Received: Fluxus word mail-art and performance score from Ruud Janssen (Breda, Netherlands)

[De Villo Sloan]

October 22 - Ruud Janssen has released a new mail-art series featuring Fluxus words on hand-painted envelopes. You can see other examples here at the IUOMA and elsewhere on mail-art blogs. These captured my interest as soon as they appeared because the creation of Fluxus words seemed to be such an intriguing process. Only I had no idea how they were created, what they meant, or how they were to be used. These questions were answered when I (carefully) opened the envelope and found among its contents a Fluxus performance score:

(Apologies: I just couldn't get this to scan straight.) A number of us at IUOMA, I'd have to call it, fool around with the idea of performance as it relates to mail-art. Ruud Janssen's "Fluxus Words" are part of a performance related project that has been going on for some time. Those at all familiar with Fluxus know the performance score is part of a tradition (?) genre (?) (although always in flux), going back decades and providing one of the points of continuity between the "old" Fluxus and the new. The performance scores I have seen tend to be, like Ruud's piece, very minimal - although there are also far more complex examples, especially when you cross over to musical compositions. This provides some tremendous advantages for the creator and the participants. Someone interested in creating a performance doesn't have to deal with the complex task of elaborate scripting and directions. Some I've seen use found language that in some way suggests an activity. This kind of score provides tremendous interpretive leeway for the "performers" and "audience" - put in quotes here because, of course, these traditional boundaries are usually eradicated in this medium. In some cases, the audience members simply are the performers and must decide what to do with the performance score. The various permutations and possibilities are limited only by our imaginations. (If you're interested in creating a performance score that might be produced and definitely will be shown and documented - see Jim Leftwich's event listing on the IUOMA board.) More about Fluxus words and a growing list can be found on Ruud Janssen's excellent blog:

http://www.fluxuswords.blogspot.com

Create your own Fluxus word and participate in this very interesting project!

My interpretation of Fluxus words is that they can be interjected into our everyday usage and become part of our shared language. People might eventually develop other uses for them too. I was thinking of Jackson Mac Low's poetry - akin to music by John Cage - that relies so much on chance operation word systems. Using the idea, I composed some bits of verse for IUOMA friends using Fluxus words - not meant for submission in the literary arena but only for some fun strictly among friends:

CHUP (NY School one-liner for Bifidus Jones)

Feop wuz sloj, seka.

(Bifidus - we have ascemic poetry, haptic poetry - there must be some precedent for invented or artificial languages - I'll check, but have you heard of this?)

MOI (haiku for Erni Bar)

Moi lefi pola

opsir fu. Moi kefi psun.

moi pola! Woisoh?

NOJ (Aram Saroyan variation for Marie Wintzer)

noj

flo

flo

SOO? (Olson variation for Jen Staggs)

Soo pelo. Soo lojo. Soo mulit. Soo undeming art.

This is just some experimenting, plugging into convenient forms and using randomness more than anything. I think the ultimate idea is to give definitions to the words, which might mean a Fluxus Lexicon. The point, I think, is to use them too. And to put the words together, is there a need for a Fluxus syntax? Fluxus seems to have created its own versions of a variety of things in life and art, so why not a Fluxus language? Just fascinating stuff to me.

Wonderful mail-art correspondence - many thanks.

[Ruud Janssen]

We have the Fluxus Codex in our collection of the Fluxus Heidelberg Center.

[Marie Wintzer]

And there I was, googling "Fluxus dictionary", tsss.....

[cheryl penn]

More tea?

[Ruud Janssen]

Well, one of John Cage's books was titled "SILENCE". So maybe he sometimes even enjoyed that.

[Ruud Janssen]

The ICOAMP was there for the cows since the mad people decided to kill any cow that had a signal of "Rinderwahn".

[Ruud Janssen]

Another organisation (result of another Fluxus Word) that isn't well know yet. The Mad Cow Illness from years ago.....

[De Villo Sloan]

Thanks posters - your comments always illuminate (in many ways). I think Ruud Janssen deserves something like 3X kudos for accomplishing so much in one piece of mail-art.

Marie - haiku was the top choice for both you and Erni, but writing even one was exhausting - like counting loose change. So, what is that saying? Age over wisdom, or something? Minimalpo is some kind of grafting of haiku into the western tradition, I think.

Erni - Like I don't know Fripp and Eno? Pleez.. John Cage is great, but do you think I listen to CDs of water dripping through broken teacups for three hours in real life? (wow, I immediately regret dissing the great JC in any way, statement retracted)

Ruud - it took some time to sink in, but I didn't know: IUOMA was the first Fluxus word. It is certainly a part of my vocabulary. Excellent. And I can't thank you enough, as always.

[Marie Wintzer]

Amazing post again Sloan. Love my minimalistic Aram Saroyan fluxus poem, thank you! Just now I checked out a website with Aram Saroyan's short poems and it's incredible stuff.
Damn, I can't come up with a single fluxus word....

[Ruud Janssen]

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Fluxible

[De Villo Sloan]

Erni - wonderful haiku - and so many people have done interesting things with the form. I think most everything is "fluxible" and fair game. The European research crew scores again.

Ruud - honored to contribute to your blog - pleased that IUOMA membership might offer the option of counseling services, should they be needed by some of us