Ann is right. Either hijack the word Or, exchange for it "Weetabix" (Sp? See archives)--then, if Weetabix becomes well known, we can always write the history as Fluxus begat weetabix. Thats all for now. Right on and write on Allen! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ann Klefstad" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 10:52 AM Subject: Re: FLUXLIST: from allen bukoff
> Allen is right. Fluxus has devolved into the sad spectacle of those who > originally disdained canonicity desperately trying to ensure the presence of > their own work in the canon. It's a bit pathetic. > > Fluxus, the original entity, has become a collection of objects and texts of > interest only to academics, such as Hannah Higgins, bless her good > intentions, whose new PhD will only sift another layer of dust over the > legacy that she's preserving. Shows of Fluxus artifacts, like the one at the > Walker Art Center a couple of years ago, are an incredible yawn, heaps of > paper in vitrines. They are evidence of the end of the thing. > > Fluxus isn't meant to be an archive, it's meant to be a practice, and such > practices cannot be owned. The current discourse around the idea of > copyright that has been sparked by the internet illuminates this as well. > There is a potential in the net for great and radical changes in the notion > of the creative practice and its relation to the individual and to the > culture at large. This potential is intimately related to the possibilities > that Fluxus opened. > > So why, then, do later practicitioners want a relation to the name Fluxus? > Why don't we simply call it something else, Flewage, whatever? Because the > practice known as Fluxus is a legitimate component in what is happening, and > it's weird and cumbersome to be forced to ignore it, a kind of > falsification. > > Plus, to stop using the word is to acknowledge that a group of people who > once pursued the practice own the word and its attributes, even own the > practice. It's sort of like being disowned by one's parents. If my father > insisted that the name "Klefstad" was his, and that all the characteristics > that it implied stopped with him, because he owned the word and its > attributes, and said, "Find your own name," that would be analogous to the > sad and paranoid behavior of the Fluxus artists I've witnessed, from the > Anderson/Friedman feud to the notion that the term "Fluxus" was reserved for > the chosen few, even if that meant that the practice was doomed. > > I think we should just hijack the word. > > Ann Klefstad > > On 1/7/05 9:27 AM, "Alan Bowman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Allen Bukoff has asked me to forward this to all. I request that you all > > read it and give it just consideration. > > Allen, in my opinion, has had more to offer on the 'Fluxus' front than > > many in recent years. Wether the "F" word matters or not is one thing, > > Allen > > and Fluxus Midwest has/have provided a valuable source of fluxus art > > amusement over the years, and before it goes... > > CHECK OUT http://fluxus.org and it's related sites. > > > > ab > > > > MESSAGE FOLLOWS > > > > > > > > Many are called, but none are now chosen. > > > > > > > > > > > > An open letter to 1st and 2nd generation Fluxus > > > > > > > > AYO > > > > Eric Andersen > > > > Henry Flynt > > > > Ken Friedman > > > > Geoff Hendricks > > > > Alison Knowles > > > > Larry Miller > > > > Yoko Ono > > > > Nam June Paik > > > > Ben Patterson > > > > Carolee Schneemann > > > > Ben Vautier > > > > Lamonte Young > > > > Emmet Williams > > > > -other names to be added to this list, as I distribute it. > > > > > > > > 6 January 2005 > > > > > > > > Dear Fluxus, > > > > > > > > I was very fond of Emily Harvey. I miss her a lot. I am sorry I will not be > > there to help you honor and remember Emily Harvey tonight. > > > > > > > > Emily Harvey's passing marks a passing for me, too. I am walking away from > > Fluxus. It is, unfortunately, unnecessary to announce my departure: most > > of you don't even know me. You probably didn't even realize that I am a > > part of Fluxus and that I operate and host a number of websites that have > > promoted Fluxus for the last nine years. And none of you have ever > > acknowledged that I am, in fact, an active Fluxus artist who has pioneered > > new little directions and forged new sensibilities in Fluxus for more than > > 20 years now. That is why I am leaving. > > > > > > > > Twenty years ago I fell in love with Fluxus and the monumental creative > > revolutions you all initiated more than 40 years ago. You changed and > > expanded what creativity and knowing means. You changed Western culture. > > You changed the world. You ripped a new hole in the universe. And you did > > it with simple little ideas, games, objects, performances, and concepts. I > > will always admire your astonishing accomplishments. What you did was so > > big that no historian, writer, collector, or curator has ever gotten their > > arms around it satisfactorily. > > > > > > > > But an equally astonishing thing has been going on in Fluxus for the last > > twenty years. You have been letting Fluxus die. > > > > > > > > At one time you welcomed people to Fluxus. You recruited people to Fluxus. > > I know you have always been a contentious lot, but there was a time when the > > Fluxus door was open, you invited people in, and you made it grow. You > > embraced a "second wave" of Fluxus artists-e.g., Ken Friedman, Larry Miller. > > You encouraged new Fluxus work and new Fluxus projects. But as far as I can > > tell, this pretty much stopped 20 or more years ago (Friedman's Young Fluxus > > show in 1982 is the last time any of you sponsored a show of "new" Fluxus > > artists). What happened to you? > > > > > > > > Letting Fluxus die is a terrific and unnecessary shame and I place most of > > the blame on you (the people to whom this letter is addressed). I blame you > > individually and I blame you collectively. You have served Fluxus poorly > > during these last 20 years and you are letting Fluxus die. It didn't have > > to be this way. For the last 20 years, an increasing number of mostly > > young, bright, and talented people have been showing up and knocking on the > > Fluxus club house door . and almost all of you have either been too deaf or > > self-centered to hear them, or worse, you have continued to wring your hands > > over whether anyone should or could open the door (the issue of who has the > > "authority" to welcome and declare new Fluxus artists has been a convenient > > excuse). All you really had to do was open the door and show a little > > kindness. Why has that been so hard for all of you to do? > > > > > > > > During the last 20 years many different people have been "called" to Fluxus. > > I am one of those people. We learned about Fluxus in one way or another and > > were struck by lightning, had an epiphany.and generally felt we had found a > > place where we really belonged. We had hoped to find a home in Fluxus. And > > many of just started doing and being Fluxus in our own way.much like all of > > the original Fluxus folks had their own individual understanding and gifts > > for Fluxus activities. And one way or another as we have gotten stronger in > > our own Fluxus work, we have stepped forward and tried to share this work > > with you. Needing to find some acknowledgement and encouragement from the > > people who launched this Fluxus ship. We approached you with respect. We > > approached you as Fluxus authorities. We knocked on the door and you did > > not answer. The most that some of you have been able to do for a whole new > > generation of Fluxus artists is hand us some tedious book on Fluxus so we > > could "study up," or you smiled patronizingly and encouraged us to attend > > your next exhibition. You didn't even seem to consider that any of these > > new folks could take you and Fluxus some place new and exciting where it > > hadn't been before. And frankly, some of these new Fluxus folks have been > > doing more interesting work and more truly Fluxus work than many of you have > > been doing during the last 20 years. > > > > > > > > Many bright and talented people have not stayed long to knock, however. > > They heard the authoritative pronouncements that Fluxus was "dead" or > > "over." This was very confusing and discouraging-many of us could feel > > the spirit of Fluxus alive in ourselves and in our own work, so we couldn't > > understand how Fluxus could be dead. But you didn't answer the door and > > many eventually walked away. I have knocked longer than most-for more than > > 20 years now since I founded Fluxus Midwest in 1982. Dick Higgins and Emily > > Harvey (and Carolee Schneemann) were the only ones to acknowledge and > > encourage my own Fluxus work and experiments, but now Dick and now Emily are > > gone, I'm out in the cold, and I'm tired of knocking. So I am packing up my > > Fluxus bags, and taking my creativity and energies elsewhere. > > > > > > > > I am closing down the many internet websites I have constructed and hosted > > to promote and honor Fluxus: The Fluxus Portal, the Fluxus Homepage, the > > Emily Harvey Gallery, the Museum of the Sub-Conscious, the Dick Higgins > > memorial website, and numerous other webpages promoting the work of many > > original Fluxus artists. I doubt that many of you will notice. I have > > also walked away from FLUXLIST-the pioneering Fluxus email discussion group > > that I co-founded with Dick and Ken Friedman. FLUXLIST is another example > > of what I am talking about. Most of you could never even bother to > > subscribe. By not participating you have missed a great audience and a > > wonderful chance to discover and encourage many new Fluxus artists and to > > learn about their work. It would have given you back more energy than it > > would have taken. > > > > > > > > Almost all of you have failed to recognize three obvious things about > > Fluxus--about the Fluxus you helped create! > > > > > > > > 1.. Fluxus is more than Art. It's bigger than that. To confine it to > > being understood as being primarily a phenomenon in the realm of art is to > > let it die. > > 2.. Fluxus can still be a vibrant and energetic force. By refusing or > > failing to recognize this for the last 20 years, you have been letting > > Fluxus die. > > 3.. Fluxus is bigger than you. Fluxus is bigger than the initial group or > > Fluxers, it's bigger than Maciunas. You guys didn't finish off or > > "complete" the Fluxus project, you just got it started! Many others have > > come to Fluxus with new Fluxus ideas and projects, and many of you haven't > > even bothered to notice. By confining Fluxus to yourselves, you are letting > > it die. > > > > > > You all have spent so much time during the last 20 years trying to shape > > your legacy and the legacy of Fluxus, and few if any of you are satisfied > > with the results-the exhibitions, the collections, the books. Instead of > > trying to manage Old Fluxus you could have been leading a new group of > > Fluxus artists to explore new Fluxus directions and new Fluxus territory? > > Wouldn't it have been a lot more energizing and a lot more fun to fan new > > Fluxus flames than struggle with collectors who have catalogued your work > > but failed to capture your spirit or the scope of your actual > > accomplishments? > > > > > > > > I can only imagine that if George Maciunas were alive today he might have > > excommunicated you all by now and found a new and younger gang of Fluxus > > rabble rousers to continue his mischievousness. I imagine him cooking up > > guerrilla art activities and staging "terrorist" art attacks against some of > > the collectors and historians who demean him and you by saying Fluxus was no > > bigger than him and no bigger than you. > > > > Fluxus has the potential to be a bigger, more vibrant and creative force in > > the world today than even the project George Maciunas imagined. Certainly > > the world's need for the expanded creativity and the knowing that Fluxus > > provides is greater than ever. Because of the availability of more > > publications and catalogs documenting Fluxus work and because of the > > internet, more people know more about Fluxus than ever before. Fluxus is > > attracting more people than ever before-as much outside the art world as in. > > More people than ever before want to participate in and make their own > > contribution to Fluxus. But you-the founders, the brave pioneers-have > > turned your back on them. And you have turned your back on a marvelous > > opportunity to expand your legacy and help Fluxus continue. > > > > > > > > Sincerely, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Allen Bukoff, PhD > > > > Social Psychologist and Fluxus Artist > > > > Birmingham, Michigan > > > > visit the > > FREEFORMFREAKOUT ORGANISATION > > online! > > http://freeformfreakoutorganisation.net > > > > > > > >
