Steve Lauf posted a kind note about me the other day. Got a couple of
notes afterward asking if I am the same Ken Friedman who has been
active in Fluxus.
The answer is, yes.
Anyone who would like to have a free copy of my book, 52 Events, is
welcome to download the electronic edition.
A brief description appears below. This was a review published last
month in Scotland's major newspaper, Scotland on Sunday.
To get a free copy of the book, go to URL:
http://www.heartfineart.com/Images/Friedman.html
Best regards,
Ken Friedman
--
52 events
Ken Friedman
REVIEW BY sb kelly
Show and Tell Editions, £25
Scotland on Sunday
January 27, 2002
lllll
THIS book was initially due to appear in Spring 1967, designed by
George Maciunas, founder of the Fluxus art movement. Maciunas's
untimely death meant the project was effectively mothballed, although
it toured as a series of exhibitions during the 1970s. It is
therefore a pleasure to possess, 35 years after its conception, Ken
Friedman's 52 Events. The book at last exists, and in three formats:
as a desk diary, beautifully designed by Paul Robertson; as a free
internet version (http://www.heartfineart.com/Images/Friedman.html);
and as a £195 deluxe edition in a hand-crafted box, painted by the
artist and containing various artefacts required to stage the Events.
Fluxus, whose membership famously included Yoko Ono, can be seen in
retrospect as one of the key postwar art movements; a continuation of
Surrealism and Dadaism, and the launching pad for Conceptual,
Installation and Anarcho-dandyist Art. Indeed, Turner Prize-winner
Martin Creed's work is barely conceivable outside of the Fluxus
perspective; and Tate Modern are currently showing an exhibition of
Friedman's work. The pieces of the Fluxus Group were minimal,
provocative and witty - famously described as "Zen Vaudeville" - and
were preserved as 'scores' that could be re-enacted by others. Most
importantly, Fluxus spanned Europe, America and Asia; drawing on
traditions as diverse as Norse Sagas and Japanese Noh-plays. That
very internationalism goes some way towards explaining the endurance
of this genre of avant-garde art. Perhaps the best way to illustrate
Fluxus is in their own words, with two of Friedman's Events. "Flow
System: Anyone may send an object or a work of any kind to the
exhibition. Everything received is displayed. Any visitor to the
exhibition may take away an object or work." "Deck: Collect playing
cards found in the street until a complete deck of found cards is
assembled."
Fluxus was, as these examples show, a two-pronged attack; a debunking
of the spaces where art is displayed, and a celebration of the
possibilities of normal locations. If you could put urinals into
galleries, conversely you could find art in the street. Whereas the
Situationists, almost exact contemporaries, were railing against
everyday life, Fluxus wanted to turn the everyday into an ongoing
art-work. Of course, one might level the accusation that it's all
rather self-indulgent. Nonetheless, I tried one of the events
(sending a postcard a day to a friend, with just one letter on it,
until it spelt a phrase; then receiving a reply in like fashion) and
the effect was weirdly charming. There is a certain innocence in the
sense of participation. Actually following the suggestions each week
may be impractical, but I would strongly advise any reader to try one
or two.
Although with some of the other Fluxus artists, such as Ay-O or Ben
Vautier, the mischief teeters over into cruelty - audiences locked in
theatres - the overwhelming feel of Friedman's 52 Events is a gentle
melancholy. The notes offer not only some valuable insights into the
history of the movement, but a delightful sketch of his genuine
bewilderment about the separation of 'art' and 'life', musings on
publishing, and personal explication of the meaning of the works.
Robertson's typography for the diary is beguiling; a non-linear ebb
and flow of days, rather than the strict and regimentalised schedule.
My only regret about the book is that it doesn't include one of my
favourite Events from the previous "30 Events" exhibition: "Explain
Fluxus in five minutes or less, using a few simple props." Shoes,
ice-cubes and telephones would be my choice. I look forward to the
diary for 2003.
--
Heart Fine Art Web site
http://www.heartfineart.com/
--
Scotland on Sunday Web site
http://news.scotsman.com/
--
notes afterward asking if I am the same Ken Friedman who has been
active in Fluxus.
The answer is, yes.
Anyone who would like to have a free copy of my book, 52 Events, is
welcome to download the electronic edition.
A brief description appears below. This was a review published last
month in Scotland's major newspaper, Scotland on Sunday.
To get a free copy of the book, go to URL:
http://www.heartfineart.com/Images/Friedman.html
Best regards,
Ken Friedman
--
52 events
Ken Friedman
REVIEW BY sb kelly
Show and Tell Editions, £25
Scotland on Sunday
January 27, 2002
lllll
THIS book was initially due to appear in Spring 1967, designed by
George Maciunas, founder of the Fluxus art movement. Maciunas's
untimely death meant the project was effectively mothballed, although
it toured as a series of exhibitions during the 1970s. It is
therefore a pleasure to possess, 35 years after its conception, Ken
Friedman's 52 Events. The book at last exists, and in three formats:
as a desk diary, beautifully designed by Paul Robertson; as a free
internet version (http://www.heartfineart.com/Images/Friedman.html);
and as a £195 deluxe edition in a hand-crafted box, painted by the
artist and containing various artefacts required to stage the Events.
Fluxus, whose membership famously included Yoko Ono, can be seen in
retrospect as one of the key postwar art movements; a continuation of
Surrealism and Dadaism, and the launching pad for Conceptual,
Installation and Anarcho-dandyist Art. Indeed, Turner Prize-winner
Martin Creed's work is barely conceivable outside of the Fluxus
perspective; and Tate Modern are currently showing an exhibition of
Friedman's work. The pieces of the Fluxus Group were minimal,
provocative and witty - famously described as "Zen Vaudeville" - and
were preserved as 'scores' that could be re-enacted by others. Most
importantly, Fluxus spanned Europe, America and Asia; drawing on
traditions as diverse as Norse Sagas and Japanese Noh-plays. That
very internationalism goes some way towards explaining the endurance
of this genre of avant-garde art. Perhaps the best way to illustrate
Fluxus is in their own words, with two of Friedman's Events. "Flow
System: Anyone may send an object or a work of any kind to the
exhibition. Everything received is displayed. Any visitor to the
exhibition may take away an object or work." "Deck: Collect playing
cards found in the street until a complete deck of found cards is
assembled."
Fluxus was, as these examples show, a two-pronged attack; a debunking
of the spaces where art is displayed, and a celebration of the
possibilities of normal locations. If you could put urinals into
galleries, conversely you could find art in the street. Whereas the
Situationists, almost exact contemporaries, were railing against
everyday life, Fluxus wanted to turn the everyday into an ongoing
art-work. Of course, one might level the accusation that it's all
rather self-indulgent. Nonetheless, I tried one of the events
(sending a postcard a day to a friend, with just one letter on it,
until it spelt a phrase; then receiving a reply in like fashion) and
the effect was weirdly charming. There is a certain innocence in the
sense of participation. Actually following the suggestions each week
may be impractical, but I would strongly advise any reader to try one
or two.
Although with some of the other Fluxus artists, such as Ay-O or Ben
Vautier, the mischief teeters over into cruelty - audiences locked in
theatres - the overwhelming feel of Friedman's 52 Events is a gentle
melancholy. The notes offer not only some valuable insights into the
history of the movement, but a delightful sketch of his genuine
bewilderment about the separation of 'art' and 'life', musings on
publishing, and personal explication of the meaning of the works.
Robertson's typography for the diary is beguiling; a non-linear ebb
and flow of days, rather than the strict and regimentalised schedule.
My only regret about the book is that it doesn't include one of my
favourite Events from the previous "30 Events" exhibition: "Explain
Fluxus in five minutes or less, using a few simple props." Shoes,
ice-cubes and telephones would be my choice. I look forward to the
diary for 2003.
--
Heart Fine Art Web site
http://www.heartfineart.com/
--
Scotland on Sunday Web site
http://news.scotsman.com/
--