John Chick | Flux Food

John Chick

Flux Food

New York City, USA: Fluxus, 1969

10 x 12 x 1.3 cm.

Edition size unknown

The third variation on Chick's Flux Food is a plastic box with offset label, containing eleven commercial food labels. It is pictured in Jon Hendrick's Fluxus Codex as part of the Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus collection, which is now housed at the Museum of Modern Art. I have not seen a similar version elsewhere. 

The other versions of the work included synthetic food (styrofoam cubes and tubes) or 'forest foods' (pine needles, acorns, etc.). Many examples included some of each. 

John Chick | Flux Food

John Chick
Flux Food
New York City, USA: Fluxus, 1969
10 x 12 x 1.3 cm.
Edition size unknown

A variation on the more common John Chick Fluxkit (see post here) which includes either "forest found objects or synthetic food-like objects" (as they were advertised in a March 1969 Fluxus newsletter). This version, in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, contains eleven commercial food labels.

Whereas the other Flux Food kits are typically (but not exclusively) made using clear plastic boxes, this version is white. Both contain the same George Maciunas designed label.

John Chick | Flux Food

John Chick
Flux Food
New York City, USA: Fluxus, 1969
9 x 12 x 2.7 cm.
Edition size unknown

Flux Food is the only work by Chick published by Fluxus, according to Jon Hendricks' exhaustive Fluxus Codex. The work is advertised in a March 1969 Fluxus newsletter as containing "forest found objects or synthetic food-like objects". Both seemed to vary wildly, with the forest objects including
acorns, pinecones, birch bark, seed pods, lichen, pine needles and fungus.

The synthetic materials include styrofoam cubes, green Styrofoam noodles, blue plastic tubes, and cardboard cylinders. Sometimes Maciunas would combine the two. He also designed at least four different labels for the work, though it appears that only two were used.