>...and we could find Allen's reliance on the elder's >stamp of approval a bit puzzling. I've never really thought >of any of us to be Fluxus artists - just Fluxus inspired >artists. I think however that Allen was initially supported and encouraged by Dick and Ken in his Fluxus Midwest work, in the early days of Fluxlist. Way back then he was much more active and perhaps 'inspired' by his contact with Ken and Dick. In turn Allen has been very supportive of certain artists, hosting sites and actively promotong awareness of them, I may be wrong, but I think that he has been 'hurt' by a subsequent lack of reciprocal support and in fact acknowledgement. I don't feel that it's right to talk about Allen so much seeing as he's not here to reply, but: I support what he has done, even though I don't agree with everything he has said. I understand why he has done it and whether I feel he is right or wrong is neither here nor there. An important factor that is often overlooked here is just how good a lot of Allen's stuff is. He is a fine contemporary artist (imho) whether he knows it or not. I don't think that we should let the usual and apparently unresolvable argument over the use of the 'F' word detract from that. Just a thought... This whole 'Fluxus' title thing is a fascinating argument which I'm sure will run and run. I have changed my point of view quite radically over the past 10 years as a result of trying to resolve it - and I'm still nowhere near an answer. It's not so much the what but the why that is important. Why are people drawn to using/defending/refuting this name. Taking a broad and somewhat simplistic, I admit, view of 'Fluxus' - the art historians and documentary makers have used this name as an umbrella term for something, a group of individuals of vastly differing backgrounds producing vastly different sorts of work and with often totally different motives and standpoints, based on a title of something that was never published but which became a series of events over 40 years ago,and like the popular misuse of and recording of language which effectively changes that language, the popular misunderstanding, of reinforced by generic 'labelling' (books, catalogues, shows), has effectively produced a version of Fluxus as an entity which continues to exist, despite not actually existing! pant, pant, pant..... ooh I now have a headache, double vision and a sore typing finger! alan
