Art is often a bastard, the parents of which we do not know

Durey, J. (2011) Art is often a bastard, the parents of which we do not know. IM: Interactive Media, 6 .

Abstract

Whilst positioning my research within the area of Performance Studies and, more particularly, my installation praxis within the broader area of contemporary art, I am reminded of the creative ‘freedoms’ I now take for granted as an arts practitioner in the 21st Century. In this paper, I reflect on the radical avant-garde arts collective known as the Fluxus ‘laboratory’ which emerged across Europe, America and Japan during the 1950s and 60s. These artists questioned the rational, progressive and utopian ideas supporting modernism. They welcomed process and chance and rejected notions of ‘truth’ and arrival. Many early Fluxus works are now famous through documentation. Their modes of production and presentation no longer arrest us nor necessarily point us in the direction of new thought. Many of the radical influences then, have now become main-stream although, in the spirit of Fluxus, ‘intermedia’, multimedia, and technological innovation in the arts is still strong. Social critique through art is alive as many artists directly engage with local, global political concerns, through their work. The ‘attitude’ of Fluxus is healthy as many practitioners ‘push the envelope’ and challenge the status quo.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Publisher:	National Academy of Screen and Sound
Copyright:	© IM/NASS 2010
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/64450

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