Fluxus 1
Fluxus 1 is an unconventional book designed and conceptualized by George Maciunas in collaboration with over fifteen other artists associated with Fluxus, an international network founded in 1961–62. Each artist is represented by one or more pages on which they printed their specific contribution, including essays, short stories, photographs, pieces of origami, scores, puzzles, games, concrete poetry, drawings, loops of typewriter ribbon, documentation of earlier performances, and other miscellany. Viewers are meant to engage actively with the contents of the book, which are variously conceptual, absurd, funny, and abstract in nature. Fluxus 1 exemplifies many of the founding principles of Fluxus—from collaboration, viewer participation, and de-skilling to inter-disciplanarity, everyday life, and unconventional systems of distribution. It is the first of approximately seven "yearboxes" or collective anthologies that Maciunas planned to release (only two were actually published). From the very beginning, editions and multiples played a central role in Fluxus activity. While some were created by single artists, most were produced collaboratively, such as Fluxus 1. In order to reach as wide and diverse an audience, such works prioritized portability and affordability. The box created to house Fluxus 1, for instance, doubled as a mailing carton.
Artwork Details
- Title: Fluxus 1
- Designer: George Maciunas (American, born Lithuania, 1931–1978)
- Artist: George Brecht (American, New York 1926–2008 Cologne)
- Artist: Dick Higgins (American, born Cambridge, United Kingdom 1938–1998 Quebec)
- Artist: Joe Jones (American, 1909–1963)
- Artist: Alison Knowles (American, born New York 1933)
- Artist: György Sándor Ligeti (Austrian, Târnăveni, Romania 1923–2006 Vienna)
- Artist: George Maciunas (American, born Lithuania, 1931–1978)
- Artist: Jackson Mac Low (American, Chicago, Illinois 1922–2004 New York)
- Artist: Benjamin Patterson (American, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1934–2016 Wiesbaden)
- Artist: Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi (Japanese, born 1938)
- Artist: Ben Vautier (French, Naples 1935–2024 Nice)
- Artist: Robert Watts (American, Burlington, Iowa 1923–1988 Martins Creek, Pennsylvania)
- Artist: Emmett Williams (American, Greenville, South Carolina 1925–2007 Berlin, Germany)
- Artist: La Monte Young (American, born 1935)
- Artist: Ay-O (Japanese, born Tamatsukuri, Ibaraki 1931)
- Artist: Takehiso Kosugi (Japanese, Tokyo 1938–2018 Ashiya City)
- Artist: Philip Corner (American, born New York 1933)
- Date: 1964
- Medium: Artist book of offset and stamped ink, containing objects in various media, stab-bound by metal bolts, with a wood box slipcase
- Dimensions: Book: 7 1/2 × 8 1/4 × 2 3/16 in. (19.1 × 21 × 5.6 cm)
Box: 8 3/4 × 9 1/2 × 2 1/4 in. (22.2 × 24.1 × 5.7 cm) - Classification: Books
- Credit Line: Gift of Jacqueline Loewe Fowler, 2020
- Object Number: 2021.54.31a, b
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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