Aristophanes is said to have written it out of grief over the thousands of Athenians who were killed when the Spartans attacked the city of Syracuse during the Peloponnesian War. It centers around the women of Athens, who tire of losing their sons and husbands in battle. They conspire with the women of Sparta to deny sex to all the region's men until a peace treaty is written and signed. It's a bawdy comedy that was first shown to Greeks during the festival of Dionysus, the god of happiness who, just by coincidence, was honored with drunken orgies.
Just what kind of art will be part of tonight's festivities? Kuo Pei-vong (
At least four photographers will capture his handiwork on celluloid and include this "body statement" as part of Art Project's artmobile exhibition.
And how will the exhibition help the anti-war effort? Tyliszczak and Kuo both prefer to focus on the reasons behind the expression rather than what effect it might have.
"Having your body painted and photographed carries a risk," Tyliszczak said. "You notice there were a lot more hands than faces on the cloth at the Huashan party," where he was the first to slather his face with red paint. He said that by overcoming their fear of that risk, people could overcome their fear of being heard as an individual voice speaking out for a strongly held belief.
"There are many ways of achieving the same goal," Kuo added. "This is another way that people can join."
Joining isn't free. Entry is NT$500 and includes a drink. "Part of the money will go to Greenpeace. Another part -- and this is more important -- will go to creating an artistic statement," Tyliszczak said, citing the costs of the artmobile project. "This is not about creating a profit, it's about creating the potential for more to happen."
Does that mean Taiwan's youth will continue partying for peace? The handbill for tonight's event says it will go on "till wars end."
Aristophanes didn't have that kind of chutzpah. He built a career on writing political plays, but after Lysistrata -- and feeling overwhelmed by a war -- he wouldn't pen another for nearly 20 years.
While Lin maintains that a coordinated campaign of letter-writing and protests is a more effective tool for voicing opposition in today's world, he agrees that Aristophanes couldn't have done any better by drafting a petition than writing a comedy. Years after the first performances of Lysistrata, Athens was crushed by the Spartans and the freedom of expression that gave life to the play was largely squelched.
"Certainly I agree with their right to express themselves," said Lin. "And I think what they're doing is getting some people involved who otherwise wouldn't. I just don't want anyone painting me."
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