Paper short abstract:

Could grotesque be a valid anthropological tool, facilitating research on conflicting values? The paper discusses "History of Poland Exercise Book vol. 1". The photobook, published in 2021, is part of ethnographic research on the social usage of history in contemporary Poland.

Paper long abstract:

The historical pageant of Murowana Goślina in Western Poland is a mix of theme park entertainment, open-air spectacle, participatory art event, and historical reenactment. Up to 400 volunteers embody episodes of Polish history, aiming at enhancing conservative values, Catholic faith and reshaping the social imagination of the past. My work among actors provides ethnographic insight into the new historicity emerging here, a social strategy of using the past that Marcin Napiórkowski recently labeled "turbo patriotic".

The paper comments on photographic practice parallel to this anthropological research. "History of Poland Exercise Book vol. 1" [https://michalsita.com/en/history-of-poland/] is the first of a series of photobooks intended to research values and imagination at work in the pageant's orbit. Images depicting stage rehearsals are composed into an open-ended narrative. The meaning of the events and actors' gestures is not immediately clear. Viewers confronted with grotesque scenes interpret these as anything between harmless fun and propaganda manipulation. The point is providing ground for confronting values shaping social usage of the past. Such was the point of several public displays, where „History of Poland Exercise Book vol. 1" was discussed with pageant actors and the external public.

The paper makes two methodological comments: 1/ When conducting art-based research at home, grotesque, as a defamiliarization strategy, may have the potential of questioning pre-existing prejudice. It could provide insight into conflicting worldviews and values. 2/ Visual research strategy is most useful within anthropological practice when autonomous, i.e. provoking exchange rather than illustrating the findings.