Information about an upcoming Fluxhibition in St. Loiuis, courtesy of Keith Buchholz:
What the Fluxus?
By Paul Friswold
Riverfront Times Wednesday, May 26 2010Some people will tell you that Fluxus died in 1978 with George Maciunas, but how can Fluxus die? The Fluxus approach to art is not any one thing; by nature, Fluxus art is intermedia, combining sound, object, image, text, audience and time into a single experience that allows for both happenstance and accident. That’s a way of life in the 21st century, not a dead movement.
Homecoming: Fluxus and Visual Poetry by Regional Natives, an art exhibition featuring work by John M. Bennett, Keith A. Buchholz, Larry Miller and Cecil Touchon, is further proof of Fluxus’ ongoing vitality. The show encourages interaction and promises fun for those open to share in the experience — and fun is a vital element of Fluxus.
Homecoming opens with a free public reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 28, at the Regional Arts Commission (6128 Delmar Boulevard; 314-863-5811 or www.art-stl.com), and the performance begins at 7 p.m. The gallery is open daily, and the show remains up through Sunday, July 11.
May 28-July 11, 2010
Fluxus and Flippancy
May 24, 2010
Over the past few days I’ve been reading some comments that were critical of the “flippancy” observed in discussions about Fluxus and on sites like Facebook and online communities like the Fluxlist. Some of this criticism has even come from Fluxus and avant-garde old-timers. I find this criticism to be, how can I say this politely… precious.
Humor and “flippancy” are as much a part of Fluxus as Fluxkits and Event Scores. It is absurd to even use the term “flippant” in a critical manner when talking about Fluxus! After all, if it isn’t fun it isn’t Fluxus. Fluxus uses playfulness to deal with serious matters. Just as many of the most biting social critics have been comic entertainers, Fluxus upends seriousness – or refelcts it back – in the form of jokes. It isn’t always about you see in front of you… it’s about how you perceive what’s in front of you. Fluxus uses flippance to play with perception, in the dame way that Fluxus uses the idea of Intermedia to explore the intersections between media, to explore/investigate sensory perceptions.
Fluxus (past and present) has always incorporated humor, flippancy and good-natured irreverency. It is hard for me to imagine work more irreverent than:
For a really wonderful look at “classical” Fluxus performances, with many examples of humorous irrevence (i.e. flippancy) check out the Fluxus Performance Workbook on Scribd.
It is difficult for me to even imagine a Fluxus without flippancy! So, to every artists with a working sense of humor and in interest in Fluxus… FLUX ON!