Larry Miller | Orifice Flux Plugs

Larry Miller

Orifice Flux Plugs

New York City, USA: Fluxus, 1974

9.125 × 13.125 × 2.9"

Edition size unknown

Later re-issued as a Reflux edition in both the original size and the smaller seven-compartment box (bottom three images) Miller's Orifice Flux Plugs were first advertised in a May 1975 Fluxus newsletter as "containing various plugs to plug human orifices such as ear plug, ear wax, earphone, rectal medicine, enema syringe, nose drops, cotton balls, eye drops, pacifyer [sic], cigar, mouth ball, whistle, glass eye, bullet, plaster finger, etc..."

No two copies were identical, and other items included a crayon, a toy statue of the empire state building (things kids might insert into their nose?), a condom, a tampon, a Vics nasal inhaler, a lightbulb, a cork, and a baby soother from a gag shop in which the nipple had been replaced by a penis (see black and white image above, second compartment). 

The edition was initially offered for the high price of $100, making it one of the more expensive of the plastic boxed Fluxus editions. I recently bought the later, smaller Reflux version directly from the artist, for $300.00 (which I consider a steal, as it's one of my all time favourites). Having previously had trouble sending them across the border in the mail (likely due to the inclusion of the bullet), the artist held onto a copy (his last) for me until I was next able to visit NYC in person.