utopia, yet to come is an attempt to redefine totality in the context of artistic production and reception. Beginning with the formal totality of Wagner and the Gesamtkunstwerk, the thesis moves towards an understanding of social totality: one centering community formation, aesthetic relation, and collective artistic production. Total works of art are analyzed as both medium and methodology, with the works and writings of Höller, Kapoor, Bourriaud, McBride, Caillois, and Meyerhold examined as case studies. In a synthesis of theory and practice, the final chapter focuses on The Common Presents ���, a visual arts exhibition created to articulate the theoretical perspectives of the written thesis.