Fluxshoe

[Various artists]

Fluxshoe

Devon, UK: Beau Geste Press, 1972

144 pp., 29 x 21 cm., softcover

Edition size unknown

Edited by David Mayor and Felipe and Martha Ehrenberg, the title is an exhibition catalogue for the travelling show of the same name, organized by Mayor, Felipe Ehrenberg, and Terry Wright. 

Alongside contributions by key Fluxus members like Eric Andersen, Ay-O,  Joseph Beuys, George Brecht, Giuseppe Chiari, Ken Friedman, Dick Higgins, Joe Jones,  Robert Filliou, Milan Knizak, Yoko Ono, George Maciunas, Takako Saito, Mieko Shiomi, Ben Vautier, and Wolf Vostell, are “fluxlike” artists from the disciplines of sound poetry (Henri Chopin), performance art (Carolee Schneemann, a pre-Throbbing Gristle Genesis P. Orridge), art activism (Guerilla Art Action Group), conceptual art (Endre Tot, Jochen Gerz, Tom Marioni), etc. etc. 

Lesser known artists such as Ian Breakwell, Marc Chaimowicz, Robin Crozier, Mario Diacono,  Klaus Groh, Dora Maurer, Opal L Nations, Janos Urban and others suggest an agenda to try to expand the parameters of Fluxus, and pave the way for a second generation in take up the mantle. 

"I performed a George Brecht piece entitled 'Durations Red & Green'.  This involved eating a green salad and drinking a bottle of red wine while a red and green spot light revolved on me. The performance ended when the salad was eaten and the wine drunk!!

In fact Brecht's score provides no further instruction than the words "red" and "green." It is up to the performer to interpret those instructions. In 1972, Takehisa Kosugi performed "Two Durations" by eating a green salad and drinking red wine. The spirit of Fluxus commands that "anyone can and probably should perform events at will and often" and so Takehisa passed the piece to me to perform.”

- Stuart Reid