Mieko Shiomi | Spatial Poem No. 3

Mieko Shiomi

Spatial Poem No. 3: A Fluxcalender

New York City, USA: Fluxus, 1968

18.5 x 12.6 x 2.5 cm 

Loose printed sheets, leather, metal bolts

The third of five Spatial Poems by Shiomi published by Fluxus (a planned boxed version of all of them never materialized), A Fluxcalender [sic] was designed by George Maciunas as a bookwork and wall calendar. As with all of her Spatial Poems, Shiomi solicited contributions from around the globe, in this instance on the subject of falling. "The phenomenon of a fall is actually a segment of a movement toward the centre of the earth. This very moment countless objects are falling. Let's take part in this centripetal event," she wrote in her invitation. Examples of the responses include:

"July 12, On entering the subway Philip Kaplan dropped his token in the machine. At the same time a bead of perspiration left his beard. They disappeared in three different directions."

"August 17, 1:10 pm, Stanley Brouwn picked up a clod of earth at point A, then walked to point B and dropped it. Amsterdam."

Maciunas conceived the eventual design as a calendar, with the pages continuing falling to the floor. A boxed version of the piece also exists.