L’imaginaire de la circularité dans trois oeuvres collectives de 1922

“Le Disque vert”, “La Roue” et “Skating-Rink”

Abstract

In this article, we postulate that the imaginary of circularity, clearly visible in the review Le Disque vert, the film La Roue and the ballet Skating-Rink, participates in the experimental turning point of 1922. In these works resulting from collaborations with artists from every corner of Europe, circular forms are omnipresent, the renewals made possible by technological progress are celebrated, and life is represented as a cyclical phenomenon. From the first texts by Henri Michaux to the poetry of Ricciotto Canudo, from a screenplay by Blaise Cendrars to another by Abel Gance, from posters by Fernand Léger to a choreography by Jean Börlin, geometry questions the myth of “eternal return.”