Alan Bowman writes,
of scale within? there is the fluxus chart compiled by (filliou & williams?/ - i don't remember - Bertrand?) which charts presence at wiesbaden etc and forwm the beginnings of a fluxscale. but a new official fluxometer could be good.
In the late 1970s, I proposed using the sociological technique of content analysis to give a broad view of Fluxus. In 1981 or so, Peter Frank and I did a simple checklist analysis of the names the artists presented in the exhibitions, catalogues and books on Fluxus up to that time. Frank organized it into a chart. In 1991, using my model, James Lewes, a graduate research assistant at Alternative Traditions in the Contemporary Arts of the University of Iowa, took the Peter Frank chart and brought it forward in time.
To establish a consensus of expert opinions, the chart was based on a comprehensive survey of major Fluxus exhibitions, catalogues and books up to the exhibitions that were already on tour at the beginning of 1992. Lewes attempted to include every project intended as a survey of Fluxus. He also reviewed exhibitions in which a survey of Fluxus was presented as a special section, for example the 1990 Biennal of Venice or the Pop Art exhibition at the Royal Academy in London in 1991-92 that went on to Museum Ludwig in Cologne and the Reina Sofia in Madrid.
In selecting projects, Lewes sought to represent the opinion of every expert scholar or curator who has presented an overview of Fluxus. No expert was used more than once. Some experts appear once as individuals and again in a group effort. For example, Jon Hendricks appears once as the curator and editor of the Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection and its publications. He appears again in a team as co-curator of the Fluxus exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.
Every artist listed or presented at least once in any of these exhibitions, catalogues or books was noted. Lewes prepared the chart in this manner:
Running vertically down the left side of the chart, the names of all artists appearing in any of the selected presentations are listed in alphabetical order. Across the top of the chart, twenty-one exhibitions and projects from Maciunas's first lists in 1964 through the FluxAttitudes show at the New Museum in New York in 1992 are presented in chronological order. (Some of these projects were seen more than once, for example, the Fluxshoe in England, which was presented at many venues, or FluxAttitudes, which was presented first at HallWalls in Buffalo.)
Under each presentation project, a mark was made beside the name of every artist included.
The chart thus offers an overview of all the inclusions and entries in a series of 21 major projects, representing evolving and differing views of Fluxus over a 30-year period from 1962 to 1992.
The completed chart offers a broad consensus of opinion by 30 experts who have given lengthy consideration to Fluxus. These include scholars, critics, curators, gallerists, art dealers, Fluxus artists and non-Fluxus artists interested in Fluxus. Altogether, some 351 artists were presented in 21 different projects representing a wide variety of venues, presentations and publications during the 30 years in which Fluxus has existed.
The chart appears in:
Friedman, Ken with James Lewes. 1992. "Fluxus: Global Community, Human Dimensions." (in) Fluxus: A Conceptual Country, Estera Milman, guest editor. [Visible Language, vol. 26, nos. 1/2.] Providence: Rhode Island School of Design, pp. 154-179. [Special issue devoted to Fluxus, also exhibition catalogue]
It's probably time to update the exercise. I don't think there can be an official Fluxometer, but it is interesting to see the different shapes and views established by different criteria and sorting mechanisms. It gives a general view of Fluxus .... and it certainly shows how people see Fluxus.
Best regards,
Ken Friedman
