FLUXLIST: Vienna Actionists
Hi all, Here's another link about the book I mentioned in response to Alex's post, this gives a little more info at http://www.atlaspress.co.uk/arkhive7.html cheers, Sol.
Re: FLUXLIST: Vienna Actionists
Hi all, After Alex's post yesterday I've been musing on the Vienna Actionists some more and dug out a load of links for you to pursue if you're interested. I think the Actionists work is fairly problematic...obviously there are certain elements which have no moral or ethical issues attached but not much. Actionism is often considered as parallel to Fluxus activities and Happenings but it is altogether so much more extreme that one wonders what the links really are, perhaps they are conceptual only. Certainly the Actionists were the only ones to kill and disembowel animals in the name of art as well as explore a range of unusual social and sexual behaviour that even today many would still consider shocking. BTW - I chose the links below because none of them contain any images that may offend anyone or cause embarrassment should you be viewing this site in the company of less open-minded friends or acquaintances. I'd imagine that it is the Actionist's desire to shock society into something new that drove most of their activities. Conceptually they seem to me closer to Dada and Surrealism than to post-war movements especially in the way they target religion etc. Anyway here are links I've found which may prove interesting to some of you: --- General stuff about Actionism, good introduction to some concepts: http://users.hartwick.edu/stoltea/performanceart.htm -- Michael Portnoy's response to an exhibition of actionist work, I'm including this as there are descriptions of some Actionist Actions within this text http://home.earthlink.net/~chthong/carrpse.html --- More accounts of actionism, also there is one image on this page that some may find offensive...I include the link because of the text only. http://bme.freeq.com/news/softtoy/005/ --- Interesting criticisms of Actionism, criticisms of the questionable ethics/morality that surrounded Actionism http://stud1.tuwien.ac.at/~e8426940/kuhner3.html Description and analysis of actions by Jessica Grace Wing...this text file is part of her work entitled T H E C U T T I N G E D G E O F A R T: THE USES OF ACTUAL VIOLENCE IN PERFORMANCE ART http://www.end.com/~jessica/text/thesis4.txt (There seems to be no front page to this stuff so use http://www.end.com/~jessica/text/ to get a directory listing to look at the other files of this text if you're interested. --- Well, a few links to stimulate discussion I think. Often I cannot make up my mind how I feel about certain of the more extreme cultural manifestations such as Actionism. I can't say I agree with killing animals for performances but then again I think the actionists were really trying to get at an exploration of very primitive emotions lust, violence etc. so I suppose there are only so many ways you can do this on stage. What strikes me about most of their work is a similarity to William Burroughs' preoccupation with social taboos in his writings. It is interesting to note what Alex said: but I found his staged Aktion photos to be beautiful and sad. Evidently he was suffering from mental illness and did things like reduce his diet to milk and bread, I know that Actionists wanted to bring the acts of the asylum into the streets but you wonder where they draw the line between exploring the behaviour of those in mental states which they have not experienced and their own mental state in these situations. After all there is no correct mental state just a consensus of a certain way of viewing the world. Anyway I've gone on too long. If anyone has more to add, or if you've explored some of these areas in your own performance I think these things would be interesting to discuss. In many ways this approach to performance and the problem of art and life shares an approach with Fluxus and yet Fluxus just did not explore certain areas. Also I think there's a general cultural difference between Europe and America which makes European artists more interested in a darker side of humanity which doesn't seem to concern American artists in the same wayI'm just speculating here of course so I really want to know what others think...i.e. tell me where I'm wrong etc. Oh, just thought.I wonder where the performances of people like Bob Flanagan are positioned theoretically in relation to Actionism? Any ideas? Okay, looking forward to your comments, cheers, Sol.
Re: FLUXLIST: googleplex
Hi Patricia, P.K. Harris is ebulliently effervescing with joy upon learning of her new status as a member of the "Staff" at the all new "googleplex" which was launched at a gala soiree at midnight, June 18, 2000. Her first assignment can be seen on Page 2 of the "Weirdo News." She will now constantly refer to herself in third person. While her name is spelled correctly, her picture is not, but one can only ask for so much from the mighty googleplexers. I think the new googleplex is much betternice to see your newzz from Butterfly town. cheers, Sol.
FLUXLIST: FLUXSTAMP project
To the fluxstamp folks...at last!!! Your stamps of wondrous art are being printed and you shall have them within the next 2 weeks (the goal, anyway). Seems to be a "2" kinda thing. There are 2 sheets of gridded stamps. I am printing 2 sheets of each on dry gummed paper and 2 sheets of each on ultra matte white paper. (This will give you 4 sheets of each, I think I've got the math down although I am still reviving on morning coffee.) The latter achieves brilliant resolutionthe former is good resolution, not as good as the ultra matte, but you have the option of licking the back, as some of you may be wont to do. They will all be perforated and the ultra matte sheets will be super for making your own color copies, should you wish John Held, Jr. is going to perforate them pro bono, in exchange for keeping some of the sheets, so I may just whip them on up to him since he is only 2 hours away. Of course, I can't do that until one of the next 2 days of the 2 day weekend of the next 2 weeks. Addresses, please? Alan Bowman (have yours - still the school one?) Ana Capuli (yours I have) Brad Brace Owen Smith Don Boyd (got it) Allen Bukoff Roger Stevens (have yours, but, moving?) Michael Leigh (A1 still, I presume) Robert Fontenot (yep, got yours) Reed Altemus (yep) Heiko Recktenwald Ron Thompson (I had yours last week, anyway) Narvis Pez Raf Dziminsky Kathy Forer Anna Banana (got it) Carol Starr (got it) Frank Function John Blower Josh Thorpe Nick Potter (yes, have yours) Rod Stasick Sol Nte (got it) If, by any mixup, I have left a name out above, 2 let me know, Sealed With a Fish, PK
FLUXLIST: art stories, puns, silly jokes
While killing time at my open studio on last year's local "Artist's Studio Tour" waiting for the next nonbuyer to walk in, a rather serious and determined woman arrived. Had evidently just visited a sculptor by the name of Richard MacDonald, of whom I was unfamiliar. Breezing past, she stated, "I've just been to MacDonald's." My immediate response was, "for burgers?" "No, she replied, that was Rodin."
Re: FLUXLIST: art stories, puns, silly jokes
Rodin made burghers The colonel never heard of Calais (or was that his special sauce?) ; ) Sol Nte wrote: My immediate response was, "for burgers?" "No, she replied, that was Rodin." Rodin ate burgers? but what about the colonel's special recipe? ;-)
Re: FLUXLIST: FLUXSTAMP project
Addresses, please? Allen Bukoff 1465 Fairfax Birmingham, MI 48009 248.540.4473 I am very excited about this cool FLUXSTAMP project.
Re: FLUXLIST: mail art defined?
Thank you Sol for the instructve and invitational text. I apologize for repeating a previous post, but there is also currently a debate on mail art going on at boek861 web site. This site has web archive also of mail art, zines, links, calls, galleries I would very highly recommend it. http://www.fut.es/~boek861 this site also has much on visual poetry the phi.lu site Sol mentioned is also excellent, and those which Ruud does-- the best way to learn of mail art is to participate --dave baptiste chirot
Re: FLUXLIST: mail art defined?
Absolutely. Well said. I've only just begun.(she said, lapsing into an old song by the Carpenters - definitely time to go to work). Bless, PK the best way to learn of mail art is to participate --dave baptiste chirot
Re: FLUXLIST: mail art defined?
Thank you Sol for the instructve and invitational text. Well, David thanks for your reminder of others(boek861) and while we're throwing out links I also forgot vortice of course http://www.vorticeargentina.com.ar/ Your mention of visual poetry reminded me, thanks. cheers, Sol.
Re: FLUXLIST: mail art defined?
Sol: and all: YES! Vortice! "si"-- also excellent for visual poetry--essays, examples, history, links-- one of best sites i know for all these and much more in relation to contemporary poetries and practises-- Light and Dust Mobile Anthology of Poetry http://www.thing.net/~grist/homekarl.htm see also terrific latest issue of Riding the Meridian, with interivews, works, essays etc re visual and sound poetries http://www.heelstone.com/meridian Horace (i believe) defined poetry as instruction deliight these to be found in abundance at these sites-- --davebc On Tue, 20 Jun 2000, Sol Nte wrote: Thank you Sol for the instructve and invitational text. Well, David thanks for your reminder of others(boek861) and while we're throwing out links I also forgot vortice of course http://www.vorticeargentina.com.ar/ Your mention of visual poetry reminded me, thanks. cheers, Sol.
Re: FLUXLIST: Vienna Actionists
Certainly the Actionists were the only ones to kill and disembowel animals in the name of art as well as explore a range of unusual social and sexual behaviour that even today many would still consider shocking. I know of a couple other examples of killing off animals in the name of art. Joe Coleman came to pulic noteriety by killing (and maybe eating live) mice during the course of his performances. It was puported to be about his parents dying of cancer, and his relationship with them, crossed with his sideshow geek affiliations. There was another artist that used to smah a mouse between two canvases and display the results as paintings.In the latest Art News, there was a little blurb about an artist who set up a number of blenders with goldfish in them, and was shocked when people in the gallery actually turned them on and killed the fish. Another artist, John Jeffries, in his MFA show, had a container filled with flies and a bottle of cyanide. it had a mechanism where people could vote whether to kill the fies or release them. some fellow artists made t-shirts to plead with people to free them, the the overwhelming vote was to kill the flies. My impression of the Vienna Aktioists is that they all did similar rituals but for different reasons. The following are my somewhat uninformed opinions on the subject, mostly from seeing photos of the perfomances and my impressions from that. I see Nitch's long orgies as trying to create a large ritual event, to celebrate (if that's the right word) the power of being human. They seem to be celebrations of the ego, with all the sacrifices, and the staged domination of others (crucification, dousing bound participants with blood, etc etc) Muehl's work seems to be more about an intimate Dominance/submission kind of situation, where a model allows the artist to control and sculpt asn use him/herself for the artists puposes. The photos I've seen of his aktions show him basically binding and covering a nude model with various things witha small audience present. Gunter Brus seemed to be more about nullification of the self, blaking himself out by painting his body white, placing himself in an envrionment of refuse, things like that. It's like an acting out to get attention. I don't mean to downplay his work, I find it very evocative, I think he is using a lot of psychological motifs that childern use to get attention, just on a scarrier, larger scale. Rudolph Schwartkongler, is really my favorite. His work seems to be about suffereing, and the narcissism that can be exhibited by those who suffer, particularly manic-depressives. Again, I don't mean to downplay his work or the real suffereing of depression. The way he uses medical implements, like bandages and eyedroppers, how he made himself look pregnant, or bloated by strapping a ball to himself, shows to me that he was an artist trying to truly and poetically come to terms with his misery. Overall, I don't think the VA artists were just trying to shock, but to somehow redifine their humaninty in what is an increasingly inhumane, mechanized world, whether by flying the banner of human power like Nitsch and Muehl, or by finfishing the job of dehuminazation like Brus and Schwartzkongler. Thanks for the links, Sol. I'll definitely go through them to learn more about it. I got introduced to VA when Simon Anderson was a teacher at Louisiana State Univeristy, before he took his position in Chicago. He and I became friends and he opened my eyes to a lot of art that I might not have known about otherwise. Bob Flanagan's work, from a long article on him in Artforum a couple years back, is an interesting mix of extreme masochism (he once had a pit built under his house where he was placed, and was fed through a tube that originated froma funnel inside the house, where his dominatrix lover would pour things down it, etc etc) and increasing pain and vulnerability, since he was suffereing from Muscular Distrophy. In an exhibition in LA, he was present the whole time in a hospital bed where he could talk to museum visitors. His legs were attached to a hoist that, on a timer, would lift him up and dangle him for a few minutes naked in the gallery, with his hospital gown hanging around his head. He managed to work the ravages of his disease to an adavntage of sorts, because it put him in a position where he really was at the mercy of others. Re/Search published an good book on him called "Supermasochist" taht you might be able to find at your more hip establishments. And now that you have all suffered through my ego-ritual-orgy of half-ass art history blathering, I'd like to hear any other thoughts on the VA artists. -Alex Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
FLUXLIST: FluxListBox confession!
This weekend I finally had the time to splice the "True Confession" tape from the FluxListBox into a cassette. I listened to it. I now know the confession. I'm not telling what the confession is. But, I will give a hint on splicing. Normal, clear office tape can be used to connect the tape fragment into a cassette. One side of the tape is where the magnetic information is stored, you want to make sure this side is pointed out when you splice the tape in. It is difficult to tell which side is which, but the magnetic side is a little shinier than the other side. The magnetic coating will come off if you affix to the "Scotch" tape and then remove it (which is another way to tell which side is which). Who made this? I can read the name on the envelope. It was an excellent experience. I played it for everyone who visited me this weekend. Next up: find a map of the US for the map project. -Josh Ronsen http://www.nd.org/jronsen
Re: FLUXLIST: FluxListBox confession!
Josh (and anyone else): The confession is mine (as is this one) and I'm impressed that you felt that any confession I might have was worthy of the effort to splice and listen. Now I'm going to have to kill you ;-). And here's another confession: My first thought about the Artist Burger was: A Claes Oldenburger -- overstuffed, overpriced and tasteless. Sorry, all. Melissa Melissa McCarthy Hours: whimsical or by appointment Adult, maybe; grown-up, never! [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
FLUXLIST: Fwd: fallnet virus thread
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: fallnet virus thread Date: 20 Jun 00 11:57:01 MDT I have unfortunately been very busy lately and haven't had the time to write a virus, so please take a couple of minutes to open Windows and randomly delete 10 or 12 files (including a minimum of 3 system files) and then send this e-mail on to everyone on your mailing list. Thank you for your co-operation. Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1 Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
Re: FLUXLIST: FluxListBox confession!
This weekend I finally had the time to splice the "True Confession" tape from the FluxListBox into a cassette. Seems that not all boxes are the same ? Couldnt that be added to the coming CD (Rom) ? It could be a mixed Audio CD /CD Rom thing like the one that came with the last Leonardo MJ. H.
Re: FLUXLIST: Vienna Actionists
latest Art News, there was a little blurb about an artist who set up a number of blenders with goldfish in them, and was shocked when people in the gallery actually turned them on and killed the fish. Another artist, John Wouldnt mix this with the other cases. Jeffries, in his MFA show, had a container filled with flies and a bottle of cyanide. it had a mechanism where people could vote whether to kill the fies or release them. some fellow artists made t-shirts to plead with people to free them, the the overwhelming vote was to kill the flies. Haider, Haider: there is now Christoph Schlingensief there in Vienna. He lets the people vote what to do with people who seek asylum. H.
Re: FLUXLIST: FluxListBox confession!
Melissa McCarthy wrote: The confession is mine (as is this one) and I'm impressed that you felt that any confession I might have was worthy of the effort to splice and listen. That was your voice, the one talking about the [DO NOT READ THE NEXT WORD UNLESS YOU HAVE LISTENED TO YOUR COPY OF THE CONFESSION TAPE] journal? Now I'm going to have to kill you ;-). I really didn't pay attention to it when I listened to it... -Josh Ronsen http://www.nd.org/jronsen
Re: FLUXLIST: Fluxlist Box ( the future )
Sol, When's the Book Fair happening? Sounds like a great idea. I've got my studio "La Gallerie de Shed" open for the Artists Equity Studio Tour at the end of September - a display of the group projects would be great here as well, but I do na' have a box - perhaps a loaner at that time? For the tour last year we also sold shrinkwrapped cookies that we had printed with photographs at a local bakery. Sent them the photos by email and they inkjet printed the images with food coloring. They were a big hit. "Cookies With Body!!! $5 Each, Completely Edible" Maybe this year I'll ask for Fluxlist imageshmmm...a new project - whoa, better finish the stamp one first. John Held seems very amenable to perfing a few sheets past his limit, in fact he might teach me to perf! And hopefully, I would perf perfectly. That's a fun word to say, isn't it? perf. Of course, there is the option of copying the ones you get as well, although there would be an absence of perf. Poof, PK Sol Nte wrote: I will now definitely be standing the London Artist's Book Fair this year which is being held at the Barbican in central London. I shall use it as an opportunity to show our box amongst other things and offer some for sale perhaps(Owen can you get in touch offlist about this..would send a separate mail but my fingers are tired). Also I've been in touch with Roger and shall hopefully be putting the poetry book on display too ( P.K. perhaps the stampsheet should be a possibility too, will there be extras for sale/exhibition etc. ?)
Re: FLUXLIST: FluxListBox confession!
Yes, it was my voice talking about the ***. Everyone got a different little piece of 45 minutes worth of confessional musing, some juicy, some not. If you got a bit of tape where I was talking about my **, you are a lucky one! Likewise the few minutes I went into detail about my ***, my and my phenomenal ** are worth listening to. But there was, as with any good stream of consciousness recording, a lot of ummms and silence Truly, confessionally yours, Melissa Melissa McCarthy Hours: whimsical or by appointment Adult, maybe; grown-up, never! [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
FLUXLIST: Fwd: Digital'2000 Exhibition State of the Art: Digital Prints panel discussion in NYC
in the email today... Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2000 19:44:09 -0400 From: "Art Science Collaborations, Inc. (ASCI)" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Digital'2000 Exhibition "State of the Art: Digital Prints panel discussion in NYC For Immediate Release (please distribute!) "State of the Art: Digital Prints" an evening panel discussion (7-9pm) produced by ASCI in conjunction with the Opening Reception (5-7pm) of DIGITAL'2000 ASCI's third annual international competition exhibition June 28, at Central Fine Arts (212) 966-8836 596 Broadway (just south of Houston St), New York City Digital images, no longer just "experiments" in Photoshop, are rapidly becoming the medium-of-choice by both fine art photographers and printmakers. Not that long ago, artists could make and view digital images on their computer screens but had no way of printing out a product suitable for collection or sale. Today, digital artists have many choices of print output methods with image permanence that surpasses that of traditional color photographs. Digital prints can be made in huge sizes, and on many types of material. Recent technological innovations in improved ink-sets and photo-quality printers have allowed fine art digital prints to share the distinction of net.art as one of the newest media in the lexicon of legitimate contemporary art (shown at museums). So new, that the Brooklyn Museum's prestigious 26th National Print Biennial next year will be the first such biennial exhibition to be devoted solely to the digital print! "State of the Art: Digital Prints" will examine important technical aspects that artists should know about creating long-lasting digital prints with Henry Wilhelm announcing surprising results of his recent testing that will revolutionize fine art digital prints! In addition, the panel will explore the issues that artists, museum curators, and gallery owners are dealing with today. For instance: What criteria do museum curators use to decide which department will collect a digital print, Photography or Prints and Drawings? Are artists following strict copyright rules regarding appropriation of images from other print media when creating digital montage? How should digital images be reviewed by curators, at what resolution is realistic? And are artists' homepages valuable for the initial review process? Why do artists not know about longevity information of the newest digital printers and ink-sets? Is this even important to collectors? PANELISTS: Meghan Boody, artist, whose digital prints have been purchased by the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC; Matthew Drutt, Curator in Media Arts, Guggenheim Museum, New York, who has been following the impact of digital technology on photography; Marilyn Kushner, Curator of Prints Drawings at the Brooklyn Museum of Art whose National Print Biennial (invitational) in 2001 will solely be digital prints; Cynthia Pannucci (moderator), ASCI Director, trained as a printmaker whose prints were represented by the AAA Gallery, NYC and in national print exhibitions; Michal Smith, owner-printmaker, Silicon Gallery Fine Art Prints, Ltd. (New York and Philadelphia). One of the first galleries in world to exclusively show digital art. http://www.fineartprint.com Henry Wilhelm, preeminent researcher/consultant in testing of ink-sets, papers and printers on longevity issues for digital fine art and photography printmaking field. http://www.wilhelm-research.com DIGITAL'2000 An exhibition of digital art by 23 artists that was selected from an international Open Competition. Approximately 350 entries from as far as Tokyo, Beijing, Australia, Brazil,Slovenia, and throughout the USA, Canada, and Mexico. This year's jurors were: Digital Prints Marilyn Kushner, Curator of Prints and Drawings, the Brooklyn Museum of Art; and for Net.art Jon Ippolito, artist, Curator of Media Arts, the Guggenheim Museum. DIGITAL PRINT Winners: David Arky, Daniel Ayars, Kristine Campbell, Liz Demaree, Robin Germany, Michi Itami, Adrienne Klein, Zi Wen Li, CarmeLizardo, Anna Munster, Barbara Robertson, Ed Ross, Naomi Spellman, Terry Towery, Sarah Vinci, Lui Wei, and Cece Wheeler. NET.ART Winners: David Crawford, Mary Flanagan, Marc Lafia, Golan Levin, Judd Morrissey, and Kazushi Mukaiyama. NET.ARTIST PRESENTATIONS - Four of the six net.art winners will give live Internet presentations of their net.art projects from 6-7pm during the Opening Reception on Wednesday, June 28th for the exhibition. DIGITAL'2000 will travel to three venues: - Central Fine Arts in Soho (June 28 - July 14) - Technology Gallery, The New York Hall of Science (9/18 -11/26) - Silicon Gallery, Philadelphia (Dec.1 - Dec.31) The winning works are featured in an online exhibition at the ASCI website http://www.asci.org and in a color exhibition catalogue sponsored by Shutterfly, an online photo service that makes it simple, convenient and fun for people to take and give pictures. http://www.shutterfly.com Additional
Re: FLUXLIST: mail art defined?
hi david, i am wondering about the site you recommend as all i get is a light blue background moving across the screen. am i missing something? i think so. at the bottom of the screen are ads for java. best regards, c:) carol starr taos, new mexico, usa [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Sat, 17 Jun 2000, David Baptiste Chirot wrote: at the excellent web site of boek861 from Spain, you will find a series of thought provoking debates on what is mail art-- (John Held. Jr is one of those contributing, as is the great Clemente Padin) http://www.fut.es/~boek861 I highly recommend this site you will also find galleries and documentations of events and projects, visual poetry and much other information of events, activities and theoretical/methodological questions concerning mail art and visual poetry as well as listings of zines, mail art calls and links onwo/ards! --dave baptiste chirot
Re: FLUXLIST: mail art defined?
hi sol, thank you for all the information you sent, it should keep me busy for a while. until email i didn't know mail art existed so it is nice to explore something new. best regards, carol :) carol starr taos, new mexico, usa [EMAIL PROTECTED]
FLUXLIST: Re:
how strange. no nothing about this. did not send you the message. sorry. dd -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Fluxlist [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: June 20, 2000 10:59 PM hi david, i am wondering about the site you recommend as all i get is a light blue background moving across the screen. am i missing something? i think so. at the bottom of the screen are ads for java. best regards, c:) carol starr taos, new mexico, usa [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hello Carol, you don't know me and I don't know you, my name is Movimento and I write from italy. About the site you mention: you must click on the little yellow Java button on the top side of the second frame, and wait 'til some unidentified object fucks you in the ass. Kisses, Movimento
FLUXLIST: moviemento
hi carol, i know nothing about the message sent to you regarding a site. 'twas not from me. love, dd
