Technology on the Stage: a Historical and Visual Perspective

In the second half of the Nineteenth century, three emblematic processes come to maturity: the progressive presence of women in history and culture, the new role and the new dignity of experiences and bodily perceptions, and the great technological transformations and their provocative use in artistic operations. Within this historical, cultural and artistic frame, it is possible to locate a really fascinating story that intermingles art “technology”, the story of Loïe Fuller. In her it is possible to see that a new concept of body, of femininity and a new perspective to the use of technologies coexist in a special synthesis that makes her a true pioneer experience of extended and synaesthetic performances. But if Fuller is considered the starting point or the maximum concentration of the arguments made so far, her natural heir is bound to be the postmodern phenomenon embodied by Lady Gaga. In this, Loïe Fuller is configured as a perfect forerunner of the media phenomenon that Lady Gaga is.