Radio Fluxus: Stories from the Fluxus Archives

The sound installation When Elephants Fight, It Is The Frogs That Suffer – A Sonic Graffiti was conceived by Ben Patterson specifically for documenta 14, which took place in 2017 in Athens and Kassel. Development of the work was disrupted by the artist’s sudden death in June 2016 and was undertaken again by the artist’s estate in collaboration with Nassauischer Kunstverein Wiesbaden (NKW) and Berlin-based composer Bernd Schultheis. In this episode, Elke Gruhn—art historian, former director of the Nassauischer Kunstverein Wiesbaden, and longtime friend of Patterson—recounts the story of realizing the work in Patterson's absence, revealing details of gathering and arranging the components of the sound piece and translating the artist’s instructions into site-specific installations mounted in Athens and Kassel. Gruhn reflects on the challenges related to unavoidable speculation on the artist’s intention, technical difficulties presented by the two distinct sites of documenta 14, and the subsequent inclusion of the work in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
More information about the episode, the piece and the guest is available ⁠on the episode's ⁠website.

This episode explores Philip Corner’s iconic work Piano Activities, starting with its controversial 1962 premiere at the Wiesbaden festival. Our guest, artist Sean Miller, narrates his experience interpreting Corner’s latest version of the score, titled Piano Aktivitys as a Disciplind Destruktshun (2022), which he orchestrated and performed in 2024 in Gainesville, Florida as part of the “Fluxus in the Swamp” exhibition. Miller reflects on the 62-year evolution of Piano Activities, from its destructive beginnings to Corner's evolved concept of “piano activity destined for transformation” that converts discarded pianos into precious art objects and sculptures. Exploring the challenges and uncertainties of balancing respect for the original work with creative interpretation and artistic freedom, Miller shares insights into what it takes to perform a historical Fluxus piece nowadays. More information about the work, the artist and the narrator is available on the episode's website.

The concept of switching motors between a fan and a clock was conceived by American intermedia artist Larry Miller around 1973-74. He shared the concept/score of “Very Fast Clock and Very Slow Fan” with Fluxus producer and publisher George Maciunas, who created around 1975 a version specifically for the house of collector Jean Brown. In this episode of Radio Fluxus conservator, researcher, and writer Rachel Rivenc examines the Miller/Maciunas version of the work acquired by the Getty Research Institute archives as part of the study collection Jean Brown papers 1916-1995. The story guides the audience through the process of discovering, researching, and preparing the work for the exhibition “Fluxus Means Change: Jean Brown's Avant-Garde Archive” at the GRI Gallery. More information about the episode, the piece, the artists and the guest is available on the episode's website.

Alison Knowles's Performance Piece #8 (Summer 1965) exists as a language-based proposition published in the first Great Beat Pamphlet (New York: Something Else Press, 1965). It also exists as a "graphic performance" entitled The "T" Dictionary. “The Dictionary” was first made public in the book The Four Suits (New York: Something Else Press, 1965). The following year, it was featured in the exhibition "Intermedia" at the Something Else Gallery. In this episode, Alice Centamore takes us on a journey through this fascinating piece and its various instantiations. She also delves into diverse topics related to Knowles's artistic practice, as well as the history of Something Else Press and Gallery. More information about the episode, the piece and the guest is available on the episode's website.

Dream Piece (1976) is a performance by John Armleder, conceived and enacted within the expansive context of the Ecart Group, an artistic collective that thrived in Geneva during the 1970s. Ecart's approach to art bore a strong imprint of Fluxus influence, a fact made evident by the numerous characteristics that situated the group firmly within the broader Fluxus network. Ecart's headquarters in Geneva was multifunctional, serving as a gallery, a concert venue, a bookshop, a library, a publishing house, and a distribution centre for art by Ecart’s extended network. Furthermore, invested in experimenting with alternative models of distribution and dissemination, Ecart became a key node and facilitator in the international mail art network.

In this episode of Radio Fluxus, Yann Chateigné narrates his multifaceted interactions with Dream Piece, assuming roles as an art historian, curator, writer, and performer.

More information about the artist, our guest and the work is available on the episode's website

Disclaimer: Feathers and face paint hold significant spiritual and cultural importance in Native cultures, with their meaning varying based on tribal customs and personal interpretations. They are typically earned through honorable actions that bring honor to tribes and nations. We are aware that wearing a headdress reinforces stereotypes about Native peoples, appropriates their culture with little or no regard for their traditions. We decided, however, to publish these images as a documentary evidence of artistic practice, rather than a display of our believes.

This episode features Ludwig van Beethoven, Ich Liebe Dich, performed by Lotte Lehmann (sopran) and Erno Balogh (piano), recorded March 13, 1936 and 1/1 by Brian Eno, Rhett Davies, Robert Wyatt from album Ambient 1: Music for Airports (1978).