Next Fluxus item, Fluxkits

Artist Alison Knowles talks about Fluxkit as a contradiction of framed pieces of art on a wall, something you could hold in your hand. Knowles said what Fluxus taught us is that the everyday was pretty interesting.

Filmed in conjunction with the exhibition Thing/Thought: Fluxus Editions, 1962-1978. During the course of the exhibition, the display of Fluxkits-collective groupings of Fluxus Editions assembled by George Maciunas-will change. Artists-some who were original members of Fluxus-have been invited to select objects from the kits and determine their arrangement.
© 2011 The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Examples of Fluxkits

Alison Knowles (American, born 1933). Bean Rolls from Fluxkit. 1965, Fluxus Edition announced 1963. Metal tin with offset label containing dried beans and offset scrolls. 3 1/8 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/4" (8 x 8.3 x 8.2 cm) (tin). 9/16 x 2 3/4" (1.5 x 7 cm) (each scroll, rolled). The Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection Gift. © 
2011 Alison Knowles 

Ben Vautier (French, born Italy. 1935). Total Art Matchbox from Flux Year Box 2. c.1968, Fluxus Edition unannounced. Cardboard matchbox with offset label, containing matches. 1/2 x 2 1/16 x 1 1/2" (1.2 x 5.2 x 3.8 cm) (box, closed). The Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection Gift. © 2011 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

George Brecht (American, 1926–2008). Games and Puzzles (Bead and Swim Puzzles) from Flux Year Box 2. c.1968, Fluxus Edition announced 1964. Plastic box with offset label, containing four plastic balls and two offset cards. Designed and assembled by George Maciunas (American, born Lithuania. 1931–1978). 11/16 x 2 5/8 x 2 15/16" (1.7 x 6.7 x 7.5 cm) (box, closed). The Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection Gift. © 2011 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Germany

What the hell is Fluxus anyway?

For the best explanation of Fluxus I refer to social psychologist and Fluxus artist Allen Burkoff. His commentary on Fluxus is available as an MP3 at, http://fluxus.org/BukoffMaciunasFluxus5Dec08.mp3. The audio file was broadcast on December 5, 2008, by Aaron Anderson from a pirate radio station at the Detroit Museum of Contemporary Art as part of the traveling Broadcast exhibition. 

An abbreviated synopsis from Burkoff. 

“Fluxes has been described as an art movement or something that happened in art.” Burkoff argues it’s much more than that, “It’s much bigger and more interesting than that. Fluxus was this gigantic release of creative energy or creative potential in human culture.” 

A wealth of information about Fluxus can be found at Allen's website, "FLUXUS PORTAL FOR THE INTERNET" (Some of the links on Burkoff's site are dead links, sorry.)I agree with Burkhoff that Fluxus is more than art is is a creative force and necessary part of life. 

Burkhoff's chart on Fluxus.  

New Year's resolution, cleaning

My New Year's resolution is to get rid of stuff and deep clean my house. 

While I'm doing this, I'm watching this documentary "History of the Home." Instead of using Netflix I've found a few sites that offer free documentaries.

Top Documentary Films http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/

Free Documentaries https://freedocumentaries.org/

Films for Action http://www.filmsforaction.org/

These are free sites, however Films For Action will take your donation if you feel inclined to donate. 

I've been inspired by the concept of "Minimalism." I watched this video, "Minimalists: Living with Less." 

I don't know if I can be a minimalist but it's food for thought. 

Welcome to Fluxus World

Happy New Year and welcome to "Fluxus World." The blog is named after the Fluxus art movement which began in the 1960s. 

Image from 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Follow_Fluxus_Logo.jpg

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Follow_Fluxus_%E2%80%93_Fluxus_und_die_Folgen

"Fluxus an art movement begun in 1961/1962, which flourished throughout the 1960s, and into the 1970s. Characterized by a strongly Dadaist attitude, Fluxus promoted artistic experimentation mixed with social and political activism, an often celebrated anarchistic change. Although Germany was its principal location, Fluxus was an international avant-garde movement active in major Dutch, English, French, Swedish, and American cities. Its participants were a divergent group of individualists whose most common theme was their delight in spontaneity and humor. Fluxus members avoided any limiting art theories, and spurned pure aesthetic objectives, producing such mixed-media works as found poems, mail art, silent orchestras, and collages of such readily available materials as scavanged posters, newspapers, and other ephemera. Their activities resulted in many events or situations, often called "Aktions" — works challenging definitions of art as focused on objects -- performances, guerilla or street theater, concerts of electronic music — many of them similar to what in America were known as Happenings.
In Latin and other languages, "Fluxus" literally means "flow" and "change." Similarly, the related English word "flux" is used variously to mean "a state of continuous change," "a fusion," and "a gushing of fluid from a body."

From Art Lex Art Dictionary, http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/f/fluxus.html