attracting the attention of the crowd which is the primary purpose.
Another group of management theories is the Classical organizational theories advocated by Max Weber and Henry Fayol’s administrative theory. Weber organized his thoughts bureaucratically hence creating a hierarchical system of meaning with seniors, junior and subordinates (Weij, 490). The Pussy Riot collective is also organized into these stages with leaders, camera team and performance artist practically using Weber’s ideologies. Weber’s ideologies created a distinctly impersonalized working environment thereby impacting negatively on the social nature of humanity. He created an environment where junior employees would not communicate directly with their superiors hence creating segregation at the workplace. On the other hand, Fayol believed in the five principles of management including planning, coordinating, commanding, controlling and organizing (Müller, 60). These principles are still applicable in the modern management and performance arts. Any socially inclined art applies the five principles to realize success.
Conclusion
This paper has established that Pussy Riot was justified as it advocated for proper governance, accountability and respecting the rights of minority groups like the LGBT. Also, there was a close relationship between Putin and Russian Orthodox Church that sparked the violent protest and performance by the punk group.