Ay-O | Fingerbox

Ay-O

Fingerbox

New York City, USA: Fluxus, c1964

10.2 × 45.7 × 30.5 cm.

Edition size unknown

A black vinyl attache case containing fifteen wood finger boxes, each 8.2 x 8.2 x 8.2 cm. The case features three labels designed by George Maciunas. 

Each box includes a circular hole into it, lined with a rubber membrane so that the viewer can insert a finger to feel the contents inside. 

The below list of contents is from a variation of the work (in the 1977 FluxCabinet) but gives a sense of the type of items found inside the fingerboxes: vaseline, water, rubber, foam, bristle brushes, bells, rice, beads, feather, etc. Other contents may include the smooth interior of a glass tube, a piece of stone, coins, sugar, salt, rubber balls, and so on. 

Maciunas described the work in a letter as including items ranging from "nylon stockings, feathers or even thumb tacks – are you willing to take the risk?”