thank you thank you thank you
> My first memories of hearing about Fluxus and Happenings--I was
>about ten--in 1963. Some friends who visited a lot from New York City
>talked about it--my brother who was seven and I were fascinated--
>
> "Happenings"--"Fluxus"--sounded like the amazing things one saw
>continually as small child in small Vermont village--daily things of
>startling import and awe inspiring magic--that were always in "flux" or
>"happening all around us"--
>
> Like the man who came into town with a bear strapped to his truck
>crying --he hadn't
>t realized he was so "blind drunk" that he had shot this instead of a
>deer!--or farmers who painted "COW" on all their cows so hunters from out
>of state wouldn't
>t shoot them by mistake during hunting season--prompting the question--can
>people from out of the state READ?--as they shot them anyway--
>
> Or the woman who escaped from the mental institution and arrived
>in our general stare stark naked, walked around for some hours fingering
>items on the shelves and talking to the populace at large--as no one
>bothered to call the police or any authority figure as was far too
>interesting a Happening to interupt!
>
> The same friends had talked about Concrete Poetry so my father had
>an anthology--this was a bit later--which also prompted quite some
>enthusiasm--on or part--we got hold of lot of concrete blocks from various
>half hearted unfinished construction projects now sinking into weeds and
>made "Concrete" Poems by arranging the blocks in the back yard--
>
> Were "Pooh Sticks" Fluxus we wondered? How about the man down the
>street who periodically hung an effigy of his wife from the top of the
>barn fro passersby to see--and she retaliated ted by slaughtering his dog--
>in front of a group of invited friends, before serving a picnic lunch in
>the pasture?
>
> Or the time my mother wanted to make us boudin (french-canadian
>blood sausage)--and she was so revolted by the sight of twenty jars of pig
>blood a friend began unloading from his station wagon--she vomited and
>ordered us to dispose of it--
>
> so we hauled over the the jars and spread them paint-like all over
>a despised neighbor's field, writing obscenities in blood--and all the
>dogs for miles around came and madly began howling and licking the blood
>from the grass and rocks and stubble--
>
> the police were called and stood there laughing and applauding the
>ingenuity of the wrong doers--as they also disliked the fellow--
>
> we thought this all might have something to do with Fluxus and
>Happenings--
>
> so used to produce plays in the junked car lot in a pasture, where
>the chickens laid eggs in back seats of trashed Chevrolets smelling of old
>afternoons, cum and beer, cigarettes--and cows hid out from thunderstorms
>among rust
>corroded trucks--
>
> plays in which we had "vanishing events"--ie. burning things!--and
>we'd sing worldess sound songs to the smoke carrying away the trash--
>
> or invade the town dump with an 8mm movie camera to film our idea
>of Rimbaud's A SEASON IN HELL--
>
> we had our friends bring up things from NYC about Fluxus and
>Happenings--also of great interest were the journals EAST
>VILLAGE OTHER
>and Ed Sanders' FUCK YOU A MAGAZINE OF THE ARTS--
>
> all this was before went to live in France in 67-68, 69 and
>'70--and discovered "action art" i.e. making bombs and grafitti--
>posters and begin learning about the Paris Commune, Rimbaud, "les
>petroleuses" (women incendiaries of the Commune)--
>
> Situationism, Anarchism--
>
> the only Flux person met in person--besides Dick Higgins in
>97--was
>Nam June Paik--audited a course he taught at MIT in the late '70's--
>
> to me the great movements of the 20th century--beginning with
>Futurism in Italy, then Russia, Cubist use of collage, Dada, (Schwitters i
>think kind of the one artist one might say so many art forms in so many
>media radiate outwards from--)--early modernism of William Carlos Williams'
>SPRING AND ALL in america--in all of these what is important and is to
>me in Fluxus--is th use of everyday materials, that art and life not
>seperate--
>
> and that things though they may be in Flux, are also concrete--
>
> from the material world of the senses, not solely "conceptual"
> "theoretical"
>
> i like Fluxlist as only list I know of where we actually get
>together and MAKE things, events, contacts, virtual sites, happenings as
>well as materialized ones--not just talking "about", but making--
>
> doing, living--
>
> "What is not in the open street is false, derived, that is to say,
>literature"
>
> --Henry Miller "The 14th Ward" in BLACK SPRING
>
> the only actual Fluxus dpcument i have left from back then is
>
> 'THIS IS A FLUXUS ADVERTISMENT"
>
> wrap around cover strip for the Fall 1963 issue of FILM
>CULTURE--corrugated carboard cover with a round hole in it so one eye of
>Stan Brakhage peers out in silver--the whole issue is METPHORS ON VISION
>by Brakhage
>
> the Fluxus advertisment is for works available from Fluxus 1963
>Edtions--includes V TRE magazine edited by George Brecht, works by
>Vautier, Knowles, Watts, Nam June Paik, Chieko Shiomi. Spoerri and
>Francois Dufresne, E. Williams, Filliou, Patterson, Higgins, Flynt, La
>Monte Young, Ayo, Takehisa Kosugi--
>
>
> so my knowledge of Fluxus history very sketchy to say the
>least--never even heard of Beuys until years later--was more something
>inspiring to make things--and keep one busy and having a grand old time--
>
> was a huge shcok to see Conceptual Art exhibits in NYC in the
>Seventies--a piece of string hanging on wall--with an explanation about it
>on six foot high scroll--
>
> reminded me of those mangled-all-the-same COWs painted words
>lying keeled over in pastures, shot by some person--and made one wonder--
>
> can people from out of state READ?--apparently when they had
>learned to--they forgot how to make things!
>
> "stringing up" "art" with accompanying "documents"--reminded one
>of an
>execution by implacable Legal Authorities!
>
> which led to interest ever more in writing--as mysterious
>activity--
>
> i.e.--what is legible?--in relation with what is visible?--and
>sounded out? and acted out?--
>
> no barriers among any of them--leads to Visual Poetry--
>
> probably oldest art form yet so much also part of modern world
>since its "official" appearance with Mallarme's "Un Coup de des"--
>
> to this day find the quiet Schwitters far more daily inspration
>when out finding things in the street for works--than more bombastic
>Beuys--
>
> still, Schwitters could also make some mighty sounds--Sound
>Poetry--the Ur-Sonate!--
>
> and greatly inspired by the art/social action of Clemente Padin
>and Luc Fierens, who just joined this list--
>
>--david baptiste chirot
>
