RE: FLUXLIST: Fluxus in School/FLUXUS IN AIR IN STREETS IN LIGHT/MAIL ART

[Ray Noman]

Title: RE: FLUXLIST: Fluxus in School/FLUXUS IN AIR IN STREETS IN LIGHT/MAIL ART

>David wrote .... Fluxus and Mail Art do have an emphasis on the ephemeral--which can be made precious in a sense, when limited-(collector's item/collectiove making, sharing--)-or made into a public event, .... i think much of the interest in the ephermeral/enduring comes from Baudelaire's definition of modernism in his book on the painter C. Guys--THE PAINTER OF MODERN LIFE--.... with Fluxus scores, texts, images, incitements, examples--i think to keep in mind not just that these are historical, originary moments--but that they are meant to be continually performed, reinterpreted, translated, variations--mutations--not to supercede the originary score/moment--but to grow from it, like Deleuze's rhizomes--..... and with history--of course, it has STORY in it ... in the study of rock art--there is a very interesting and useful term--taphonomy--the study of things in their present state-- .... and one --wd like to respond--to acknowledge, gives thanks for the rythm that is ongoing-->

I am very appreciative of the open and generous discourse that is going on here and from the perspective of “how do you teach FLUXUS”. I’m past doing that, well at least in a classroom, but I’ very interested in the backdrop FLUXUS ideas have provided against which to see other things … given that they touch upon so much.

>From where I am – out here at the edge of the world – I’m reminded almost daily that my history/histories/stories (or at least the ones it’s assumed I’m part of) are part of a relatively brief thing thus its possible to lay it/them out in a linear fashion. The Indigenous view on ‘time’ and ‘the past’ challenges the somewhat comfortable Western perception of time with the authority of a 40 (60?)thousand year plus continuum – whatever it is it kind of represents forever. In order to get a handle on that sort of continuum it is somewhat more useful to roll the ‘thread of time’ into a ball rather that stretch it out in a line.

 In such a paradigm ‘the 60s’ are as fresh as this morning and at the same time as distant as forever depending upon the vantage point from which you are looking and at the moment – which way you’re holding the ball in your hand right now. Interestingly, for me at least, FLUXUS sensibilities fit within this quite well – as indeed do most things so long as you are prepared to adopt the mindset.

 The questions that come up in the teaching of the idea/attitude are. What’s redundant? What’s fresh? What’s relevant right now? What’s possible – yet? In the end they all seem somewhat rhetorical. Catalogues will, and DO, carry useful stories, and I want them, but I suppose I’m a little more interested in the stories they imply are not yet on the page than those that seem to get frozen to it.

 Apologies for the long post, Ray