Dada

The Dada movement is extremely interesting. It is completely unique and original-- the name, the way it came to be, the style, and the artists involved. It is an art that has never been seen before. In Hugo Ball's Dada Manifesto he explains how "Dada" is meaningless, yet so meaningful. To Americans, the word is known to all as typically a baby's first word meaning, "dad." In French it means "hobby horse," "goodbye" in German, and so much more in many other languages. 

So, why use it to name this movement? To kill all curiosity, it means nothing. The artist took the word an drained it of all meaning. Much like the art itself, it means whatever you want it to mean. Peanut butter sandwich, glue stick, sea otter... that's dada. Dada is simply originality. 

Dada developed in Zurich, Switzerland as a result of World War I. Marcel Duchamp, Tristan Tzara, Hans Arp, Max Ernst, Hugo Ball, Man Ray, and Raoul Hausmann are just a few of the many artists involved in this movement. Collage, photomontage, assemblage, and readymades are all Dada techniques.