Magyar Hírek, 1985 (38. évfolyam, 2-26. szám)

1985-06-08 / 12. szám

ABOUT THIS ISSUE Constructions in space and time AND THE PREVIOUS ONE An interview with Nicolas Schöffer An article in the Hungarian sec­tion of the previous issue dealt with one of the important elements of the elections to be held on 8th June: the nomination meetings, where cit­izens decided who should be the can­didates. Not only parliamentary represent­atives, but also members of the local councils will be elected that day. This will be the first time that elec­tions will be held according to the provisions of the 1983 Electoral Act, which introduced new and important elements. Citizens will elect parliamentary representatives and council mem­bers under the provisions of the new act the same way as before: on the basis of a universal and equal fran­chise, directly, and at a secret ballot. But the Act introduced two impor­tant innovations. One is that about 10 per cent of the parliamentary representatives will be elected from a national list of candidates. The other important change is that at least two candidates will have to contest all of the parliamentary and council seats, but the nomination of further candidates is also possible. The Patriotic People’s Front re­commended on the advice of politi­cal, and social organizations and others representing sectional inter­ests, that outstanding personalities of the political and social life of the country as well as academic, cultural and church leaders be nominated as candidates on the national list. The names of candidates on the list now include—among others—János Ká­dár, General Secretary of the HSWP, Pál Losonczi, Chairman of the Presi­dential Council, Gyula Kállai, Chair­man of the National Council of the Patriotic Peoplés Front, István Sar­lós, Chairman of the House of Rep­resentatives, Canon János Kiss of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop Zoltán Káldy of the Lutheran Church, Chief Rabbi László Salgó. Professor János Szentágothai, and leading personalities of the German, Slovak, Rumanian and Yugoslav na­tional minorities in Hungary etc., a total of 35 candidates. The overwhelming majority of parliamentary representatives and all members of local councils will be elected in the various constituencies Each of the parliamentary constitu­encies have about 30,000 names on their list, and similar arrangements have been made for council elec­tions. The preliminary phase of the na­tional elections—that is the series of the nomination meetings—took place, with spirited participation, be­tween 15th April and 15th May all over the country. Suggestions and criticism were expressed concerning plans and programmes put forward by the candidates. In some of the constituencies three, indeed even four candidates were approved. Ac­tive participation in public life has demonstrably increased in the wake of the new Electoral Act. An article in the Hungarian part of our journal carries a report on the series of celebrations sponsored by the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music and the World Federation of Hungarians to mark the centenary of the birth of Leó Weiner. The noted composer and music teacher was remembered by as many as 22 of his former students, who came to Budapest from many parts of the world. But even those, who were not able to be present at the celebra­tions could tell of their memories of the composer in a Weiner memorial book published by Zeneműkiadó. Students of Weiner include Antal Doráti, János Starker, the cellist, Péter Frank, pianist, György Solti, Eugene Ormándy, who died recently, András Mihály, director of the Buda­pest Opera House, Dénes Kovács, the violinist, head of the violin depart­ment of the Academy of Music. József Ujfalussy, the rector of the Academy of Music opened the Wei­ner celebrations, then lectures were given on Weiner's work as a com­poser and music teacher. A docu­mentary exhibition showing phases of his life was also held. At the gala concert held at the Vigadó Concert Hall winners of the Leó Weiner chamber-music competition and the orchestra of the Academy played Weiner works conducted by Antal Doráti. * A recently released film The Red Countess, reviewed in the Hungarian section, was made about a great lady who is still alive. The film was directed by András Kovács. It is the story of Comtesse Katinka And­­rássy. who as a beautiful girl and member of one of the historic fami­lies of the country became the bride of the young heir to the Károlyi estates. The couple, having aban­doned stately homes, and luxurious lives, together tried to steer the people of Hungary towards a more democratic and a juster life. The revolution, the carving up of large estates, prime minister, and later the first president of the Hungarian Republic, the hopeless fight against odds and exile follow'ed in quick succession. The film ends when the Károlyi s left the country, for a short while, they hoped. In fact they lived in exile for a quarter of a century. Károlyi became Hungary’s ambassa­dor in Paris only after the Second World War, to choose exile again in 1949, at the time of the show trials. The writer of these lines had the privilege of visiting the President's Lady at her suite at the Károlyi Palace some time ago where she stayed in Budapest. We talked about her memoirs which—after the world­wide success of the English edition —also appeared in Hungarian. Un­fortunately. Mihály Károlyi did not live to see a time in which posterity at last gave him his due after the distortions of the between-the wars period and of the fifties. We can all feel happy that his trusted spouse an outstanding historical figure in her own right, lived to see the day. ZOLTÁN HALÁSZ The life of Nicholas Schöffer is an incessant search for the new: during the fifties 'he screwed one of his pieces to a Renault car, which took its load around the towns of France; that is how passers-by became ac­quainted with a mobile statue. Then, in 1961, his first cyberne­tic work, a living statue was erected in the city of Luik. The microphones on the statue sensed sound impulses and its photo cells the rising and setting of the sun. The discs rotated accordingly, lights flashed on and of. But Schöffer also composes music; he composes urban music out of the din of cities. He directed an experi­mental performance in Hamburg where the audience itself could shape the action of the play. “Many have tried to stick a label on you, but how would you classify yourself?”—I asked Nicolas Schöffer when he recently visited Hungary. “Well, mostly I am a sculptor. But I am not one in the classical sense, for I do not carve marble or cast bronze. I create space-time construc­tions. The unfathomable material I use in my work is time, space and light.” “The future of the art I stand for is the creation of singing, music­making, moving works. Today it is already insufficient for a picture to provide always the same informa­tion. The information flow has speeded up, we always need some­thing new. New technical means have always produced new aesthetic effects. The discovery of iron made possible the carving of marble. When Norbert Wiener discovered the computer, that signalled also the dawn of a new art. The computer is the tool of today. You can’t ride on a horse and cart on a motorway, and art cannot be made today either using only traditional means.” “Your statues react to the changes of the environment, they produce emanations of light and sound.” “The live organism lives in sym­biosis with its environment. It re­ceives from the environment and also gives to it. I try to transfer this idea to a different spatial context, and with the help of art I create works that react, for instance to the rising of the sun in the same way as we do: PHOTO: FERENC NOVOTTA for instance, my first cybernetic statue, the one in Belgium wakes up to the effect of light rays. I designed a similar one also in Paris, which could have been the Eiffel tower of our century, had it been put up. Sensors of the 325 me­ters high tower, complete with 200 light motives and 300 motives of movement, would have reacted to light conditions, sunshine, wind, rain, changes of temperature, pro­viding weather forecasts to the peo­ple of Paris with the help of a com­puter. Unfortunately, it did not come off, at least not so far, there was not enough money and no town planning permission.” “I was told that you were planning to erect a similar sculpture in Buda­pest.” “According to my ideas, a so­­called space-dynamic sun statue will be put up in Budapest, and it should be unveiled for the Euro­pean Cultural Forum this autumn. This would also sense changes of the environment, just like the one planned for Paris would have been able to, using microphones, photo­cells, and heat sensors. But its re­action will be different. It will emanate the light it collected in day­time at night. Since negotiations about erecting similar statues are going on in sev­eral large cities, they might as well be interconnected to exchange in­formation.” “How far is it possible to progress in this cybernetic arts?” “It is always possible to progress. Now, for instance, I am making works, which are no longer confined to the transmission of information. The public may choose to become active creators, instead of being pas­sive recipients, by the simple act of shouting into a microphone to which the statue reacts by the emission of lights.” ”Your plans also concern the city of your birth, Kalocsa.” “The city where I was born, al­ways meant a lot to me. Though I became a success in art in Paris, I think of myself as Hungarian, more particularly as Kalocsa born. I should like to do something to turn Kalocsa into a centre of the arts. Fortunately, I found understanding amongst the city fathers. That was how a museum of my work could be established in the house of my birth. A home for me was built on an adjoining vacant lot, where I spend my holidays each year. This house provides a home also to young Hungarian artists, recipients of the recently established Schöffer schol­arship. Let me mention the Summer Schöffer Seminars as something that has already come true. We are hold­ing that annually now, one year on an international basis, with artists invited from all over the world, the next is to familiarize Hungarians with the latest trends in art. I hope Kalocsa will be one of the inter­national centres of modern art.” ISTVÁN POKORNY 28

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