Gasium et Circenses / Lumen Station #2 by Katarina Sevic

Lumen Station Issue #2

Project by Katarina Šević and Tehnica Schweiz (Gergely László, Péter Rákosi)

Lumen Station – Issue #11

As of 2012 Lumen has opened a new chapter. The monthly solo shows are replaced by the Lumen Station program. Within this framework, regularly, a single project is chosen and focused upon. Instead of the artwork and the exhibition, the artistic process and its context are put into spotlight.

Imprint

Editing: Katarina Šević and Gergely László Translation: Dániel Sipos, Balázs Szász Proofreading: Dániel Sipos, Radmila Radin Graphic design: Katarina Šević

Sources of the Finds section: Public lectures by László Gyimesi, Director of former Culture House; Gábor Erhardt, architect, resident of the Gasworks Residential Park; Dániel Kővágó researcher of the Aquincum Museum; Interview with Tamás Fodor, head of Stúdió K theater collective; Historical Museum of Óbuda; Budapest Historical Museum - Aquincum Museum; Budapest Gasworks Archive; Photography Archive of the Museum Kiscell; Hungarian Fortepan Archive; Wikipedia

Texts © Authors, editors

Special thanks: Judit Csatlós, Gábor Erhardt, Péter Flanek, Zsófia Frazon, László Gyimesi, Endre Koronczi, Dániel Kővágó, Edit Molnár, Hajnal Németh, Radmila Radin, Balázs Szász, Soma Uliczki, Márton Vargha and to The Heroes of the Shaft Collective (Máté Bartha, István Bukovics, Krisztina Erdei, Anna Forgács, Zsolt Hajdú, Shandor Hassan, Zoltán Kósa, Lulu Schnee, Péter Tömpe, Dániel Sipos, Zsófia Váradi, Dániel Zafir)

Published by: Lumen Photography Foundation H-1136 Budapest, Gergely Győző utca 3.b lumen@photolumen.hu www.photolumen.hu

Supporters: NKA – National Cultural Fund, Quarts Studio – digital print and graphic studio

Budapest, 2013 ISBN 978-963-88761-4-0

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The affair of The Artist and The Museum in the outskirts

Project by Katarina Šević and Tehnica Schweiz (Gergely László, Péter Rákosi)

Lumen Station – Issue #11

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Mithras meets Electra, while the Gas meter Reader walks into the Culture House. In the center of our story stands a desolate open-air stage, under which geological and cultural-historical planes are densely layered. When we first saw it, it only appealed to our senses. A friendly yard with a particularly calm air. Only then did we look around to find out where we are: right next to the stage, on the edge of the Roman Empire, on the ruins of a former workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; colony, you will find an abandoned culture house, where archeological finds that were denied entry to the official collection of the historical museum are stacked up to the roof. We wondered around the stage of the borderland and through this process, we came to face our own peripheral position. We had come to the recognition that since the frontiers between the ages have faded, the planes of history overlap, and because all events are in close relation with any previous events, by now we can only read the layers under the stage or the accumulated and forgotten archeological finds stacked in the culture house as one whole, and not separately.

Backstage area of the former Gasworks Culture House, 2011

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What you are holding in your hands is a script to a reading performance. The piece is based on a real correspondence, but it has been transformed both in language and content. Three or six people participate in the reading. The text laid out in columns is to be read by three voices simultaneously. The reading is accompanied by a projection.

The text was composed in collaboration with Dรกniel Sipos.

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Dear Madam Director, I am an artist and the Culture House by the residential park has raised my interest. It has come to my attention that the Historical Museum uses the Culture House as a stone storage. I would like to know whether it is possible to visit the Culture House and look at the stones. My motivation is solely personal and artistic. My works are usually shown in exhibitions here and abroad. In my projects I often work with historical memories and archives. I am fascinated by the ruins of past times and that is why your stone storage attracts me so. Please find my portfolio enclosed. Yours sincerely, The Artist

Dear Artist, The Culture House has been serving storage functions for the Museum, namely the storage of architectural finds (and not stones) awaiting further treatment. Its spaces are full and so presently inaccessible. You may find more information on the history of the Culture House at our permanent exhibition. Best regards, Madam Director

Dear Madam Director, Thank you for your response! Of course I am very much interested in the history of the Culture

House, and I am aware that presently it serves as a storage facility. Nevertheless, I am mainly interested in its present state and function. I consider its layers of history very exciting. The way a new-age â&#x20AC;&#x153;ruinâ&#x20AC;? houses antique and medieval finds is an emblematic instance of how the function of a socialist building changes, how the house loses its original purpose and is transformed almost naturally according to new needs. I see the former Culture House and the finds stored within as a special cross-section of history, the compression of time and space. Furthermore, I am interested to know how a historical find makes its way into the Museum, or, if it does not, why? Why do we call a certain find relevant for the interpretation of history and what makes another worthless? Does the Museum aspire to repeatedly re-examine the past it has mapped, to continuously reinterpret and correct its own historical narrative in the light of the spirit of the age? I completely understand your insecurity and mistrust. I would like to introduce myself personally. Yours sincerely, The Artist

Dear Artist, I shall forward your request to the Director-in-Chief of the Historical Museum. Best regards, Madam Director

Dear Madam Director, I wrote to you one year ago. I am an artist and the Culture House by the

I am an artist and the Culture House by the

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residential park has raised my interest. It has come to my attention that the Historical Museum uses the Culture House as an archaeological storage.

residential park has raised my interest. It has come to my attention that the Historical Museum uses the Culture House as an

storage.

Please, inform me about what kind of finds are stored there, from which excavations. My motivation is solely personal and artistic. My works are usually shown in exhibitions here and abroad. Please find my portfolio enclosed.

My motivation is solely personal and artistic. My works are usually shown in exhibitions here and abroad. Please find my portfolio enclosed.

Yours sincerely, The Artist

Dear Artist, As regards questions concerning the Museum’s material, the competent Head of Department is in charge, he will give you all available answers. Best regards, Madam Director

Dear Head of Department, Madam Director has advised me to contact you with my questions: I am an artist and the Culture House by the

The way a new-age “ruin” houses antique

Why do we call a certain find relevant

residential park has raised my interest. It has come to my attention that the Historical Museum uses the Culture House as an archaeological storage. I consider its layers of history very exciting. I see the former Culture House and the finds stored within as special cross-section of history, as the compression of time and space.

and medieval finds is an emblematic instance of how the function of a socialist building changes, how the house loses its original purpose and is transformed almost naturally according to new needs. Furthermore, I am interested to know how a historical find makes its way into the museum, or, if it does not, why?

for the interpretation of history and what makes another worthless? Does the Museum aspire to repeatedly reexamine the past it has mapped, to continuously reinterpret and correct its own historical narrative in the light of the spirit of the age?

I would like to know more about the storage. Please, inform me about what kind of finds are stored there, from which excavations.

Please, inform me about what kind of finds are stored there, from which excavations.

Is it true that the former Culture House serves as a temporary storage for finds that are worthless to the Museum? My motivation is solely personal and artistic. My works are usually shown in exhibitions here and abroad. Please find my portfolio enclosed.

My motivation is solely personal and artistic. My works are usually shown in exhibitions here and abroad. Please find my portfolio enclosed.

Yours sincerely, The Artist

Dear Artist,

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Personally, and in the light of your portfolio, I completely understand your keen interest in the Culture House. Nevertheless, as an artist, you might understand that the History Museum, as other institutions, operates along certain rules and procedural mechanisms. Everyone has their task and sphere of action. Mine is restricted solely to my own research results and work. There is an official way if you want to collect data or visit the building. My personal impression is that it would be more acceptable and easier to consider if you could specify your request, and if you could disclose more about your goals. If a scientific researcher turns to the museum, they also have to declare the purpose for which they wish to use the information they obtain. Historical Museum is not an exception, you can check any serious museum (even abroad), they have cumbersome forms to fill for a research permit. I would suggest that you turn to the manager in charge and request permission for specific purposes once you have them. It is again my personal opinion that one doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need much sensitivity or artistic sense to feel strong irony, perhaps the possibility of sarcasm even, regarding certain topics in your work, and naturally no one will expose to it the institution they manage or earn their income from. However illuminative or aesthetic the present condition of the Culture House is, including the way that led here, few of those who have the slightest involvement in this story take pride in it as aesthetic value. I think this is humanly absolutely understandable. Best regards, Head of Deparment

Dear Head of Deparment, Thanks for the quick response. In my projects I often work with historical

In my projects I often work with historical

memories and archives. I am fascinated by the ruins of past times and that is why your archaeological storage attracted me so.

Like other times before, I’m not yet sure of the outcome of my project. I will attempt to reconstruct the story of the Culture House and its context, but I haven’t found its form yet. My motivation is solely personal and artistic.

My motivation is solely personal and artistic.

Therefore, I can promise that I won’t use the information you disclose without your consent. I’m only asking you to write down in a few words what the Museum stores in the former Culture House. Should I write to Madam Director in person? Yours sincerely, The Artist

Dear Artist, I just wanted to frankly enlighten you about how the institution works, and also about my own opinion on the subject. Of course, I can describe it in a few words: the Museum stores archaeological finds in the building, which, in terms of material, include ceramic fragments, human and animal bones, glass and metal objects, architectural ceramics and carvings, mural fragments, frescos, soil samples and organic samples. As regards their age, they can be dated from the Palaeolithic era through the late middle ages. The excavations during which they were recovered have all taken place within the administrative area of our city since the mid-70s. As we are talking about thousands of crates of hundreds of excavations and other archaeological interventions, managed by a collection staff of 7-8 people at the Museum’s three archaeological departments, you can really only get more detailed and accurate information if you write to

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Madam Director or the Director-in-Chief. Best regards, Head of Deparment

Dear Head of Deparment, Thank you for your help! I will write to Madam Director as well. Yours sincerely, the Artist

Dear Madam Director, Allow me to once again introduce myself. I am an artist. In my projects I often work with historical memories and archives. I am fascinated by the ruins of past times and that is why your stone storage attracted me so. Please find my portfolio enclosed. The Culture House by the residential park has raised my interest. It has come to my attention that the Historical Museum uses the Culture House as an archaeological storage.

I consider its layers of history very exciting. The way a new-age â&#x20AC;&#x153;ruinâ&#x20AC;? houses antique and medieval finds is an emblematic instance of how the function of a socialist building changes, how the house loses its original purpose and is transformed almost naturally according to new needs. I see the former Culture House and the finds stored within as a special cross-section of history, as the compression of time and space.

Furthermore, I am interested to know how a historical find makes its way into the museum, or, if it does not, why? Why do we call a certain find relevant for the interpretation of history and what makes another worthless? Does the Museum aspire to repeatedly re-examine the past it has mapped, to continuously reinterpret and correct its own historical narrative in the light of the spirit of the age?

This is why I need your help. Please, inform me about Please, inform me about what kind of finds are what kind of finds are stored there, from which stored there, from which excavations. excavations.

Please, inform me about what kind of finds are stored there, from which excavations.

I have already exchanged correspondence with the competent Head of Department and he suggested that I turn to you. I know that my request is complicated and the Head of Department has mentioned that the artefacts come from various locations. I will be very happy if I can learn more about the origin of the artefacts stored at the Culture House, based on the information already at your disposal. Yours sincerely, the Artist

Dear Artist, As I pointed out earlier, You may find more information on the history of the Culture House at our permanent exhibition.

You may find more information on the history of the Culture House at our permanent exhibition.

Besides, I strongly recommend our publications containing our yearly reports on the research and excavations of the Museum, fulfilling our legal obligation. The entry of an archaeological find into the Museum is the result of lengthy excavation work, the process involving a variety of scientific fields simultaneously. The archaeologist in charge of the excavation will be able to provide information about particular finds. As regards questions concerning the Museum’s material,

As regards questions concerning the Museum’s material, still the competent Head of the competent Head of Department is in charge, Department is in charge,

As regards questions concerning the Museum’s material, the competent Head of Department is in charge,

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he will give you all available answers.

he will give you all available answers. Best regards, Madam Director

Dear Head of Department, Madam Director redirected me to you, and you have also received the above letter. Can I expect any more detailed information? Yours sincerely the Artist

Dear Artist, Not only have I received it, but I spoke to her in person, because she replied without having seen my previous responses to you. She asked me to make a â&#x20AC;&#x153;statementâ&#x20AC;? completely identical in content to my previous response, so I cannot serve you with more detailed information. I may make this more formal if you require. As regards their age, they can be dated from the Palaeolithic era through the late middle ages. The excavations during which they were recovered have all taken place within the administrative area of our city since the mid70s.

The Museum stores archaeological finds in the building, which, in terms of material, include ceramic fragments, human and animal bones, glass and metal objects, architectural ceramics and carvings, mural fragments, frescos, soil samples and organic samples.

The archaeological finds in our Museum represent exceptional cultural and historical value, the protection of which is provided for by the law on “The Protection of Our Cultural Heritage”. It is my personal opinion that your questions regarding the role of the Museum and the canonization of the finds raise further questions that have relevance in the theory of history. It is not the responsibility of the Museum’s experts to decide how much relevance a discovered find or document may have in the writing of historical narratives. Our primary goal is the excavation, conservation and preservation of the finds for future generations. You may well see that already owing to their old age, the items in our collection represent a historical value that cannot be questioned by the present. Naturally, I appreciate Your concern in connection with the changing relevance, value and role of objects. As a practising researcher, I can only say that the historical dump is the true treasure trove of the archaeologist. It would still be purposeful if you could specify what information you need exactly and what you want to do with it. Otherwise it is difficult to help. Madame Director also said that the disclosure of an itemized list would entail serious security issues, the assessment of which belongs under the Director-in-Chief’s authority. Best regards, Head of Department

Dear Head of Department, As I have already written, In my projects I often work with historical memories and archives. I am fascinated by the ruins of past times

Like other times before, I’m not yet sure of the outcome of my project. I will attempt to reconstruct the story of

My motivation is solely personal and artistic. Therefore, I can promise that I won’t use the information you disclose

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and that is why your archeological storage attracted me so.

the Culture House and without your consent. its context, but I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t found its form yet.

In fact, I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do anything without your consent. In accordance with your request, I will try to specify my question: What kind of finds are stored in the former Culture House, from which excavations?

What kind of finds are stored in the former Culture House, from which excavations?

What kind of finds are stored in the former Culture House, from which excavations? Yours sincerely, The Artist

Dear Artist, I shall forward your request to the Directorin-Chief of the Historical Museum.

I shall forward your request to the Directorin-Chief of the Historical Museum.

I will have to ask for your patience. The Director-in-Chief is now on holiday. He will be back after the 20th, and if not promptly after his 3-week holiday, he will certainly deal with your request. Best regards, Head of Department

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Finds

20 Excerpts from the lecture by Dániel Kővágó,

researcher of the Aquincum Museum.

Excerpts from the lecture by Gábor Erhardt,

architect, resident of the Gasworks Residential Park.

Excerpts from the lecture by László Gyimesi,

former director of the Gas Work Culture House.

The public lectures took place on 07.04.2012 on the open-air stage of the former Gasworks Culture House, in Budapest.

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Heap of coke, 1940s

This land was called â&#x20AC;&#x153;sandy slopeâ&#x20AC;?. There might have been some

excavations at the time, but it was entirely uninhabited. Nevertheless, with the railway, the Danube nearby providing water and means of transportation, this area had great potential for further expansion of the city. Also, with the area being unpopulated, nobody had to suffer from the possible discomforting effects of gas production.

Mithras cult distinguished between seven grades of initiation. These are,

in hierarchical order: the raven - freshly initiated, the bridesman, the soldier, the lion, the Persian, the sun runner, and the final, highest grade: that of the father, the pater. These are the stages of a learning process â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a process of enlightenment. A part of the ritual was the pouring of the blood of the sacrificial bull over the initiate, which was usually carried out in a pit in front of the Mithras remple. The candidate was covered in blood, as a symbol of knowledge, of gnosis.

Gas boiler, 1960s

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Phrygian cap, part of the ritual dress of the Mithras ceremonies

24 Gas tank, Budapest Gasworks, 1914

One of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state-of-the-art industrial facilities was established here,

along with an environment that was a novelty in terms of lifestyle in Budapest and even Europe. Swiss factory manager Albert Weiss was a systematically thinking intellectual. He knew that work alone could not create a system and prosperity without an infrastructure. This is how this residential project was born, with extra functions: nursery, church, butchers, police station, tobacconists, cultural institution, etc.

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Scene from Elektra, Studio K Theater Collective, Gasworks Culture House, 1986

Gas tank, Budapest Gasworks, 1914

When we talk about Aquincum, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just talk about one, but three

settlements. The civic camp, the military camp and the governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s palace. The Romans set foot in this region in the 1st Century AD. By the year 50 AD, they had founded various settlements had been established.

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Gasworks Residential Park, 1914

previous page, bottom: Aquincum Museum, 1920 bottom: Toaster and teapot put on stove, 1930s

Albert Weiss, a factory manager from Zurich was commissioned to

design the concept of the gasworks and to plan the technology behind it. The concept was ready by the spring of 1910. When it turned out that he had voluntarily planned a residential park together with the factory, the Society of Hungarian Architects and Engineers appealed to the House of Representatives claiming that they were able to build the houses themselves. They succeeded to transfer the commission of the building of the residential park into Hungarian architectsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hands.

Self-education programs in the 1930s at the Worker’s Casino*: French Revolution, The Eskimo, Mohács as a Preview to Trianon, Flight Around the World I., Jokes from Hungarian History, Religious Life of Egyptians, Conquering the Sky II., The Aim and the Instrument of Airstrikes, Behavior During an Airstrike, Fire Protection. Learning the Smells of Combat-Gases., Defense from Gas and Airstrikes, Newer Gas Protection Devices, The Crusades, The Old Budapest, The People and the Art of Kalotaszeg, Our Stolen Treasures I., Our Stolen Treasures II., The Telephone, Steel Roads, Lower Carpathians, Transylvania, What We Don’t Know About Alcoholic Beverages, The Formation of Hard Coal, Hunters With Parachutes, The Production and Processing of Silk, The Fly is the Enemy of Man, Colourful Hungarian Life, The Tragedy of Man, Pictures from Hungarian History, Pictures from Hungarian History II., Pictures from Hungarian History III., Tuberculosis, The Damages Caused by the Air strike of Kassa, A Few Words About Ourselves / Amateur theatre groups, Hungarian Dances, Folk Traditions, Good Luck / The Salt, Modern Robinsons, Kossuth, Porcelain, Spain, Italy, Paris, London, Holland, Animals of the Ice Age, Sándor Kisfaludy, Mihály Vörösmarty, Széchenyi, Belief and Sense, Winter Fishing on the Balaton, Floods on the Great Plain, Norway, Why Is Art Needed?, The Battle for Oil * The Worker’s Casino was the cultural basis of the Gasworks community before WWII. The later Gasworks Culture House was built in its place.

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Judges of the cooking contest, Budapest Gasworks, 1931

Cooking contest, Industrial Hall - Budapest Gasworks, 1930s previous page: Clogging of chimney without lining / gas poisoning

Uninsulated piping job delivered by a private mechanic opposite page: Various productions of the Amateur Theater Company, 1930s

Gas meter, 1990s

Workers’ education is an interesting matter. Whichever the regime, the

ruling power inevitably wanted to intervene, but some autonomy always remained. At most places, the libraries were the centres of autonomy. Here, this role was undertaken by the theatre and the choir, although the library was important too. [...] Everyone knows Zoltán Kodály, one of the greatest composers of the age. He wrote his choir piece “The Peacock” for the Gasworks Glee Club. It was performed by this choir at the Academy of Music. So it was not just some village choir...

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The open-air stage of the Gasworks Culture House, prior to renovation, 2010

Talk with László Gyimesi, former director of the Gasworks Culture House, 2011

An amateur theatre was formed alongside the self-education group. By the

30s it had grown into the number one theatre group in Óbuda. That theatre was inside the factory premises. It wasn’t just any theatre hall: it had a revolving stage, iron curtain, all the works. It could operate like this until the early 50s, when the Doctrine of Vigilance was introduced and the audience was no more allowed into the premises of a factory of strategic importance. That was when the Culture House was built with an open-air stage in front.

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Entrance to the Gasworks Culture House, 1960s

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top and oppostie page: The guerilla-renovation and consequent occupation of the open-air stage by The Heroes of the Shaft collective, 2011-2012

Head Exchange, storyboard to Gasium et Circenses tableaux vivants performance, 2013

Even though there were no bathrooms in the two-room apartments,

equipping each one with a gas-stove and gas-lighting was a great achievement.

Household equipement demonstration, Budapest Gasworks, 1948

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Budapest Gasworks service cars, 1930s / Budapest Gasworks, layout for campaign, 1970s

Budapest International Fair, 1939

The settlement was bordered by an amphitheater to the south and

another one to the north. It is a curiosity that the one in the military camp - though a building not comparable in size with the Roman Colosseum - had an arena that was 3 metres longer and 12 metres wider than that of the Colosseum. It is the largest Roman arena ever discovered.

The Amphitheater of the Civic Settlement, 1940

Aerial view of Aquincum Museum / the excavations of the Civic Settlement of Aquincum, 2000

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Budapest International Fair, Gasworks Effigy, 1939

The population of Aquincum was primarily military as it was a settlement

of the Provinces, protecting the border region of the Roman Empire, also known as the Limes.

Gas boiler, 1960s

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Emperor’s statue with interchangeable head - One of the most important

finds of the Aquincum excavations is the headless statue of the current Roman emperor. Upon assumption of office, the new emperor would send the carved heads of himslef into the Provinces, which usually arrived earlier than the newly minted coins.

Statue of the eternal Roman Emperor, Aquincum Museum

page 42-43: Auditorium of the theater space, Gasworks Culture House, 1960s Celebration in accordance with “The Great Hall” concept, Gasworks Culture House, 1950s Scene from Elektra, Studio K Theater Collective, Gasworks Culture House, 1986

In the 50s the ruling power wanted Cultural Houses to be the

headquarters of agitprop work. This was the so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Great Hallâ&#x20AC;? concept; there had to be a great hall everywhere to hold assemblies and rhythmically clap and cheer the leader. As the planning of the theatre hall was subordinated to political purposes, it was suitable for propaganda and state celebrations, but less so for theatre and other cultural events.

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In the 80s the alternative theatre company of Tamรกs

Fodor, Studio K, used the backstage area of the Cultural House for their performance of Electra. Studio K was not one of the cherished children of the regime. Wherever Fodor was allowed a place in the institutional system, the managers were under constant vexation, so they were usually happy to get rid of his company. This is how they ended up performing at a suburban location. Studio K was doing performances for 10 years in this building.

Why did Studio K choose Electra for putting on show at the Culture House? TamĂĄs Fodor: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have always been intrigued by the most intense conflicts, knots that are almost impossible to untie. Dramas within the family, which expanded the bounds offered by consensus and dogmas. Practices of power, vulnerability, compromise and relentlessness. Violence and resignation. Electra and generally the Atreides are the basis and starting point for all dramas to come.â&#x20AC;?

Assembled installation pipe, 1930s

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Scene from Elektra, Studio K Theater Collective, Gasworks Culture House, 1986

Just as the nursery supplied the gasworks and the surrounding estate with

flowers, the workers also received flowers for free to plant in their window-boxes. This may seem like a generous gesture, however, it also meant a certain obligation for the workers. If one stood in the centre of the square, one could see who was a caring and conscientious person by observing where the peonies were blooming. This could even lead to inquiries as to whether someone was entitled to be a tenant here.

Even if I didn’t do anything all year, just sit and smoke and

flirt in my office, if I had had a famous actor recite poems on important red-letter days three times a year, I would have been just as good a people’s educator as anyone.

above: Celebration in accordance with “The Great Hall” concept, Gasworks Culture House, 1960s

46 The Gas Meter Reader (excerpt), 1947-1949

Rescue excercise, 1970s

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The Re-establishment of Gas Production, 1945-1948, Collage, artist unkown

The Cult of Mithras was the first form of monotheism in the Roman

Empire after it appeared in the 1st century AD. It gained popularity especially in the border-lands in military camps. [...] Two mithraea, i.e. Mithras temples, are found in the present-day Aquincum museum. Mithras promised the sun god to conquer the bull symbolizing darkness. He failed at first. However, a divine message appeared in the form of a raven. Thus strenghtened in his resolve and reinvigorated, Mithras conquered the bull with the aid of a dog, the holy animal of the cult. This all took place in the depths of a cave. For this reason, we see that mithraea are cave-like buildings.

top: Unkown scene, 1930s opposite page: Gas flame, 1976

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Mithras was worshipped as a guardian of arms, and patron of soldiers and

armies. The handshake was developed by those who worshipped him as a token of friendship and as a gesture to show that you were unarmed. When Mithras later became the Roman god of contracts, the handshake gesture was spread throughout the Mediterranean and Europe by Roman soldiers.

The Culture House made a lot of independent activities possible. It has to

be noted that the members of these mostly came from the neighbourhood, residents of the housing project and workers at the gasworks, which remained so until the factory was shut down.

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The Mechanic, the Contractor and the Chimney Sweep, 1993

opposite page: Unkown scene in gas masks, 1930s Family days by the open-air stage, Gasworks Culture House, 1981 Community life in the the Gasworks Culture House , 1970s

Coal gas (also town gas and illumination gas) is a flammable gaseous fuel made by the destructive distillation of coal and contains a variety of calorific gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and volatile hydrocarbons together with small quantities of noncalorific gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen. It was the primary source of gaseous fuel until the widespread adoption of natural gas during the 1940s and 1950s in the US, the late 1960s and 1970s in the UK and the 1980s in Hungary. It was used for lighting, cooking, and heating and was often supplied to households via a municipally owned piped distribution system.

Coke samples, 1940s

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1st May Parade, Budapest, 1953

Cooking contest, storyboard to Gasium et Circenses tableaux vivants performance, 2013

Unkown band, Gasworks Culture House, 1980s

Community life, Gasworks Culture House, 1980s

The Culture House ouse was the scene of social life from the beginnings.

At first this activity was characterised by a casual pastime of companies and hobby circles (card players, radio amateurs, chess players, sports fans, etc.). After the socialist take over these groups were formalised and kept operating as clubs. When culture was politicized, the clubs would always keep their original goals, the labels changed, the activity remained the same. Pensionersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; clubs were always important vessels of autonomous activity and transmission of culture.

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Showering with the small water-heater, 1930s

The mithraea, the ceremonial place of the Mithras cult, were made up of

three primary parts. There was a central cell where the rituals were performed. The cult image and the altars all stood there. A platform surrounded it on both sides where the initiates were seated. There was an outer lobby, at times made up of several rooms, which could be entered only after a certain grade of initiation had been reached.

Earlier, it was completely normal that there were three-four different programs

here on Saturdays. Generally there would be a football match, then something on the stage out front, something inside the building, and perhaps even in the central court of the residential area. Initiation / Drawing Course / Serenade / Great Hall / Parade / Rock Concert, storyboards to Gasium et Circenses tableaux vivants performance, 2013

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Household demonstration, Budapest Gasworks, 1971

Aquincum Museum / Excavation of the civic settlement, 2013

In 1984 the production of gas was stopped in the facilities of the gasworks.

By then, it had already become a property of the city of Budapest. Naturally, life after 1984 did not cease entirely. Various complementary functions were still in operation, until the privatisation took place during the early 90s.

GASIUM ET CIRCENSES

The excavation of Aquincum can be considered the greatest archaeological

enterprise of Hungary. By 2004, altogether 742 excavations were done here. There are 23 archaeological ruin parks around Budapest, the excavation and display of which is sometimes hindered by difficulties.

opposite page: Lampart gas convector, 1980s Gasworks FC, 1980s. The amateur football club of the Budapest Gasworks, founded in 1933

Excavations of the Military Camp of Aquincum, 2012

The city of Budapest said that they would take over its management, and

until then, they would let the Aquincum Museum store its finds in the building for three months, until their warehouse was completed, following which, they would move out. This was more than ten years ago, and the museum has been here ever since. The excellent, beautiful theatre hall lined with hardwood has been stuffed with steel shelves. Due to the lack of winterization, the pipes of the floor heating froze, and by spring, water had flooded the culture house and destroyed all wooden structures.

1st May Parade, Budapest Gasworks, 1953

This building cannot be restored. It will probably be demolished once

the museum moves out. Demolished along with the traditions of workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; education in the entire country.

GASIUM ET CIRCENSES

The Stage, wooden object by Katarina Šević, 2011

Gasium et Circenses, Tableaux Vivants performance by The Heroes of the Shaft Collective on the 31st of August 2013

István Bukovics, Krisztina Erdei, Zsolt Hajdu, Shandor Hassan, Gergely László, Lulu Schnee, Sipos Dániel, Zsófia Váradi, Dániel Zafir

Gasium et Circenses / Stage

Gasium et Circenses / Initiation

GASIUM ET CIRCENSES

Gasium et Circenses / Roman Toilet

Gasium et Circenses / Great Hall

Gasium et Circenses / Parade

Gasium et Circenses / Children Brain Control

GASIUM ET CIRCENSES

Gasium et Circenses / Serenade

Gasium et Circenses / Footbal

Gasium et Circenses / Cooking Contest

Gasium et Circenses / Amateur Theater

GASIUM ET CIRCENSES

Gasium et Circenses / Audience

Gasium et Circenses / Dear Zoltรกn

Gasium et Circenses / Rock Concert

Gasium et Circenses / Drawing Course

GASIUM ET CIRCENSES

Gasium et Circenses / Head Exchange

Gasium et Circenses / Collective Meeting

Zsolt K. Horváth:

Investigating the Scene The culture house as the theatre of the public sphere

In the 2nd Issue, in accordance with the goals of the Lumen Station program a theoretical text is translated and published in connection with the discussed artwork. In “Investigating the Scene - The culture house as the theatre of the public sphere” Zsolt K. Horváth writes about how and why the culture houses became sites for avant-garde activities in Hungary in the 1970-s. Reading the text, it is inevitable to reformulate old but once again current questions: What are the places of culture/subculture in Hungary today? What space may art claim at times when it looses its access to the public system?

Regarding the unofficial, underground culture of the 1960-70s, the

networked and collective nature of its organisation and existence has been abundantly pointed out. Naturally, there are a number of reasons for this feature, but one of its defining elements was precisely that the first, official public sphere did not speak about it, or if it did, mostly with a negative, normative overtone. However, there is less talk about exactly where, at which scenes was this subculture organised and presented. If the curious eye studies nothing more than the published, primary resources and the scarce references, they will instantly see that in addition to the scenes of the much cited and probably overemphasised private public sphere – the apartment or the house party –, the names of various culture houses around Budapest crop up quite often. The names of Ganz or Kassák Culture House, or the Downtown Youth House do sound familiar as such, but I am not sure we really have gauged the significance of how these were the scenes of subculture.1 And if we assume subculture is a group culture with its own traditions and norms, beliefs, ambitions, symbols, and rituals, which its members consider their own as an evident cultural mother tongue, then of course it needs to have locations and scenes which provide more than the physical site of meeting and are even characteristic of the subculture. The only question is: how is it possible that an institution so important for the socialist system from a cultural political aspect, such as a culture house, could house “renitent” and barely tolerated avant-garde initiatives?

It appears to the author of this text that apart from Andreas Fogarasi’s

project Kultur und Freizeit, which won the Grand Prize of the Venice Biennal, there has been no substantial attempt to explore the role of culture houses in state socialist culture and today, neither in terms of art sociology, nor social history. The reason the Austrian-Hungarian urbanist video artist’s installation was revelational to many is because he did not take the presence and role of culture houses in contemporary culture for granted, but he queried their mode of existence and raison d’étre while panning the empty spaces of well-known culture houses. When the images show the empty interiors of the Gutenberg Home built in 1906-07, or the MOM Culture House built between 195054, while displaying titles like “UFO Club” or “Pensioners’ Club”, etc., then – despite the political and sociocultural circumstances of the establishment of the two institutions – we are querying the structural transformation of culture. For Fogarasi’s visual, musical and textual messages suggest that the often identity-forming moments of work and pastime have lost much of their significance in contemporary culture, and so the aufklarist approach to culture, in the spirit of which they were once conceived – in spite of the different contexts –, has changed by now.2 In this sense of quality, the culture house has been vacated, as the cultural environment that once filled it with life is now 1

E.g. Havasréti, József, Alternatív regiszterek. A kulturális ellenállás formái a magyar neoavantgárdban,

Budapest, Typotex, 2006. Perneczky’s distinction is interesting. He considers the network an “imaginary community”, while in the culture of the 70s it was much rather the networked nature of interpersonal relationships, in the “configuration” sense of the word. Cf. Perneczky, Géza, A háló. Alternatív művészeti áramlatok a folyóirat-kiadványaik tükrében, 1968–1988, Budapest, Héttorony, é. n. [1991]. 2

Cf. Andreas Fogarasi: Kultur und Freizeit, Timár, Katalin (ed.), Budapest, Műcsarnok, 2007.

Its reception: András, Edit, Kulturális átöltözés. Művészet a szocializmus romjain, Budapest, Argumentum, 2009, p. 176..; Connolly, Maeve, The Place of Artists’ Cinema: Space, Site and Screen, London, Intellect, 2009, p. 180.

73 gone. To illustrate it in extremes: the show of the workers’ choir of Piroska Szalmás (Pesterzsébet Workers’ Home, known as Chilli, 1930), or the staging of the performance Donauer Arbeiter Familie Ohne Arbeit and Friends (Downtown Youth House, 1977) or several concerts of the pop band Európa Kiadó (Ikarus, early 1980s) have been replaced in the programme of culture houses by thrift shop, UFO club, genealogy club or embroidery workshop. The shift illustrated by these random examples is neither hierarchical, nor is it aesthetic or related to cultural theory, but it is definitely a qualitative change in terms of art sociology and social history.3

I believe, the answer to the question posed at the end of the previous

paragraph, namely how it was possible that the official, public culture houses maintained by the state (the council) featured art and music projects at best permitted (tolerated), but often prohibited by official cultural policy, lies somewhere in this sociocultural realignment. The restructuring briefly outlined above is of course more tangible in the long term. The sociological survey conducted in the 1970s about the situation of culture houses pointed out that almost half of the circa 2800 such institutions were built before 1945, and their antecedents were various workers’ homes, reading and farmers’ circles, club rooms, etc., but almost all of them represented horizontal social organisation.4 (The only exception – on which we will not dwell in detail – was the network of people’s houses, centrally established mainly for the people’s education in the countryside, and to counterbalance the influence of workers’ homes.5)

However, the arguments formulated during the debates of the 1960s had

already indicated the functional depletion of culture houses in terms of the prevailing educational policy, although they remained prioritised institutions of state cultural policy. The above cited survey conducted in the early 70s also reveals the multiplication of dysfunctional phenomena in the culture house, inasmuch as it points out the unambitious aesthetic education, the lack of educating scientific world view, the decreasing proportion of artworks favoured by the educational policy, and the proliferation of low quality popular programmes organised out of economical considerations.6 We should be aware that the 1960s, let alone the 1970s, were no more the era of the series of educational lectures of the 50s, entitled Free Earth Winter Nights, infused with propaganda and attracting 4-6 million people annually. In fact, in those times, the cabaret evening featuring various operettas, musical folk plays and other popular genres attracted even higher numbers, amounting to 9-13 million a year. 3

While at the end of the 1940s the most spectacular and most economical

The expression “qualitative change” is not intended to urge a hierarchical approach to the notion of culture,

according to which there is a subordinate relation between high culture and popular culture. What I am stating is that the sociocultural environment of the culture house has changed. Bourdieu, Pierre, La Distinction. Critique sociale du jugement, Paris, Minuit, 1979. 4

Kovalcsik, József – Sipos, Zsuzsanna – Szász, János, Művelődés és közösség. Hatvan művelődési

otthon, 1970-1971, Budapest, Népművelési Propaganda Iroda, 1972; Andrássy Mária, Művelődési otthonok. Adottságok, lehetőségek, eredmények a hetvenes években, Budapest, Művelődéskutató Intézet, 1985. 5

Kovalcsik József, A kultúra csarnokai. A közösségi művelődés színterei – utópiák, mozgalmak,

társadalomszervezés: a művelődési otthonok kialakulása, Budapest, Művelődéskutató Intézet, 1987, volume II., p. 298. 6

Kovalcsik – Sipos – Szász, op. cit., p. 63.

74 tools for series of lectures for masses were slideshow rolls and 16mm film7, the Hungarian Television, operating from 1 May 1957 – not experimental by then, but first only three, later four broadcast days a week – and reaching half a million subscribers by 1963 considerably restructured the media situation of the era.8 However, this was not, or belatedly recognised by the decision-makers of the Hungarian Socialist People’s Party, which can be deduced from at least two facts: on the one hand, according to documents, in the mid 1970s, television was still considered merely an educational, informational tool by the authority responsible for educational policy, who were afraid mainly of the “petit bourgeois views and taste norms” it propagated, and endeavoured to repress the “cultural waste”.9 On the other hand, despite the dysfunctions already diagnosed by social researchers in the early 1970s, the HSPP Central Committee’s resolution of March 1974 on the development of public education intended to maintain and develop the institution of the culture house in practically unaltered form.10 If any problems arose concerning the visitor numbers and program quality of youth- and culture houses, they would always account for it by blaming the lack of modern quality requirements (outdated building, bad acoustics, etc.), in other words, they classified it as a technical problem. Law No. 5. of 1976 on Public Education still considers the culture house the “fundamental institution for public education”, and marks the “democratisation of culture, the popularisation of collective thinking and lifestyle” as its objective.11 Changing identification – quests for a place

It should be emphasised that within the confines of the era, social research

endeavoured to point out the discrepancy between ideology and practice, which remained overlooked 7

Cf. the study of the National Educational Department of the Hungarian Workers’ Party (1949): “The most

important tools of propaganda are slideshow and 16mm film projection. The existing 400 slide projectors under the authority of the Ministry of Public Education, as well as the 1000 slide projectors to be manufactured and the existing 360 16mm projectors should be put to use in a manner that only large industrial facilities, big towns and cities receive it for regular use. There should be a solution for the rest ensuring that one slide or 16mm projector serve the culture houses of 4-5 villages or towns.” Magyar Országos Levéltár, M–KS–276–111–2., p. 401. 8

A televízió és hatása, 1963, Budapest, Központi Statisztikai Hivatal, 1964. At the same time, according to the

surveys of Kovalcsik et al, the people’s educators of the time were not strange to the television, and considered it a partner instead of a competitor. Cf.. Kovalcsik – Sipos – Szász, op. cit., p. 100-101.. 9

A tömegkommunikáció a Magyar Szocialista Munkáspárt határozataiban és dokumentumaiban (1957–

1980), Jakab, Zoltán (ed.), Budapest, Tömegkommunikációs Kutatóközpont, 1987, p. 47. o. See also Fricz, Tamás, Az MSZMP és a tömegkommunikáció. A párt hivatalos nézetei a tömegkommunikáció politikai intézményrendszerben betöltött, illetve társadalmi szerepéről az 1957–1968 közötti tájékoztatáspolitikai témájú dokumentumok tükrében, Budapest, Tömegkommunikációs Kutatóközpont, 1988. (Internal issue.) 10

A közművelődés helyzete és fejlesztésének feladatai. Válogatott dokumentumok gyűjteménye, Herczeg,

Ferenc – Villangó, István (eds.), Budapest, Országos Közművelődési Tanács, 1976, p. 12. 11

Law No. 5. of 1976.: A közművelődésről. http://www.1000ev.hu/index.php?a=3&param=8513 (Last access:

2 Feb. 2010.) It has to be noted that this law is the first to use the term “public education” in this era instead of the strongly factitive “people’s education”.

75 or publicly omitted by official (party or state) texts. As it happens, Ferenc Pataki highlighted that social identity forming in the 1970s had diverged from the classic model of work - public life - public sphere - leisure time. As he puts it, this change, observable in modern societies, took place in socialist countries within a much shorter time frame, and therefore, its effect is much more pronounced. “And this accelerated (…) development, in the course of which political and social revolution joined forces with the radical transformation of production and lifestyle, now lifted millions out of the framework of their old identity (…), however, without being able to offer new ones at every point, and without being able to implant the offered new identity frameworks in the quotidian consciousness, experience and tradition.”12 Thus, the social psychologist’s train of thoughts concludes that these identity problems emerged pronouncedly in the 1970s (masses were in quest or in loss of identity), and on a generational level, this appeared most drastically in youth culture. Citing American examples, he considers the counterculture of the 60s (although he does not use this term) a similar attempt to work out new forms of identity. As such, he lists sects, lifestyle-communities, communes, and as a kind of neo-spiritualism, “underground” churches. What is common in these, is a kind of existence under (or after) society, which would theoretically lead back to the – often utopically – assumed values of social organisation; that is, in Pataki’s words, we can encounter endeavours aspiring from Post-Gesellschaft towards Neo-Gemeinschaft. He closes his lecture saying that mature socialism should answer these general problems of modernity, otherwise it would be unable to integrate its own citizens into its concept of society. For that to happen, socialism needs to work out “the foundations and conditions of a new social identity”.13

Discussing the crisis of the traditional forms of cultural integration, Iván

Vitányi has worded the apparently rhetorical question according to which “is it not utopian (…) to invigorate the cultural work of mass organisations and the work of cultural mass organisations, the uniting of the intelligentsia, the broader inclusion of the population, the people, in order to create the new active-collective-general culture? If it is a utopia, then socialism itself is a utopia, for in cultural terms, this is what we call socialism”.14 The coincidence is ghostly, as in April 1980, almost to the day, social researchers, literary figures and journalists convened at the Young Artists’ Club to assess what the past decade had meant to them: compared to 1968, they considered it “conservative”, “disillusioned”, “in a moral crisis”, “hesitant”, “two-faced”, etc.15 The gist of the matter is not the accurate reconstruction of these discourses, but their presence, their occurrence. The presence and consciousness of a crisis is best communicated by the claim for making a diagnosis, for wording criticism: crisis and criticism go hand in hand.16 A classically anomic situation had arisen between the ideological, educational political 12

Pataki, Ferenc, « Az identitás-alakulás kérdései a 70-es évtizedben », in Az 1970-es évtized a

magyar történelemben. A Magyar Tudományos Akadémia Nyelv- és Irodalomtudományok, Filozófiai és Történettudományok, Gazdaság- és Jogtudományok Osztályának közgyűlési együttes tudományos ülése, Stier, Miklós (ed.), Budapest, MTA, 1980, p. 48. 13

Pataki, op. cit., p.51.

Vitányi, Iván, Vitairat a mai magyar művelődésről, Budapest, Gondolat, 1983, p. 249.

Cf. A hetvenes évek kultúrája. Tanácskozás a Fiatal Művészek Klubjában, 1980. április 10–12., Budapest,

Balassi, 2002; and Klaniczay, Gábor, Ellenkultúra a hatvanas–hetvenes években, Budapest, Noran, 2003. 16

Cf.. Koselleck, Reinhart, Le Règne de la critique, Paris, Minuit, 1979.1 E.g. Havasréti, József, Alternatív t,

76 norms and directives of culture houses on the one hand, and social praxis on the other, inasmuch as the former had lost the power to regulate and control the education of certain strata of society, as the notion and nature of culture had changed, as well as the how and why of cultural cohesion. This is surprising because in those times a vast number of publications had been issued regarding the functioning of culture houses, which, although not critical in language and problematisation, in their own way, did point out the signs of a crisis.17

Of course, the multilayered effect of the social movements of the late

1960s, which had transformed youth culture in almost every aspect (aesthetics, lifestyle, goals, clothing, etc.), naturally did not leave state socialist countries intact, either. It influenced the art life, which was invigorated from the mid-60s, opening towards new art forms (happening, performance, etc.), and highly receptive of the cultural changes outlined above. As the venue of the first Hungarian happening in 1966 was the basement and garden of a private home, the history of the Hungarian neo-avant-garde movement remained the history of a quest for a place, for a venue all along.18 At first sight it would be oversimplification to arrange a group of people with heterogeneous views, different artistic creeds and aesthetic views around a single aspect, but if we review their history from the Balatonboglár Chapel exhibitions through the Kassák House Studio turned apartment theatre, or the countless readings and concerts whose permits were revoked in the last moment, it appears that the reason the place was a key factor for the ruling power was that it was almost the only social surface for keeping contents in check.19 In this sense, the culture house stood for the public sphere,20 and what could not be presented there was often removed from the public space into the private sphere.21 Then again – thus modifying the classic duality of public/private –, this gesture also extended the private sphere, and endowed it with 2009, p. 180. 17

Without the claim for completeness, see Andrássy, Mária, « A művelődési otthonok hatóköre a szabadidő-

és életmódvizsgálatok tükrében », Kultúra és Közösség, 1975, issue 2–3., p. 66-73.; Andrássy, Mária – Koncz, Gábor, « Budapesti művelődési otthonok (1975) I–V. », Népművelés, 1976, issue 7–11.; Vitányi, Iván, « Programjavaslat a művelődési otthonok munkájának fejlesztésére. A Népművelési Intézet munkaanyaga », Kultúra és Közösség, 1979, issue 2–3., p. 5-19. Summary: Kovalcsik, A kultúra csarnokaiop. cit.., volume III., p. 225. 18

The agents’ reports on the first Hungarian happening can be found online: http://www.c3.hu/collection/tilos/

docs.html (Last access: 10. Feb. 2010.) Also see Müllner, András, « Az első happening. A magyarországi neoavantgárd akcionizmus vázlatos története », in Né/ma?Tanulmányok a magyar neoavantgárd köréből, Deréky, Pál and Müllner, András (eds.), Budapest, Ráció, 2004, p. 182-204.; Törvénytelen avantgárd. Galántai György balatonboglári kápolnaműterme, 1970–1973, Klaniczay, Júlia and Sasvári, Edit (eds.), Budapest, Artpool – Balassi, 2003. 19

György, Péter, « A hely szelleme », in Kádár köpönyege, Budapest, Magvető, 2005, p. 157-181.

An informative fact: the notion of the public sphere only appears in the party’s texts after the Hungarian

translation of Habermas’ The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere in 1971. 21

How expressive is Ádám Tábor’s expression describing the Budapest underground culture as “apartment

culture”: Tábor, Ádám, « Hatvanas évek: a folytatás és a kezdet », in Váratlan kultúra. Esszék a magyar neoavantgárd irodalomról és művészetről, Budapest, Balassi, 1997, p. 15-35., on the “apartment” culture: p. 22-24.

77 the characteristics of the “public”, insofar as the audience of plays, readings, concerts, etc, exceeded the bounds of the intimate public sphere; thus, private life and public, artistic, literary, musical, etc. activity were not entirely separate. This pertains not only to the culture of the 1970s, but can carefully be applied – subtly reconsidering the context – to the entire era.22 22

See e.g. Kisfaludy, András, Törvénytelen muskátli, I-III, documentary, MTV, 1995; Kecskeméti, Kálmán, « P.

G. P. – Vécsey u. 3. Egy különös szalon Pest-Budán A. D. MCMLX », Mozgó Világ, 12 (1986), p. 57-62.; Ungváry, Rudolf, « 1959 », Beszélő, year II. (Jan 1997.) issue 1., p. 60-71.; Kozák, Gyula, « 1963 », Beszélő, year II. évf. (May 1997) issue 5., p. 50-68.; K. Horváth, Zsolt, « L’extension du domaine de la vie privée. Ferenc Mérei et le groupe ‘Tribu’ à Budapest, 1950–1956 », Histoire@Politique. Politique, culture, société, N° 7, janvier–avril 2009. www.histoire-politique.fr (online, 15 p.)

Lumen Station – Issue #11

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Vegetable box, plastic

What was once a very lively scene is now filled with heaps of finds that should not be discarded owing to their age, but are not worth exhibiting as there are better samples. Now these finds are just lying here in plastic boxes...