In the spring of 2003, Liminal organized Fluxconcert PDX, the first Fluxus event of its kind in Portland, Oregon. The evening consisted of several short performances executed by Portland artists from seminal classic Fluxus scores and several entirely new Fluxus scores conceived for the event.

As the self-professed Fluxus Chairman George Maciunas often noted, Fluxus is a way of life. It is not art, but a kind of anti-art—the concrete world presented as nonproductive events and objects. In Fluxus, social aims often take precedence over aesthetic ones. Fluxus upsets the routine of art and life. Fluxus is not a high form of art, but rather, “good, inventive gags.” Other Fluxus artists would not necessarily agree with Maciunas’ description, but there is a Zen-like ambiguity in his words that hits squarely at the Fluxus mystique. Indeed, such open-ended and differing interpretations make Fluxus unique in contemporary art movements. Fluxus is what you make of it.

While Fluxus finds its namesake in the early 1960s when Maciunas coined the term, the idea of Fluxus transcends specific time frames, groups or people. Yet, it is historically appropriate to note that a particular community of artists did come together to pursue parallel interests and ideas that are indicative of the energy and playful anarchy generally associated with Fluxus from the late 1950s forward. Their inspiration came from a number of antecedents and sources—Dada, Futurism, Surrealism, Duchamp, Klein and Cage immediately come to mind. Despite these connections, artists engaged in Fluxus activites often resist calling it a movement. Rather, Fluxus provides a context for understanding a kind of iconoclastic creativity where simple elements, when combined, express complex ideas.

Concert Plan

Dick Higgins' "A Child's History of Fluxus"

News Release

Objects and installations

Fluxicons by Linda Miles (for sale in the bar)

Fluxboxes by Bryan Markovitz, Kelley Bryant, John Berendzen, Christoph Saxe and James Moore (auctioned nightly)

Drip Music by George Brecht (prepared by John Berendzen)

Caller ID by damali ayo and James Moore

Chair Piece for George Brecht by Alison Knowles (prepared by Dr. Saxe)

Piece for Bartender by Georgia Luce (at the bar)

Dim Sum by Amanda Dahlquist (for sale throughout the space)

Events and author; Presenter

For La Monte Young by Emmett Williams; Trent Moore

Explaining Fluxus by Ken Friedman; Llewyn and Lisa (2 Gyrlz)

Symphony #4 by George Brecht; John Berendzen

Blind Date by Bryan Markovitz; Bill Bush and Bryan Markovitz

Alphabetical Order Variation by Anthony Alvarez; Anthohy Alvarez and Linda Miles

Zyklus by Thomas Schmit; Leslie Goodwin

Hey John For John by Jason Eksuzian; Jason Eksuzian

Audience Piece #10 by Ben Vautier; Jason Eksuzian

Laundry Piece by Yoko Ono; Christoph Saxe

Lessons by Davi Det Hompson; damali ayo

#403 by Bob Lens; damali ayo

Danger Music #15 by Dick Higgins; Kelley Bryant

Duet for Unwrap and Rap by Bryan Markovitz; Bryan Markovitz

Telephone by Ben Vautier; Jason Eksuzian

In Memoriam to Adriano Olivetti by George Maciunas; Georgia Luce, Madeleine Sanford, Patrick Wohlmut, John Berendzen, Carolyn Monroe, Bryan Markovitz

South #2 by Takehisa Kosugi; James Moore

Wounded Furniture by Alison Knowles; Linda Miles and damali ayo

Monochrome for Yves Klein by Ben Vautier; Jason Eksuzian

Audience Participation Only by Jacob Roemer Adams; Kelley Bryant

Drip Music, Fluxversion 1 by George Brecht; John Berendzen

Homage to Christo by Ken Friedman; Leslie Goodwin

Cut Piece by Yoko Ono; damali ayo

Duet for Performer and Audience by Emmett Williams; James Moore

Emotional Duet by Emmett WIlliams ; James Moore and John Berendzen

Shadow Piece #3 by Meiko Shiomi; Christoph Saxe and several others

Haircut by Kelley Bryant; Kelley Bryant

Revisionist History #1 by Linda Miles; Linda Miles

Audience Variation #1 by Ben Vautier; Bryan Markovitz and several others

Unfinished Symphony by Ken Friedman; Anthony Alvarez

Wonderbread 180 by Linda Miles; Linda Miles

Empaquetage pour Christo by Ken Friedman; Leslie Goodwin

Choice #1 by Robert Bozzi; Anthony Alvarez

Wall Piece for Orchestra by Yoko Ono; Everyone