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Included in Learn set/collection.
A basic kit to make a Fluxus festival. A workshop proposition for a historical overview of this artistic movement. Possible Fluxconcert.
Preparation
Print out the event scores from a provided selection and cut them out.
Fluxus event scores set (47 pieces for up to 15 players).
For best results, have these items available:
- box of matches, cigarette;
- 13 balloons, thick string/thin rope, soap, hat;
- sheets of paper, markers, eraser, envelope;
- semi-disposable instruments (toy quality is ok): bell, whistle, violin;
- natural straws, soil, bottle of water, plastic cup;
- 13 hard-boiled eggs, chive, metal bowl, knife.
See Item selection note at the bottom for details.
Setup
Deal three random event scores to every participant.
Gameplay instructions
Phase 1 (5 minutes) Everyone:
- read your cards,
- prepare to perform one of your instructions (including: talk others into performing it with you).
Then: the 1st round of performances, for everyone who got ready on time (duration impossible to estimate, at facilitator's discretion).
Phase 2 If you didn't perform yet:
- exchange your score with someone else who didn't perform,
- prepare one of your instructions to be performed (including: talk others into performing it instead of you).
Then: the 2nd round of performances.
Phase 3 If you didn't perform still:
Draw a new set of three scores and choose one. This time, if it's not performed, present it's instruction to the whole group (usually read, pass or display). After the presentation, anyone in the group may proceed to perform, or the performance is skipped.
Game end
For the final round give three or more time-spots for participants to propose performances of their own in the style of Fluxus events.
Gamemaster's notes
In the print-out, the scores are numbered. To access the single score directly (for example for display) you can use a link:
musicgames.wikidot.com/sub:flux-[score number, 2 digits], for example
http://musicgames.wikidot.com/sub:flux-01.
If you want to include historical remarks in the workshop context, the best for this is the second phase, when scores will be presented to the whole group. You can provide information while encouraging to perform. Generally as for encouragement the activity is based on a "dare" mechanic and the activity is aimed at youth/young adults as workshop participants.
About the chosen set
Regarding the specific selection of scores there are considerations as for it's representativeness — the event scores in the set are rather:
- performable and musically influenced (not purely conceptual or absurdist) — half of the scores are themself simple "music games",
- not-too-edgy (no eroticism, flux-14 has associations though; only "soft" Danger music like flux-18),
- with a bias towards the 60's for the most "historical" examples (tending a bit towards "celebrity" pioneers, against Fluxus ideals of semi-anonimity…)
- max. 3 from a single author (not proportional as for productivity or prominence),
- simple (max. 5 phases and most often just one phase),
- efficient in using the props (see below).
Item selection
If you can't provide some of the items from the list, you will need to adjust the set of event scores.
The table below shows the "least useful" items to help you with the selection.
| item | where needed | remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 13 eggs | flux-44 | without #44, 3 eggs will be enough |
| cigarette | flux-06 | it will not be lit, only dropped on the floor |
| chive | flux-23 | can be replaced with other ingredient to join eggs in a salad |
| eraser | flux-06 | dropped, not necessary for erasing |
| hat | flux-06 | optional for flux-14 |
| soil | flux-29 | you might get mud from outside |
| whistle | flux-03 | might be replaced by another semi-disposable "wind instrument" |
A challenging, but important violin is used in: flux-02 (here it's safe), flux-07, flux-37.
There is a need for unlisted equipment often present during art workshops: chairs to sit and elevate, a microphone (flux-28) and a keyboard instrument (flux-14), chimes are a passing replacement.
Try to leave a possibility of using fire or water — there is a strong connection here. Metal bowl will make using fire safer and you may add painting foil to your list if you need to protect surface from water.
Cup (wooden? metal? plastic?) will replace a "glass" which appears in scores, so you avoid shards.
String/rope is used flux-33 and flux-37 but you may need it also for sealing baloons (depending on their type).
Because of props considerations, two scores were simplified with an elipse […]. Flux-44 was originally with helium filled balloons, and flux-20 was set in a bathtub.
Sources
The scores were taken from Friedman, Smith, and Sawchyn 2002. The copyright notice is nicely liberal, but might be important for your usage (p. 117):
The works in The FluxusPerformanceWorkbook are copyright by Fluxus and by the individual artists. Dates indicate the year of publication and copyright. All rights are reserved. Work may be reproduced and performed provided that credit is given to the artists and to Fluxus. Any program or presentation of these works in live or broadcast performance or in reproduction must be identified as a 'Fluxconcert' when Fluxus events are more than 50% of the programme.
Designer/composer/disclaimer
The (semi-anonymous) author of the proposition above is not part of Fluxus and the activity is not recognized by any of Fluxus past or current members or associates.
Editor's notes
The subpages for individual Fluxus scores may be filled with additional information and media about the activity and its performances.
Photo used for decoration: fluxus by Samuel Huron, CC BY-NC-ND
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