Cabaret Voltaire & Dada

Dadaism was an avant-guard art movement of the early 20th Century. It began in earnest during 1916 in Switzerland and was centred upon a cafe - the 'Cabaret Voltaire'.

The jury is still out on what Dada actually is or was although it is generally thought to be an extension of earlier movements such as Cubism and bore hallmarks of what was to become Futurism. There are roughly a dozen artists who are thought of as being Dadaists - predominantly hailing from Germany and Romania.

The outbreak of the First World War made neutral Switzerland a safe haven for artistic refugees. The Cabaret Voltaire was used by the artists as a base - a nightclub, cafe and meeting place all rolled into one where anarchic events were staged including spoken word, dance and music. The overriding theme of the movement was 'anti-war'.

I visited in 2015. It is now a museum and bar which is used for performances and events.