Tam-Tam, the turbulent and musical birth of surrealism, 1924-1936.

'Tam-Tam, The Turbulent and Musical Birth of Surrealism, 1924–1936' engages with the renewed international interest in the historical avant-garde and the critical reassessment of modernist “-isms” through gender and decolonial perspectives. While such approaches have diversified the canon, fundamental interdisciplinary approaches remain rare. Music—arguably the most ephemeral art form—is largely absent from dominant narratives. In accounts of Belgian surrealism, music is but a footnote. The movement, moreover, is often portrayed as predominantly Francophone, almost fully detached from the Flemish avant-garde.

Building on earlier projects, this research project challenges these assumptions by reconstructing the intellectual history of early Belgian surrealism as an interconnected field shaped by exchanges between Flanders and Francophone Belgium, and by transfers from France and Germany. It foregrounds the role of music in this process. Composers such as E.L.T. Mesens and André Souris contributed actively to avant-garde debates, while Paul Nougé developed key aspects of surrealist thought through reflection on music. Particular attention is paid to tumultuous concerts and musical theatre evenings and their role in shaping a “surrealist attitude.”

Methodologically, the project combines qualitative textual analysis of manifestos, literary works, scores, and press reports with historically informed performative research. By re-enacting performances in collaboration with cultural partners, it seeks to recover the experiential and emotional dimensions of these formative events, integrating analytical insight with embodied understanding.