Dadaism.

Dadaism is a cultural movement that began during World War I in Switzerland. The peak of the movement was from 1916 to 1922. This movement primarily involved visual arts, literature, poetry, art manifestoes, art theory, theatre and graphic design. It is concentrated on its anti-war politics. The purpose of Dadaism was to ridicule what was percieved the meaninglessness of the modern world. Dadaism was also anti-bourgeois and anarchistic.

Dada activities ranged from public gatherings and demonstrations to passionate coverage of art, politics and culture. The movement also influenced later styles such as the avant-garde and downtown music movements.

Dada was an informal international movement, spread through Europe and North America. The beginning of the movement correspont to the outbreak of World War I. This movement was a protest against the bourgeois nationalist and colonialist interests. Dadaists believed that these were the root causes of the war.

The Dadaists from Berlin would use scissors and glue instead of paintbrushes and paints to express their views of modern life. This was photomontage, a variation on the collage technique. Photomontage utilized actual or reproductions of real photographs printed in the press.

Max Ernst used images from World War I to illustrate messages of the destruction caused by war.

Dadaism also brought about assemblages. These were 3D variations of the collage. They were an assembly of everyday object to produce meaningless pieces of work. These sometimes included war objects and trash. Objects were nailed, screwed or fastened together in different ways. Assemblages could be seen in 3D or hung on the wall.