Davidson Gigliotti writes:
>
>Another element that contributed to Fluxus's lack of acknowledged
>influence in the arts (and the same lack might apply to other distinct
>art groups as well: Judson to some extent, the early New York video
>artists, the Living Theater, the Wooster Group, the various "body"
>artists, the avant-garde filmmakers, the art and technology people, and
>many others) was the fact that the art world — New York's and everyone
>else's — was undergoing an enormous population explosion accompanied by
>vigorous aesthetic, moral and economic challenges from many quarters
>starting in the mid to late sixties. There was so much change going on
>it was hard not to get lost in the shuffle.
>
Population explosion -- the sudden flood of "new entrants" into a cultural
field is major explanation of why cultural fields change, according to
sociologists of art like Pierre Bourdieu (who's work I greatly admire).
Because the field (in this case, the art world in NY) cannot absorb so many
new entrants, there is a tendency for a certain segment of this young
population to adopt 'revolutionary' strategies aimed at overturning the
existing order. While opposing the dominant model of art, the new entrants
who adopt a revolutionary strategy are driven towards a kind of
"purification" of art, criticizing the old in the name of a new, more pure
aesthetic. Thus, the groups mentioned above all strove to emphasize the
experiential, "living" nature of art over and against the objectified forms
of traditional works.
[snip]
>The result, of course, was a rich explosion of art and art activity; one
>of the very best and liveliest art periods ever to come along, the
>consequences of which are still playing themselves out thirty years
>later. The artists of the sixties and seventies managed to completely
>change the face of art in America, much to the dismay of many who
>thought that art was based on fixed principles (and are still sore about
>it!).
>
Uhh, "right on!" as we used to say. :-)
Thanks for your wonderful post.
George
