Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
FLUXSHOE 1972, ICA Archive
THE 'FLUXSHOE'
The `Fluxshoe' was originally conceived by Mike Weaver in a letter written to Ken Friedman on 9 June 1970. Prior to his post at Exeter, Weaver had been editor of `Form' magazine and had come into contact with Fluxus as early as 1963, when he first corresponded with George Maciunas about work for the International Concrete Poetry exhibition in Cambridge. Both Friedman and Maciunas were enthusiastic about a Fluxus exhibition in the United Kingdom and generously offered to assist in arranging to obtain materials and made many suggestions for the show. Soon, a steady stream of material was shipped to Weaver, and from October 1970, to David Mayor, who as stated before was given the task of organising the exhibition. George Brecht's definition of Fluxus as involving `individuals with something unnameable in common' appears to have appealed most to Mayor. And so, `Fluxshoe' became a platform for performances and events by artists with similar attitudes whether they were allied to `official' Fluxus or not. Initially, the exhibition ws to be quite a modest affair, opening first, in May 1971, at Exeter University before travelling to the Royal College of Art in London. The timing, however, was hopelessly optimistic. Mayor soon realised that at least a year's preparation would be needed and so set about, in his characteristically methodical way, to send out questionnaires to potential participants. By the time Mayor had visited Hanns Sohm, Wolf Vostell, Tomas Schmit, Arthgur Koepcke and others in Europe over the summer, the title of the show had evolved into three possibilities: `Fluxpower', Fluxus in-formation' and `Megalofluxshoe'. Maciunas in a letter of December written oin the back of his most recent mail list - which incidentally featured Mayor as one of only eight fluxcore members - favoured the latter title. Letters had already been sent out to potential venues and the exhibition was advertised in the Arts Council's `Touring Exhibitions on Offer' Bulletin as a three part flexible `shoe (not a show)' consisting of: 1). slides and tapes of events, happenings, performances, and objects by members of Fluxus; 2). live performances by Flux members; 3). a catalogue presenting a background of basic information and recording events as they occur.' By the time 'Fluxshoe' opened on 23 October 1972 in Falmouth, over 100 Fluxus and non-Fluxus artists had agreed to appear either in person or in the exhibition or catalogue. The tour had extended somewhat, since 1971, to encompass seven venues: Falmouth (23-31 Oct 1972), Exeter (13 Nov - 2 Dec 1972), Croydon (15-26 Jan 1973), Oxford (10-25 Feb 1973), Nottingham (6-19 Jun 1973), Blackburn (2-21 Jul 1973), and Hastings (17-24 Aug 1973). Originally, there were to be additional sojourns in Edinburgh (at Richard Demarco's Gallery); Sunderland and Cardiff. In total, there were nine old-guard Fluxus artists who attended at least one venue of 'Fluxshoe', including Eric Andersen, Ay-O, Davi det Hompson, Alice Hutchins, Per Kirkeby, Takehisa Kosugi, Carla Liss, Knud Pedersen, and Takako Saito. Overseas and British artists who featured included: Ian Breakwell, Stuart Brisley, Paul Brown, Helen Chadwick, Marc Chaimowicz, Henri Chopin, Robin Crozier, Allen Fisher, John Gosling, Mary Harding, Anthony McCall, Opal L. Nations, Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti and Coum Transmissions, John Plant, Carolee Schneemann, Endre Tot, Paul Woodrow & the W.O.R.K.S. group, and Herv‚ Wrz. In addition to Fluxconcerts and Fluxfilm screenings, there were also events created specifically for each venue of the tour.
The `Fluxshoe' was originally conceived by Mike Weaver in a letter written to Ken Friedman on 9 June 1970. Prior to his post at Exeter, Weaver had been editor of `Form' magazine and had come into contact with Fluxus as early as 1963, when he first corresponded with George Maciunas about work for the International Concrete Poetry exhibition in Cambridge. Both Friedman and Maciunas were enthusiastic about a Fluxus exhibition in the United Kingdom and generously offered to assist in arranging to obtain materials and made many suggestions for the show. Soon, a steady stream of material was shipped to Weaver, and from October 1970, to David Mayor, who as stated before was given the task of organising the exhibition. George Brecht's definition of Fluxus as involving `individuals with something unnameable in common' appears to have appealed most to Mayor. And so, `Fluxshoe' became a platform for performances and events by artists with similar attitudes whether they were allied to `official' Fluxus or not. Initially, the exhibition ws to be quite a modest affair, opening first, in May 1971, at Exeter University before travelling to the Royal College of Art in London. The timing, however, was hopelessly optimistic. Mayor soon realised that at least a year's preparation would be needed and so set about, in his characteristically methodical way, to send out questionnaires to potential participants. By the time Mayor had visited Hanns Sohm, Wolf Vostell, Tomas Schmit, Arthgur Koepcke and others in Europe over the summer, the title of the show had evolved into three possibilities: `Fluxpower', Fluxus in-formation' and `Megalofluxshoe'. Maciunas in a letter of December written oin the back of his most recent mail list - which incidentally featured Mayor as one of only eight fluxcore members - favoured the latter title. Letters had already been sent out to potential venues and the exhibition was advertised in the Arts Council's `Touring Exhibitions on Offer' Bulletin as a three part flexible `shoe (not a show)' consisting of: 1). slides and tapes of events, happenings, performances, and objects by members of Fluxus; 2). live performances by Flux members; 3). a catalogue presenting a background of basic information and recording events as they occur.' By the time 'Fluxshoe' opened on 23 October 1972 in Falmouth, over 100 Fluxus and non-Fluxus artists had agreed to appear either in person or in the exhibition or catalogue. The tour had extended somewhat, since 1971, to encompass seven venues: Falmouth (23-31 Oct 1972), Exeter (13 Nov - 2 Dec 1972), Croydon (15-26 Jan 1973), Oxford (10-25 Feb 1973), Nottingham (6-19 Jun 1973), Blackburn (2-21 Jul 1973), and Hastings (17-24 Aug 1973). Originally, there were to be additional sojourns in Edinburgh (at Richard Demarco's Gallery); Sunderland and Cardiff. In total, there were nine old-guard Fluxus artists who attended at least one venue of 'Fluxshoe', including Eric Andersen, Ay-O, Davi det Hompson, Alice Hutchins, Per Kirkeby, Takehisa Kosugi, Carla Liss, Knud Pedersen, and Takako Saito. Overseas and British artists who featured included: Ian Breakwell, Stuart Brisley, Paul Brown, Helen Chadwick, Marc Chaimowicz, Henri Chopin, Robin Crozier, Allen Fisher, John Gosling, Mary Harding, Anthony McCall, Opal L. Nations, Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti and Coum Transmissions, John Plant, Carolee Schneemann, Endre Tot, Paul Woodrow & the W.O.R.K.S. group, and Herv‚ Wrz. In addition to Fluxconcerts and Fluxfilm screenings, there were also events created specifically for each venue of the tour.
ICA Archive (Tate)
1. Reise, Barbara: Groups and Subjects: Fluxus1969-c 1973. 1 folder, Includes material relating to: George Brecht, 'Happening & Fluxus' and Gustav Metzger. Manuscript collection TGA 786/5/4/14
2. TGA 815 David Mayor Fonds: the residue from the 'Fluxshoe' touring exhibition, 1972-73; the records of the Beau Geste Press, 1971-76; and Mayor's own papers, 1968-82
3. TGA 8714/3/27 Victor Musgrave's papers: file on the `Festival of Misfits, Oct-Nov 1962 (Gallery One)
4. TGA 815/1/5/69 David Mayor: Interview with Filliou, 8 January 1971
5. TGA 815/2/1/8/33 INTERMEDIA '69, exhibition 16 May - 22 Jun 1969. Catalogue of an exhibition, with text and illustrations, featuring Dick Higgins (including his `Intermedia' essay), Ben Vautier, Robert Filliou, Milan Knizak, Joseph Beuys and Christo among others
6. TGA 815/2/2/4/134 Robert Filliou. Corrugated cardboard folder with letraset title on front cover containing 23 photocopied pages [some autograph, some typed] 352x242. Scores, games, reviews, announcements including `Whispered Art History'; `Measured Up Music'; `LEEDS A new card game'; Robert Filliou' by Brion Gysin; `L'Esclave "T" Berger revant qu'il etait Roi' programme.
7. TGA 20085 George Brecht Fonds. Notebook compiled while the artist was employed as a lecturer at Leeds School of Art, Leeds, UK. (100 pages)Dec 1968 - Sep 1969.
8. TGA8229 Gustav Metzger papers 1961-2004 (uncatalogued)
9. TGA 20019 Paul Neagu Fonds (uncatalogued)
2. TGA 815 David Mayor Fonds: the residue from the 'Fluxshoe' touring exhibition, 1972-73; the records of the Beau Geste Press, 1971-76; and Mayor's own papers, 1968-82
3. TGA 8714/3/27 Victor Musgrave's papers: file on the `Festival of Misfits, Oct-Nov 1962 (Gallery One)
4. TGA 815/1/5/69 David Mayor: Interview with Filliou, 8 January 1971
5. TGA 815/2/1/8/33 INTERMEDIA '69, exhibition 16 May - 22 Jun 1969. Catalogue of an exhibition, with text and illustrations, featuring Dick Higgins (including his `Intermedia' essay), Ben Vautier, Robert Filliou, Milan Knizak, Joseph Beuys and Christo among others
6. TGA 815/2/2/4/134 Robert Filliou. Corrugated cardboard folder with letraset title on front cover containing 23 photocopied pages [some autograph, some typed] 352x242. Scores, games, reviews, announcements including `Whispered Art History'; `Measured Up Music'; `LEEDS A new card game'; Robert Filliou' by Brion Gysin; `L'Esclave "T" Berger revant qu'il etait Roi' programme.
7. TGA 20085 George Brecht Fonds. Notebook compiled while the artist was employed as a lecturer at Leeds School of Art, Leeds, UK. (100 pages)Dec 1968 - Sep 1969.
8. TGA8229 Gustav Metzger papers 1961-2004 (uncatalogued)
9. TGA 20019 Paul Neagu Fonds (uncatalogued)
Jeff Nuttall
http://jeff-nuttall.co.uk/html/timeline.html
Nuttall, Jeff (1979) Performance Art Volumes 1&2, Calder Books: London
Nuttall, Jeff (1979) Performance Art Volumes 1&2, Calder Books: London
Books
John A. Walker, John Latham: The incidental person - his art and ideas (London: Middlesex University Press, 1995
Guy Brett, Exploding Galaxies: The Art of David Medalla, London: Kala Press, 1995
Glew, Adrian and Hendricks, Jon. `Fluxbritannica: Aspects of the Fluxus Movement, 1962-73'. Broadsheet, Tate Gallery, 19 March-19 June 1994.
Guy Brett, Exploding Galaxies: The Art of David Medalla, London: Kala Press, 1995
Glew, Adrian and Hendricks, Jon. `Fluxbritannica: Aspects of the Fluxus Movement, 1962-73'. Broadsheet, Tate Gallery, 19 March-19 June 1994.
about Better Books
Fountain, Nigel: Underground: the London alternative press 1966-1974, Taylor&Francis, 1988
Better Books Writers' Nights
'sTigma' sculptural environment, 1965 (p.14), Jeff Nuttall, J.J. Lebel, John Latham
Early history of Better Books in Time Out, 12 April 1974
Better Books Writers' Nights
'sTigma' sculptural environment, 1965 (p.14), Jeff Nuttall, J.J. Lebel, John Latham
Early history of Better Books in Time Out, 12 April 1974
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