Dear Fluxers,
I have to agree with Badgergirl. I've been following all the discussion
about who is and who isn't Fluxus, who started it and who didn't, etc. I'm
reminded of the wrangling between Richard Huelsenbeck and Tristan Tzara, when
they were old men, about who came up with the name Dada! As if it matters.
Dada and Fluxus for that matter are ways of thinking and creating, to my way
of thinking! And, with anything & everything, I take what I like from this
and that (Dada, Surrealism, Fluxus, Situationism, William Burroughs, etc.)
and throw out what I don't like. Let's not get all carried away with
following prescriptions and "toeing the line" of any one movement or artist.
I find nothing more discouraging than contemporary artists foaming at the
mouth in adoration of some cult figure artist(s) (like Beuys). Did I read
recently about somebody fantasizing about making a "pilgrimage" to visit
Beuys sites fer chrissakes?! We all have our sources of inspiration, for
sure, but let's remember that our work here and now is what's really
happening, or should be. What we're doing now had better be living and
breathing. Now I will climb down off my soap box -- but carefully, because
it's very tall.
Hal McGee
P.S. I recently found the Beuys book published by Barron's.
In a message dated 12/05/2000 7:48:38 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< Carol,
Yeah, that's a great book! And I was in NYC at the time too but
unfortunately, I was too out of it (all fucked up in art school, ironically)
back then to have been aware of those goings on. I'd also recommend (if you
haven't already read 'em) the Beuys bio. by Heiner Stachelhaus published by
Abbeville press, a small paperback life and works published (years ago) by
Barron's, and The Felt Hat, Joseph Beuys a Life Told, by Lucrezia DeDomizio
Durini published by Charta. I've only just skimmed that last one, but
there's not a lot published in English (nothing text heavy, anyway) so I
rather grab anything that shows up.
My, my, all these discussions of who's FLUXUS and who's not really, truly,
FLUXUS. Does it matter? Should I care? As long as the work
produced...uh...you know...works, isn't that enough? Clearly there were
many overlapping themes in the work of Beuys, "genuine" Flux talent, and
other artists who might not have actually met REAL flux artists but were
clearly drawing from the same well.
Don't ask if it's real, ask if it works.
(then sign it, copy it, and send out documention--hee-hee)
out of mind/out of time
BadgerGirl
>>
