26 December 07 - 12:48Fluxus, Philosophy, Art, and Bullshit

Sometimes people say things that force us to reevaluate our values. My friend Nicolas recently posted something on a mailing list that touched me deeply and forced me to rethink and restate my values. He attacked intellectualism in art and life and argued for a world view that embraced love and the artisan's approach to crafting artworks. I have always valued intellectualism, but had difficulty formulating its defense. This was my response:

My head is full of intellectual bullshit. Sometimes I welcome it. Sometimes I try to drive it out. Fluxus helps me do both.

I sometimes see Fluxus as being a continuation of dada, but with less nihilism --- or at least with a much more playful and optimistic view of nihilism. Perhaps something closer to Sartre (Existentialism is a Humanism) than to Nietzsche or Baudrillard. A kind of hedonistic nihilism, but one that leaves room to acknowledge love and suffering

I admit to being a nihilist myself --- nothing matters and nothing can change the fact that nothing matters. But (and this is important!) while we experience our existence in the universe everything matters ...and nihilism does not matter because it is useless as a way of living. For as long as we are alive --- Love is real. Pain is real. Suffering is real. Compassion is real. It doesn't matter that it doesn't matter because it matters while it matters, even if it doesn't really matter 'in the end'. I try to reconcile these two polarities. Fluxus helps. Sartre helps

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I suppose that fault can be found in this response. It uses intellectualism to defend itself for one thing. One might also argue that by embracing polarities I am avoiding having to stand my ground and fight for what I believe in. But for me, the response really does stand for what I believe in. Life is full of contradictions and sometimes the only way to live it is to embrace dualisms.

Nicolas Carras is an artist living in Paris France. His work can be seen at nicolasound.com and also on the site of the SOS-Art Collective.

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02 December 07 - 18:03Letter to an Art Student

Hi Thaddeus,

I will answer your questions as best I can.

What in your opinion is the fluxus movement truly about ?

Your question makes a common but erroneous assumption. That is that Fluxus was a "movement". The idea of "movements" make the study of art history easier for art students and art historians, but Fluxus is not and never really was an art historical movement. It has been packaged as a movement for collectors of Fluxus objects and a few Fluxus artists have encouraged this in order to further their own careers or in an attempt to position themselves within an art historical context.
Fluxus was a way of being and a way of seeing the world and reacting to it. As such it shares a lot with dada, but without the same degree of nihilism and negativity. Fluxus continues to exist today because the attitudes and approaches to life that are embodied in Fluxus continue to exist.

The Fluxus artistic philosophy can be expressed as a synthesis of four key factors that define the majority of Fluxus work:

1. Fluxus is an attitude. It is much more than an art history movement, or a style locked between a pair of dates.


2. Fluxus is intermedia. Fluxus creators like to to see what happens when different media intersect.

They use found & everyday objects, sounds, images, and texts to create new combinations of objects, sounds, images, and texts.

3. Fluxus should be simple. The art is small, the texts are short, and the performances are brief.


4. Fluxus should be fun. If it isn't fun, then it isn't Fluxus

As these attitudinal approaches probably predate Fluxus, I think it is fair to say that Fluxus existed long before it was named. And it will continue long after it is forgotten too.

Why do you feel the fluxus movement is important in modern society ?

Fluxus is not important in modern society. Should it be?

Do you have any old articles or information on the fluxus art movement that would help in my thesis ?

Nothing

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