The Collection Problem
The Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection is probably the largest collection of historical Fluxus objects in the world today. While it is hard to overstate the importance of preserving the history of Fluxus, collections like those of the Silverman’s present a double-edged sword. While protecting the Fluxus heritage, collectors and curators also have a vested interest in killing Fluxus and keeping it dead. If no new Fluxus objects can be created or accepted as legitimate Fluxus, then the value of the collection, especially the financial value, increases.When the financial incentives to keeping Fluxus dead are added to the personality cult around George Maciunas maintained by the collectors and friends of Maciunas, like Jon Hendricks, who curates the collection, it presents a barrier to acceptance of current Fluxus personalities.
The barrier is artificial and is not very difficult to breach though. On a purely practical basis Fluxus was never dogmatic enough to hold onto a single, uniformly accepted identity. Also, there is no way to stop artists from continuing to work in the Fluxus form and from calling themselves and their work "Fluxus". So despite the efforts of collectors and a few historians with vested interests, Fluxus continues to live and thrive more than forty years after its inception.
one comment:
This “collecion problem” is a fascinating text. Couldn’t agree with you more that the historicans want to close certain parts in art and do it do make it all managable.
The word FLUX itself has too a long history. While studying Physics I learned just one concept, the state of Flux, to measure the fLUS-MOMENT, etc. The FLUXUS movement iself proves to be very alive and kicking. What the older generations realize is that newer generations take over. Also in the world of historians. They will change things right and do history justice. (and so will the next generation, etc.)
Ruud
Ruud Janssen () (URL) - 18 04 05 - 21:46
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