I don't think it can be discussed who is more or less Fluxus, since
there were (are) no shared aesthetics or strategy among the part takers
in the network. Consequently we never had such discussions among
ourselves. What can be clarified however, is who was where when. There
is much more mythology than facts floating around. Whether it is
worthwhile to correct a few things or not depends on the fora. Right now
I find it worthwhile to inform the Fluxlist that Fluxus didn't originate
in New York and George Maciunas didn't bring it to Europe or elsewhere.
narvis&...pez refer to a book by Heiner Stachelhaus. It seems to be full
of misinformation. E.g. a sentence such as "..... Nam June Paik, one of
the leaders of Fluxus movement" doesn't make sense. A person who had
made serious research would never have uttered such nonsense. And Fluxus
was certainly not a Neodadaist movement. Maciunas would have liked it to
be in the '60s but only Ben Vautier could support him in that. There was
no special relationship between Beuys and Maciunas as claimed by
Tachelhaus. In fact Maciunas didn't like Beuys at all. It is correct
that Beuys as professor of the Academy in Dusseldorf took part in the
Fluxus festival there in 1963. Nobody remember in detail what he did. It
was some kind of inverted, short Shamanistic ritual. Beuys didn't
draw any attention before Aachen in 1964 when he made his acid / earth /
crucifix piano and was punched in his nose. George Brecht, Al Hansen, La
Monte Young and Bob Watts did not take part in the Festum Fluxorum in
Dusseldorf, as claimed by Tachelhaus. It is pure nonsense to claim that
he was left outside any Fluxus circle after the festival in Dusseldorf.
E.g. he was invited to Aachen, 24 Stunden etc.
Fluxus was a completely open platform in 1962-63. I guess more than a
200 people participated during these years, but not all of them became
part of the international network. Nobody was excluded, - except in the
Maciunas jokes.
To Patricia: Ben loves to comment on Beuys and to call him a hypocrite.
To attack persons with good names is an important part of Ben's Tour de
Ego. Which we all love him for. Everybody can see for themselves on
Ben's site.
For Bertrand: Yes, Maciunas had many, many wonderful talents, but theory
was certainly not one of them. You are right of course that he sometimes
worked as a perfect catalyst. Since you have read the paper by Jackson
Mac Low you know how little insight Maciunas had before he left New
York. Only Ben Vautier could find any interest in Maciunas texts. The
rest of us just went along because we considered them completely
unimportant. We had our own opinions which differed a lot between us. I
would like to refer you to the paper I gave at the Fluxus Seminar at
Walker Art Center in Minneapolis early 1993. I'm sure they will send you
a copy.
It is interesting to notice that An Anthology (1961-63) edited by La
Monte Young and Jackson Mac Low doesn't mention any Fluxus at all.
Maciunas made the graphic design. See Fluxus Codex page 40.
You mention the vernissage at Galerie Legitime in July 1962. This is
exactly my point. Both Robert Filliou and Ben Patterson lived in Europe.
I'll also suggest that you take contact with Ben Patterson in Wiesbaden
to get a better impression of the early years.
Eric Andersen
