20 points
San Francisco Is Notorious by la flaneuse
September 19th, 2006 12:06 AM
New Brunswick Is Notorious? For Flux-Mass!
I recently stumbled across a reference to Fluxus while googling something about Rutgers University. Since I now often walk past Voorhees Chapel on the university's Douglass Campus, finding out about curious art happenings there piqued my interest.
I had never heard of Fluxus, but there was a book published in conjunction with a 2003 exhibit about Rutgers' involvement with the art movement--perfect for my purposes. I went to the Alexander Library to check out Critical Mass: Happenings, Fluxus, Performance, Intermedia and Rutgers University 1958-1972.
The notorious performance that intrigued me happened in Voorhees Chapel on February 17, 1970. George Maciunas orchestrated Flux-Mass using the Catholic mass structure as a starting point. But this mass would confound any Father.
Acolytes were dressed in gorilla costumes! Cookies baked with laxatives replaced communion wafers! Instead of chanting, the chapel filled with the sounds of "barking dogs and locomotives," bird calls and gun shots (pow!) and smoke bombs (boom!). An inflatable Superman bled wine!
In the book, Hannah Higgins wrote that a "parody mass" is apt yet today after revelations of widespread concealment of sexual abuse by priests, but "From the perspective of 2002....the Flux-Mass doesn't go far enough." Today it's doubtful that the art event would shock.
But in 1970, the satirical mass provoked the university's Episcopalian chaplain to officially complain of blasphemy. He also conjectured that the female students on the Douglass campus (which was part of a women's college within the university) could be " 'in the grip of a coven of witches.' "
The Catholic chaplain followed up by refusing to hold mass in the chapel for a year. Before those religious services returned to the nonsectarian facility, a rite of cleansing was performed in the chapel.
Tame by 2006 standards perhaps, but in the days of Vietnam war protests and Kent State, Flux-Mass was definitely unusual and to some, sinister indeed.
There was another Fluxus happening at Rutgers on a nearby campus that was quite a bit more notorious, but it creeps me out so I'll leave that to someone else to reveal.
Maybe I'll make Flux-Mass cards this winter holiday season, my first in these surrounds.....
I recently stumbled across a reference to Fluxus while googling something about Rutgers University. Since I now often walk past Voorhees Chapel on the university's Douglass Campus, finding out about curious art happenings there piqued my interest.
I had never heard of Fluxus, but there was a book published in conjunction with a 2003 exhibit about Rutgers' involvement with the art movement--perfect for my purposes. I went to the Alexander Library to check out Critical Mass: Happenings, Fluxus, Performance, Intermedia and Rutgers University 1958-1972.
The notorious performance that intrigued me happened in Voorhees Chapel on February 17, 1970. George Maciunas orchestrated Flux-Mass using the Catholic mass structure as a starting point. But this mass would confound any Father.
Acolytes were dressed in gorilla costumes! Cookies baked with laxatives replaced communion wafers! Instead of chanting, the chapel filled with the sounds of "barking dogs and locomotives," bird calls and gun shots (pow!) and smoke bombs (boom!). An inflatable Superman bled wine!
In the book, Hannah Higgins wrote that a "parody mass" is apt yet today after revelations of widespread concealment of sexual abuse by priests, but "From the perspective of 2002....the Flux-Mass doesn't go far enough." Today it's doubtful that the art event would shock.
But in 1970, the satirical mass provoked the university's Episcopalian chaplain to officially complain of blasphemy. He also conjectured that the female students on the Douglass campus (which was part of a women's college within the university) could be " 'in the grip of a coven of witches.' "
The Catholic chaplain followed up by refusing to hold mass in the chapel for a year. Before those religious services returned to the nonsectarian facility, a rite of cleansing was performed in the chapel.
Tame by 2006 standards perhaps, but in the days of Vietnam war protests and Kent State, Flux-Mass was definitely unusual and to some, sinister indeed.
There was another Fluxus happening at Rutgers on a nearby campus that was quite a bit more notorious, but it creeps me out so I'll leave that to someone else to reveal.
Maybe I'll make Flux-Mass cards this winter holiday season, my first in these surrounds.....
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posted by la flaneuse on October 3rd, 2006 11:39 PM
True. I have been alienated from organized religion for far too long, I guess!
posted by Sean Mahan on October 4th, 2006 8:40 AM
Wait a minute - so you're in Jersey? Do you know Kyle Jakob or the Medport Diner?
posted by la flaneuse on October 4th, 2006 9:06 PM
I've only been in Jersey for four weeks, so I know almost nothing so far... now I will have to go look up where Medport is!
How much more notorious could this new Fluxus be? It sounds like the first one was quite...inflammatory. If the new parody masses are only publicized to other artist folks, they're unlikely to shock, but I'd bet my life that the majority of Americans would scream "blasphemy" this very day at any of the things you mentioned. Really interesting.