* * *

come scrivere una poesia / greg evason. 2011

Like most everybody else don’t like to be broke, that means I like money. Reaching in my pocket and feeling paper gives me meaning. But if I was to gamble in London with two best friends, I’d bring along credit cards. I’d feel uncomfortable if I was to bank out of neighbourhood and was told then insisted that my personal cheque was of no value, but on the same hand, I’d feel short if I was to treat aesthetic realism friends to dinner only to find I had small change.

Like most everybody else I like to be entertained, that means I usually watch television. Prime time variety shuts me down. But when I festival with ‘new school’ friends, I get in deep with Bergman’s black and white. I’d feel funny backgrounding Friday nite poker with message and medium, but on the other hand, I’d feel silly if I visited minimal friends and brought along my baseball cards for trade.

Like most everybody else I like to feel healthy, that means I try to stay young. Plenty of C and aid keeps me fit. But when I body build at gym where everyone is veed and ‘chinned up’, I pump iron. (studio black background voices repeat ‘chinned up’). I’d feel funny all day at the beach under an umbrella checking coop list, but on the other hand I’d feel self-conscious if I came for a morning meal at the farm, mirrored and oiled.

Like most everybody else I like to fall in love, that means I usually try to gain the friendship and respect of someone who can fulfill my needs. But when I’m horny and need a fuck or a blow job or both, I’ll meet someone, get complete control and tell them lies. It would get complicated if I had two lovers and I had to reject the one I wanted immediately for the one I wanted in the future, but on the same hand, I wouldn’t feel, if I saved my love for someone I really really liked and found out later they had given theirs away.

Like most everybody else I like to travel, that means a two hour freeway to plug the trailer in time for a cockout. But when I vacation, where everybody is tourist, I package seven  cities into six days. I’d feel funny ferrying the airstream around while island hopping, but on the other hand, I’d feel left out if I had stayed home Saturday and Sunday and found out Monday stores were closed and everybody wan on a three day weekend holiday.

Like most everybody else I don’t like to be lonely, that means I haven’t seen anyone I’ve known or talked to anyone I haven’t known all day sometimes for three days only constantly to myself usually while I’m thinking a camera is following shooting me. Realizing suddenly that underneath it all the woman I married is a monster, I drive down slow where I can get love and don’t have to give it back. I wouldn’t feel any good if the only conversation I had all day was teller talk to a man behind a small black curtain in small brown box in a large freezing church, but on the same hand I wouldn’t feel better if I bought a small no hair dog with a back and forth tongue squeak bark and trained to keep me company.

Like most everybody else I like to get high. That means I usually drink, snort a line, or listen to a good tenor. A couple of imported beers gets me into the mood. But when I commune, where everybody is eastern, I breathe through the stomach and meditate on ‘the way’. I’d feel funny I was to lotus on the bar stool, but on the other hand, I’d feel paranoid if I was to astro-project yoga class.

Like most everybody else I like to get a good nite sleep. That means a nap and to bed at ten thirty makes me feel rested. But when the weekend comes, and everybody shines, shaves, and shampoos, I like to get wasted. I’d feel like a was in a ‘human press’ the next day if I had been videoing auto-destructive art with narrative friends on a Wednesday week-nite, but on the other hand I’d feel embarrassed if I doubled to the drive-in on Saturday and fell asleep snoring during intermission countdown.

Like most everybody else I like to feel satisfied, that means I usually enjoy sex, having an orgasm makes me feel good. But when I party, where everyone is Levi’d and flared, I try to take both hands out of my pockets. I’d feel funny if I was to park with my girl and asked her to snap the rubber bands around my legs, but on the other hand I’d feel foolish if I was to orgy with wesson-oil friends, masturbate and then fall asleep.

Like most everybody else I like to feel comfortable. That means I usually war sport clothes, a long sleeve sport shirt and a pair of slacks makes me feel relaxed, but when I go some place where everyone is dressed up, I wear a suit and a tie. I’d feel funny if I lounged around, all dressed up, and on the other hand I would be comfortable if I went some place dressy and wore my sport clothes.

Like most everybody else I like to go hungry. That means I usually eat everything quick and handy. A sandwich and chips makes me feel full. But when I commune where everyone is natural I enjoy homecooked eggplant and orange squash all alone, but on the other hand I’d feel full of embarrassment if I was to eat with healthful friends and brought along snacks.

[From: Tracks, No. 2, fall, 1976, pp. 41-46. Image: Richard Prince, Joke on you.]

(Mark Titchner, Be Real, 2008, vinyl banner, cm 527 x 413, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead.)

Room 34
In room 34, dogs are beheaded with cleavers and suspended over buckets to let the blood collect; the heads are thrown in a corner, where a rickety adolescent burns away the hair with a oxyhydrogen torch before piling them up.

Room 35
In wide and bushy room 35, a tiger wanders about.

Room 36
In room 36, your father breaks your nose with a punch.

Room 37
Room 37 is well-set and furnished and upholstered and on fire.

Room 38
Room 38 has no ceiling,
still night there is pitch-black and merciless;
the room is a pool or a pit,
more pit than a pool with its narrow shore
(half a meter of stone or reef)
and there, in the deep dark water, struggling
hard to keep afloat, swallowing gallons
and constantly sucked back in the
briny deep, bobbing like a piece of cork,
in no time surfacing again,
eyes focused on the diminutive shore,
a frenetic young head (sixteen
at the oldest) bearing deep and gory
wound, gashed open by the point of
some hidden reef or nail or fang.

Room 39
The walls of foul-smelling room 39 look like being wallpapered in black velvet; still, if some noise is made, the velvet reveals as a mat of flies which will buzz around in clouds, unveiling glyphs painted with feces before getting back into place.

Room 40
Room 40 is a cloister where vine-covered, living pillars whisper appalling words amid a numbing smell of ambergris and kemenyan.

Room 41
Room 41, whose walls would be best described as tissues, vibrates at dawn, pulsates at night, exudes poison at times.

Room 42
The vinegar
in the bottle
on the table
of room 42
has six mothers.

Room 43
The austere instruments in room 43
made of polished walnut wood and tight hemp rope
and wrought iron
are rarely used, their mere display usually
being sufficient to draw prompt abjurations.

Room 44
In open-roofed, broad, ivy engraved room 44
one after the other gods of clay are shattered.

Room 45
“In room 45,” an old man once said to me, “I’ve seen patterns, I’ve seen beings; I’ve seen the wheel; I’ve been the wheel; I’ve experienced potential realities peeling away from me. There I burned ears of wheat, ate albatross and drank mulled wine after mulled wine.”

Room 46
In heavily draped, candle-lit room 46, your mother copulates with a number of hideous, bearded men.

Room 47
The table on room 47 has been set: pomegrenates, barbary figs, a cabbage and the severed head of a sardinian sailor (a wide hole carved where the fontanelle was) inside which lilacs have been bred.

Room 48
In room 48, which some would call a corridor,
you’ll have to run, because – yessir – they will shoot at you,
and yes most people running besides you will fall down,
faces in the mud, under the shuttering rifles’
rapid rattle, and no there’ll be no pause nor relief
and yes some will scream but you will leave them behind you,
while others’ll step on the wrong clod and be hurled away
in a firework of charcoal-gray earth and smoke and flesh.

Room 49
Behind the chestnut desk in room 49, your master does sit.

Room 50
Diminutive room 50 is a tsantsa-in-the-box.

Room 51
Sinewy men dressed in colored rags,
wrap’d ‘round the waist like dervishes of sorts,
copper bells at the belt,
break into room 51 at night or
when dawn breaks; mouths wet with wine and foul words
they open wide the door.
~
One takes it from the legs
one takes it from the arms
eho!
yad,
lamd,
ehat!
and up the body goes in the tumbrel
toppling and settling over the others
in a cloud of horseflies.

Room 52
In room 52 an altar has been built,
with letters and french novels, all neatly gilt.

Room 53
Room 53 is a high-vaulted, narrow gothic chamber; the cobwebs have increased with the years, the paper on the davenport is brown and sere, the ink is dry, yet all is in its place since that one fatal day.

Room 54
In a corner of the shanty
that some did call room 54,
left there like garbage the body of a ballerina,
eleven at the oldest, in a dirty pink tutu.

Room 55
The irregular shape of room 55, with a number of concavities and convexities, may look strange to the delver who doesn’t realize he is inside the head of a statue, whose eyes are nothing but the oval windows from where he will see dark columns of smoke raising from a distance and fire eating whole quarters in flashes of brimstone and ships sinking one after the other and all those oh so tiny drowning men.

Room 56
In room 56 insects or things dwell,
more things than insects, that quickly,
when the door creaks open, in a thousand nooks seek shelter
behind candelabra and bronze idols
in the jars full of hystrix spikes
in every dusty hydria and crack and skull’s hollow eye.

Room 57
– Bring him in room 57.
– Noooooo..!

Room 58
A man with a bushel on his head walks in circles, around a heap of broken icons, on room 58′s caltrop-covered floor.

Room 59
In certain late spring evenings
over the blacken’d, leady earth
floor of room 59
shadows of ancient soldiers
are seen drinking ale & mead
while ancient dogs parade.

Room 60
You’ll first enter a vestibulum
where you’ll be given clean linen clothes
an animal mask and a fur cloak
before being admitted in room 60, a perystile,
from every side of which they will scream
at you and throw you fruits or objects,
and one’ll advance in an agony
of giggles, and kick your ass hard while the singers begin
~
Hoson zes, phainou,
meden holos su lupou;
pros oligon esti to zen,
to telos ho chronos apaitei…

Room 61
In room 61
(which has no ceiling)
only the moon rages,
yet skin falls and flesh burns
and bones become mercury
and screams become silvery
rings of bells, pleasant to the ears
of distant passers-by.

Room 62
Saints carved on the walls
(sound of rain on stone)
a cloak and a sword
lying on the altar
and no bread nor wine
in room 62.

Room 63
Room 63 is a bathroom full of spiders.

Room 64
Your spouse provided you with the key of room 64, but forbid you to use it.

Room 65
Room 65 is rectangular, the northern and southern concrete walls measuring ten meters, the eastern and western ten and a half.
The room is accessed through an iron door on the southern wall, which is then locked from the outside.
When the cyanide pellets are dropped from the ceiling and start to vaporize, the people inside instinctively go for the corners, searching for air, stacking, in those few minutes of desperate fumbling, one over the other, the heel of the father crushing the ribs of the son, the living dying over the dead and already being climbed and crushed by the still alive.
Ventilation, prior to disposal of the bodies, is provided by an electric fan system.

Room 66
In room 66
you are obliterated;
only your shadow
remains, imprinted on stone.

Today, GAMMM celebrates its fifth birthday!!

Here‘s our whole activity so far.

[Image: T. Kelly Mason, I love the future, 2001, 1031PE Gallery, LA.]

Su GAMMM è uscito un nuovo one page e-book, con poesie inedite di John M. Bennett, ospitato in formato .pdf nella pagina opeb.

Enjoy the new John M. Bennett’s poems opeb @  GAMMM‘s opeb page.

[Image: Ceal Floyer, Helix, 2001.]

 

[Mi piace pensare a Fluxus, con le sue provocazioni e i suoi paradossi, come al movimento esattamente opposto all’estetismo. Non si tratta qui infatti di fare della propria vita un’opera d’arte ma, al contrario, di “rendere l’arte vita” abbattendo, post-duchampianamente, le barriere tra le due. Come auspicava John Cage, tra i padri putativi di Fluxus: “L’arte è in procinto di diventare se stessa: vita”. E ciò non potè esser fatto che riflettendo criticamente, e in modo assolutemente radicale, sui modi di produzione dell’arte e sui concetti di canone, di istituzione e di sistema;  denunciando, anche attraverso soluzioni ironiche, il tentativo di tutta l’estetica precedente di riscattare la vita e il reale attraverso un qualsiasi ordine formale.
Fluxus, facendo aderire l’arte alla vita, volle piuttosto far prevalere la prosa bruta del mondo sulla poesia. La sua strategia consisteva nello sviluppo di processi di esperienza e di conoscenza che non passassero attraverso uno stile o un lavoro artistico, non innescassero rimandi metaforici e, propriamente, non portassero alla realizzazione di oggetti-opere. La costellazione eterogenea di artisti che a partire dagli anni’60 aderì a questa avanguardia sui generis, amava per lo più esprimersi con gli “eventi”, sorta di giocosi spartiti performativi, a metà tra il teatro e la micro-installazione prosastica dell’enunciato imperativo, che, grazie alla brusca eliminazione di ogni convenzione di genere e di ogni genealogia stilistica, problematizzando a vari livelli i segnali di artisticità e le stesse cornici finzionali che istituiscono la distinzione tra produzione, opera e fruizione, intendevano perseguire l’utopia di un’esperienza non mediata. Ho qui raccolto alcuni eventi storici di Fluxus, come interessante documento di una stagione artistica radicale. Alessandro Broggi]

Events by Dick Higgins

Danger Music Number One
Spontaneously catch hold of a hoist hook and be raised up at least three stories.
April 1961

Danger Music Number Two
Hat. Rags. Paper. Heave. Shave.
May 1961

Danger Music Number Nine
(for Nam June Paik)
Volunteer to have your spine removed.
February 1962

Danger Music Number Eleven (for George)
Change your mind repeatedly in a lyrical manner about Roman Catholicism
February 1962

Danger Music Number Twelve
Write a thousand symphonies.
March l962

Danger Music Number Fourteen
From a magnetic tape with anything on it, remove a predetermined length of tape. Splice the ends of this length together to form a loop, then insert one side of the loop into a tape recorder, and hook the other side over an insulated nail, hook, pencil or other similar object, to hold the tape and to provide the minimum of slack needed for playing of the loop. Play the loop as long as useful.
May 1962

Danger Music Number Fifteen (for the Dance)
Work with butter and eggs for a time.
May 1962

Danger Music Number Seventeen
Scream! Scream! Scream! Scream! Scream! Scream!
May 1962

Danger Music Number Twenty- Nine
Get a job for its own sake.
March 1963

Danger Music Number Thirty-One
Liberty and committee work!
March 1963

Danger Music Number Thirty-Two
(for George Maciunas)
Do not abide by your decision.
April 1, 1963

Danger Music Number Thirty-Three
(for Henning Christiansen)
Have a ball show.
May 1963

Judgment for String and Brass
A brass musical instrument, string, and a performer are required for this piece.
The performer slowly wraps the brass instrument in the string, exercising the greatest economy of movement.
Spring 1963

Anger Song Number 6 (‘Smash’)
1. Inviting the people to come free, if they bring whistles and hammers.
2. Arraying and hanging as many breakable images around the room as possible — fine bottles, decanters, flower pots and vases, busts of Wagner, religious sculptures, etc.
3. When they come, explaining the rules: a) They surround the ringleader. b) He turns, ad lib. c) When he has his back to anyone, this person is as silent as possible. d) When he has his side to anyone, this person blows his whistle repeatedly, not too loud. e) When he faces anyone, this person blows his whistle as loudly and violently as possible. f) When he actually looks into anyone’s face, this person smashes an image with his hammer.
4. Continuing from beginning until all of the images are smashed.
Summer 1966

From Twelve Lectures about the Same Thing or Bartenders Who have no Wings
Act Three
A cigar store. An Apollo emerges from behind the counter. He says, ‘I am not really an APOLLO.’
Act Six
A very pretty naked girl. After a time she notices that she is naked and is somewhat embarrassed.
Act Seven
A man with a Belgian flag, a woman with a Greek flag, and a man with a Guyanese flag. The man with the Belgian flag says, ‘This is not a Cuban flag.’ The woman with the Greek flag says, ‘This is not a Guyanese flag.’ The man with the Guyanese flag says, ‘I am not French.’
May 31, 1966

Constellation No. 4
A sound is made. The sound is to have a clearly-defined percussive attack and decay (such as produced by plucking strings, hitting gongs, bells, helmets or tubes). Each performer produces his sound efficiently and almost simultaneously with other performers’ sounds. Each sound is produced only once.
Date unknown

Events by Robert Bozzi

Choice 1
The performer enters the stage with a tied parcel, places it on a table, and opens it to take out a whipped cream cake with 10 candles. He lights the candles, then blows them out. He picks up the cake, shows it to the audience, then flings it into his own face.
1966

Choice 3
A piano is on stage. The performer enters wearing a crash helmet. He takes a stage position as far from the piano as possible. He lowers his head and dashes toward the piano at top speed, crashing into the piano with helmeted head.
1966

Choice 5
2 pianists sit behind 2 pianos. They depress the pedals and crash the pianos into each other several times.
1966

Choice 8
The performer enters with a violin case. He removes a violin and a saw from the case. He saws the violin in half, places the pieces and the saw in the case, closes the cases, bows and exits.
1966

Choice 9
Two performers fight between themselves using two violins as if the violins were swords, axes or clubs.
1966

Choice 10
Four performers are divided into two teams. They draw lots for one violin. The winning team plays the violin while the other team tries to gain possession of it.
1966

Choice 12
Two teams of performers compete against each other by pushing a piano from opposite sides.
1966

Choice 12, Variation
A piano or any other musical instrument is hitched between two horses (oxen, elephants, tractors, etc.). These pull in opposite directions until the instrument breaks into two halves.
1966

Choice 15
A performers executes the following actions in succession:
1 nails down the great cover of a piano;
2 plays an extremely extended low note
3 strikes the keys with his fists alternating 4 low note strikes with 4 high note strikes
4 nails down the keyboard cover
5 lifts the end of the piano with the low notes and lets it drop
6 kicks at the end of the piano with the high notes
7 opens both of the piano covers with the claws of a hammer
1966

Choice 16
A piano is lifted by means of a windlass to the height of 2 meters and then dropped. This is repeated until the piano or the floor is destroyed.
1966

Choice 18
Performers use mirrors to show the audience to itself.
1966

Concerto No. 3
On signal from the conductor, each section of the orchestra performs one of the following actions in unison:
turn heads from side to side;
stand up or sit down;
open or close mouths;
turn around;
move arms and legs;
blow noses;
look at watches;
scratch in various spots.
1966

Concerto No. 1
On signal from the conductors, each section of the orchestra performs one of the following actions in unison:
tie or untie neckties;
unbutton or button up shirt sleeves;
roll up or roll down sleeves;
comb hair;
brush clothes.
Each movement should accelerate in tempo and stop suddenly.
1966

In Memoriam to George Maciunas No. 1
A performer in a bowler hat sits behind a table on which a metronome has been placed with a nebulizer. The metronome is set at andante or 60. In time with the beat of the metronome, the performer alternately salutes the audience and sprays his own throat with the nebulizer.
1966

In Memoriam to George Maciunas No. 2
Performers position themselves in a semi-circle. The first performer operates a perfume nebulizer; the second, throat nebulizer; the third, a fertilizer sprayer; the fourth, an insecticide sprayer. The operate the equipment toward the audience following a pattern determined in advance.
1966

In Memoriam to George Maciunas No. 2, Variation
Equal numbers of performers wearing gas masks sit in teams opposite each other. A balloon is placed between the two groups. Performers operate various sprayers such as perfume nebulizers, deodorant sprayers, disinfectants, insecticide sprays, paint or any other sprayers in pressurized or hand-pumped devices. Sprayers are operated toward the balloon. Each group tries to push the balloon away from its side and over to the other team. The piece ends when the balloon reaches one group.
1966

A Piece for Chieko Shiomi
Performer lets the following objects fall from his hand in succession:
1 cigarette from horizontal outstretched arm in standing position
2 eraser from horizontal outstretched arm in standing position
3 hat from vertical outstretched arm in standing position
4 glass of water from horizontal outstretched arm while standing on stool or top of ladder
5 airmail envelope from vertical outstretched arm standing on a stool or top of ladder.
1966

A Piece for Chieko Shiomi, Variation
Performer lets the following fall:
1 spittle from prostrate position
2 ear wax from supine position
3 mouthful of water from kneeling position
4 hat worn on back of head from backward inclined standing position
5 dandruff from forward inclined standing position
6 trousers from standing position
1966

Music Piece for Erik Dietman
Orchestra members cover their instruments with bandages or adhesive tape.
1966

Events by Bengt af Klintberg

Theater
Act One
The stage represents a room, that once was a hen-house, as can still be seen from some equipment, hens, eggs, and hen-shit. The room is furnished in heavy Empire style. In one corner are a shit-covered plastic bust of Bismarck with one mustache-tip broken off and a tremendously dry, brown Christmas tree in the other corner, decorated with one colored glass ball and some cardboard angels. Behind a sofa, an organ is vaguely visible, incessantly attacked by a boy with a healthy, even rubicund look. In the middle of the floor, a big ice block is slowly melting.
Act Two
Soft-boiled eggs and paper plates.
Act Three
Same as act one, but in the evening. The whole stage seems to have turned slightly to the left. Moonlight strains in through branch-holes and key-holes. On the Christmas tree a dying candle is dripping. Some springs have shot up through the sofa cover, the broken-off mustache tip is clumsily mended with blue modeling clay. In the distance, we hear an eighteen-shot salute, but on stage nothing happens.
1960

Lettuce Music for Sten Hanson
The piece requires two performers, a head of lettuce on a music rack, a whistle and a small charge of xplosive.
Short signals on whistle.
Head of lettuce explodes:
A green rain. Long signal on whistle.
1963

From Twenty-Five Orange Events
Orange Event Number 1 (for Kerstin Aurell)
Try to find out which musical instrument you would first connect with an orange. Play it, as long as you like. Or pretend to play it for the corresponding time.
Orange Event Number 3
Peel an orange carefully and arrange pigs in a row. Choose one of the pigs.
Orange Event Number 4
Peel an orange carefully and place pigs here and there in the apartment. Eat them when you happen to pass.
Orange Event Number 7
Eat an orange and at the same time, listen attentively: to sounds of chewing, of sucking, of swallowing and external sounds that may occur.
Orange Event Number 8 (for Pi Lind)
Eat an orange as if it were an apple. (Hold it, unpeeled, between forefinger, middle finger and thumb, bite big mouthfuls, etc.)
Orange Event Number 10
Use at the same time an orange and a lemon, an orange and a die, an orange and a bucket, an orange and an apple, an orange and a phonograph, an orange and a shoe, an orange and a tangerine, an orange and an organ and a ski-track, or an apple and an umbrella.
Orange Event Number 12 (for Staffan Olzon)
Fill all the drawers of a chest to the brim with oranges and depart for another part of the world.
Orange Event Number 15
For umbrella, orange and sewing-machine.
Orange Event Number 16 (for Åke Hodell)
Regard two or three oranges for a long time.
Orange Event Number 17 (for Folke Heybroek)
Leaning over a bridge parapet, look down into the water whirls of the Stockholm Stream. Between your two hands, roll an orange so that the peel becomes soft and will easily come loose from the orange. Quite often, you will hear the rattle of trains that are passing over the railway bridge in the neighborhood. At certain junctures you will also hear the bells of at least three churches ringing. When these two sounds reach you at the same time, start peeling the orange and let the peels fall down into the water.
Orange Event Number 20
Paint an orange white and place it together with other oranges in a white bowl.
Orange Event Number 21
Roll an orange over a floor, covered with hens’ feathers.
Orange Event Number 24
Stay for a long time in a room in which there is silence. Breathe silently, move silently if you move. At a time that you choose yourself, crack a nut.
Orange Event Number 25 (“Proposition”)
Make a fruit salad of oranges and nuts and serve it.
1963-1965

2 Exhibitions
1. Ice
Some days after the break-up of the ice, one can find large ice sheets floating in the northern creeks of the lakes. Lifted up in the air, these half-melted sheets will often show an extraordinary beauty. There are holes in most of them, which makes it possible to hang them on dry spruce-branches.
Go up one morning and decorate the forest with ice and let the opening start soon after. There should be a number for each piece of ice. The opening guests are served sherry.
1965

2. Mold
The hot summer is the best season. At various times one puts old pieces of bread into a number of bread boxes in gay colors. Let them stand with closed lids for some time. Now and then one checks how the mold is developing. At an interesting and beautiful phase, one makes an exhibition. Have a number for each box. Instead of sherry, serve vin rosé.
1963

Three Magic Events
Number 1 (to make a couple enemies)
Take an egg and boil it hard and write a couple’s names on it. Then cut the egg in two pieces and give one of the halves to a dog and the other half to a cat.
Number 2 (against rats in the barn)
When the first load of grain is carted in, those who are standing in the barn ask:
“What are you bringing here?”
“We are bringing a load of cats!”
Now ask what the rats shall have to eat.
“Stone and bone and henbane-root.”
The first load is brought in during as dead silence.
During the following loads one talks about cats all the time.
Number 3 (for white washes)
At the washing a person who comes in shall say:
“I saw a swan.”
Then the clothes will be clean and white. On the other hand the whole wash
will be spoiled if he says: “I saw a raven.”
1965

Streetcar Random (music for any number of participants)
One used streetcar ticket is given to each participant. On the cross-ruled ticket, there are squares for day and hour, each of which indicates one beat. The length of the beats is decided by each participant, who also determines how he wants to read the ticket: horizontally or vertically, to the right or to the left. It is expedient that he keep to the chosen reading during the whole performance. The uncut squares indicate pauses, the squares where the streetcar conductor has cut a round hole indicates one beat of sound. The source of the sound is optional. The piece is over when the last participant has become tired.
Suggested sources of sound: symphony orchestra; car horns.
1965

Calls (Cantos 1-6)
Calls, Canto 1 (If You Catch Sight of a Friend in the Distance)
If you catch sight of a friend in the distance: go towards him calling out loudly. Let the calls ring out. Answer his calls. Develop the structures of his calls. Desirable development: from very simple to very complex calls.
(Can be performed in public libraries, lecture halls, churches, central stations, civil service departments and in outdoor places under an immense blue sky.)
Calls, Canto 2 (Stage Version of Canto 1)
At the beginning of the piece one performer stands in the left back corner, the other in the right back corner of the hall. Calling out loudly to each other, they advance toward the stage. Desirable development: from simple calls to very complex calls. The piece is over when they meet on the stage.
Calls, Canto 3
Two persons, one standing on the south side of a large lake — a least 1 kilometer apart — the other standing on the north side of the lake, talk to each other.
Calls, Canto 4 (Hello-Chorus)
A party of about 100 persons walk out into a forest at sunrise, climb up to the treetops and call and sing a hello-chorus.
Calls, Canto 5 (Telephone Call)
Make a telephone call in a bathtub, talking with you lower lip under the water surface and your upper lip over it. The piece requires a long telephone cord.
Calls, Canto 6 (Letter)
Open an empty envelope with both hands and talk loudly into it. Then close the envelope quickly and post it to anyone whom it may concern.
December 1965 – June 1966

Two Flag Events
1. In Copenhagen (for Ibi)
A big Danish flag is tacked to a wall.
Paint the white cross yellow.
Drink a Tuborg (or a Carlsberg)
Paint the four red squares blue.
2. Demonstration
Arrange a demonstration march with flags. If it is a sunny day with light blue sky, the flags shall be light blue. If the sky is white, the flags shall be white. Gray sky: gray flags.
December 1965

Seven Forest Events
Forest Event Number 1 (Winter)
Walk out into a forest when it is winter and decorate all the spruces with burning candles, flags, apples, glass balls and tinsel strings.
Forest Event Number 2
Walk out into a forest a wrap some drab trees, or yourself, in tinsel.
Forest Event Number 3
Climb up to a treetop with a saw. Saw through the whole tree-trunk from the top right down to he root.
Forest Event Number 4 (Danger Music for Henning Christiansen)
Climb up into a tree. Saw off the branch you sit upon.
Forest Event Number 5 (The Lumberjacks’ and Pikers’ Union)
“Charlotte Moorman exchanged the sandpaper for a wood-saw, but using that sawing technique, she would have been sacked from the Lumberjacks’ and Pikers’ Union.”
Forest Event Number 6
Walk out of your house. Walk to the forest. Walk into the forest.
Forest Event Number 7
When you walk into a forest, don’t forget to knock.
1966

Untitled Event
Smear yourself and a blue satin umbrella with ashes and apricot jam; embrace a sleeping person.
1967

Event for an Unknown Person
A love letter on a bicycle carrier.
1967

Party Event
Send invitations to all your friends — except one — with the following:
green party green clothes
And to one person:
red party red clothes
1967

Plan Against Loneliness
Some yellow seats in all parks, squares and subway trains, where people who want to be talked to can sit down. Do this in every city all over the world.
1967

Events by Ay-O

Rainbow No. 1 for Orchestra
Soap bubbles are blown out of various wind instruments. The conductor breaks the bubbles with his baton.
Date unknown

Rainbow No. 1 for Orchestra, Variation
Soap bubbles are blown out of various wind instruments. The conductor cuts
the bubbles with a samurai sword.
Date unknown

Rainbow No. 2 for Orchestra
A totally inexperienced orchestra plays a 7 note major scale on various instruments.
Date unknown

Exit No. 1
The audience must pass through a vestibule that has been covered with upward protruding nails except for a few areas left open in the shape of footprints.
Date unknown

Exit No. 2
The audience must pass through a vestibule across which many ropes have been stretched at knee height.
Date unknown

Exit No. 3
The audience must pass through a vestibule with a floor covered with foam rubber impregnated with soap suds.
Date unknown

Exit No. 4
The audience must pass through a vestibule with a floor covered with mirrors.
Date unknown

Exit No. 5
The audience must pass through a vestibule with a floor covered with wood blocks of various shapes and sizes.
Date unknown

Exit No. 6
The audience must pass through a vestibule in which the ceiling has been lowered to a height 2 feet (70 centimeters) above the floor.
Date unknown

Exit No. 7
The audience must pass through a vestibule with a floor sloped upward and downward at about 30 degrees.
Date unknown

Exit No. 8
The audience must pass through a vestibule where the floor has been covered with inflated balloons prepared to burst on contact.
Date unknown

Events by Eric Andersen

Opera Instruction
An occurrence or part of an occurrence is recorded and played back.
1961

Opera Instruction
Do and/or don’t do something universally.
1961

Opera Instruction
The following frequencies are played as piano frequencies:
(all C’s simultaneously on the piano, etc.)
C – D flat – D – E flat – E – F – G flat – G – A flat – A – B flat – B
1961

Opera Instruction
1 Two persons are situated on the stage. One of them pronounce the sound “A.”
2 (Optional) The person who started with the sound “A” is only allowed to pronounce the sound “B.” The other person is only allowed to pronounce the sound “C.”
3 The performance is finished when one of the persons pronounces the sound “D.”
1961

Opera Instruction
To call by opus and a number.
1961

Opera Instruction
Announce ‘X.’
( Perform ‘X’ )
Announce that ……………………. ( ‘X’ or ‘Y’ ) took place in the same period.
1961

Opera Instruction
Dec. 11, 1963: Sit down from 7 PM to 8:03 PM (Danish Time) and think about the people all over the world who may be performing this.
1961

Opera Instruction
1 Select some objects which address themselves to your acoustic imagination.
2 Play with them according to a predetermined system.
1961

Opera Instruction
The frequency a”” is played as a violin frequency for 30 seconds at intensity pp. Each year which passes after the first of April 1962 involves that the duration for which the frequency is played is lengthened by 5 seconds.
1961

Events by Albert M. Fine

Ice Cream Piece
Performer buys an ice cream cone and then (a) eats it, or (b) gives it to a stranger, or (c) waits until it melts completely, then eats the cone, or (d) on finishing the piece, buys another ice cream cone.
1966

Piece for George Brecht
Enter the Sistine Chapel by the nether door.
Survey the ceiling on the lintel.
Exit by the hether door.
Date unknown

Fluxus Piece for GM
2 events are advertised at 2 adjacent locations. Audience is brought into the same hall by separate entrances. The audiences are separated from each other by a curtain. For the performance, the curtain is raised.
Date unknown

Piece for Ben Patterson
Construct a piano with the treble on the left ascending to the bass on the right. Play all the old favorite classics.
Date unknown

Clothespin Piece
Performers inconspicuously attach spring-type clothespins to various objects in the street.
Date unknown

Concerto for Solo Piano and Performer
Performer removes a different item from himself for each of the 88 notes: top hat, tie, shoe laces, pen, handkerchief, etc.
Date unknown

Events by Ken Friedman

Fruit Sonata
Play baseball with a fruit.
1963

Whoop Event
Everyone runs in a large circle, accompanied by a strong rhythm. On every beat, all whoop or yell in unison. May also jump or raise arms to mark time.
1964

Christmas Tree Event
Take a Christmas tree into a restaurant. Place the tree in a seat next to you. Order two cups of coffee, placing one in front of the tree. Sit with the tree, drinking coffee and talking. After a while, depart, leaving the tree in its seat. As you leave, call out loudly to the tree, “So long, Herb. Give my love to the wife and kids.!”
1964

Anniversary
Someone sneezes.
A year later, send a postcard reading, “Gesundheit!”
1965

Cheers
Conduct a large crowd of people to the house of a stranger. Knock on the door. When someone opens the door, the crowd applauds and cheers vigorously.
All depart silently.
1965

Zen is When
A placement.
A fragment of time identified.
Brief choreography.
1965

Fluxus Instant Theater
Rescore Fluxus events for performance by the audience. A conductor may conduct the audience- performers.
1966

Stage Reversal
Go on stage naked, covered with paint.
Wash.
Dress and leave stage.
1966

Zen Vaudeville
The sound of one shoe tapping.
1966

Fruit in Three Acts
1. A peach.
2. A watermelon.
3. A pear.
1966

Orchestra
The entire orchestra plays phonographs.
1967
Empaquetage pour Christo
A modest object is wrapped.
1967

Twenty Gallons
Cook soup for the entire audience.
Serve it.
1967

Homage to Mike McKinlay
Eat hot peppers and pickled foods of a spicy nature.
1968

White Duck Event
Sewn.
Glued.
Bound.
1970

Loss
Lose tools or useful objects.
1971

On a Jungle Path
A gate is built.
Songs are sung.
Performer passes through gate.
1972

Stamp Act
A nude model is entirely stamped with images generated by rubber stamps.
1974

Variation for Food and Piano
A piano is prepared with food.
(The piano may be played.)
1982

Explaining Fluxus
Explain Fluxus in five minutes or less, using a few simple props.
1986

Homage to Mahler
A symphony is performed. The different sections of the orchestra march on and off stage as they perform.
1989

Viking Event
Performers enter from stage right and stage left. Each stands at the far edge of the stage. One shouts, “Hail, Ragnar!” The other shouts back, “Hail, Einar!”
1989

Events by George Brecht
Drip Music
For single or multiple performance. A source of dripping water and an empty vessel are arranged so that the water falls into the vessel.
1959

Drip Music, Second Version
Dripping
1959

Drip Music, Fluxversion 1
First performer on a tall ladder pours water from a pitcher very slowly down into the bell of a French horn or tuba held in the playing position by a second performer at floor level.
1959

Time-Table Event
To occur in a railway station.
A time table is obtained. A tabulated time indication is interpreted in
minutes and seconds (for example, 7:16 equals 7 minutes and 16 seconds).
This determines the duration of the event.
1961

Incidental Music
Five piano pieces, any number of which may be played in succession, simultaneously, in any order and combination, with one another or with other pieces.
1. The piano seat is tilted on its base and brought to rest against a part of the piano.
2. Wooden blocks. A single block is placed inside the piano. A block is placed upon this block, then a third upon the second, and so forth, one by one, until at least one block falls from the column.
3. Photographing the piano situation.
4. Three dried peas or beans are dropped, one after another, onto the keyboard. Each such seed remaining on the keyboard is attached to the key or keys nearest it with a single piece of pressure-sensitive tape.
5. The piano seat is suitably arranged and the performer seats himself.

Word Event
Exit.
1961

Word Event, Fluxversion 1
The audience is instructed to leave the theater.
1961

Tea Event
preparing
empty vessel
1961

Tea Event, Fluxversion 1
Distill tea in a still.
1961

Two Durations
red
green
1961

Two Elimination Events
empty vessel
empty vessel
1961

Two Vehicle Events
start
stop
1961

Three Telephone Events
When the telephone rings, it is allowed to continue ringing until it stops.
When the telephone rings, the receiver is lifted, then replaced.
When the telephone rings, it is answered.
1961

Three Lamp Events
on. off.
lamp
off

Events by Joe Jones

Duet for Brass Instruments
Rubber gloves are placed over bells of brass instruments and tucked inside Two performers play duet while gloves emerge from instruments and expand. Variation may be performed using inflatable leg.
Date unknown

Piece for Winds
A rubber inflatable glove or leg is stretched over the rim of the instrument and stuffed inside the bell. Performer blows into instrument inflating the glove or leg, making it emerge slowly from the bell. It expands slowly, finally shooting out of the bell toward the audience.
Date unknown

Dog Symphony
Dogs are admitted to the audience. The orchestra is equipped with dog whistles. On signal from the conductor, the whistles are blown and played while the dogs bark.
Date unknown

Mechanical Orchestra
Self-playing, motor-operated reeds, whistles, horns, violins, bells and gongs play predetermined, dynamically variable and continuous tones for a determined length of time.
Date unknown

Events by Milan Knizak

Fashion
Cut the coat along its entire length.
Wear each half separately.
1965

Snowstorm No. 1
Paper gliders are distributed to an idle and waiting audience.
1965

Snowstorm No. 2
A great quantity of paper flakes or crushed expanded white polystyrene is dumped from a rooftop during a windy summer day.
1965

Flour Game
At the same time every day, using the same words, in the same store, for 100 days, you purchase 10 dkg. of flour (approximately 1/4 pound).
On 101st day, you buy 1 q. (200 pounds) of flour.
For the next 100 days, buy l0 dkg. (1/4 pounds) again. On 202nd day, buy 1 q. (200 pounds) And again, and again, and again.
With the flour, mold a big cone. The one who makes the biggest cone is the winner.
1965

Cat
Get a cat.
1965

Line
A line is drawn on the sidewalk with chalk. The longest line wins.
1965

Glider
Fold a 2-yard paper bird (paper glider).
1965

Jewelry
Make a list of all articles about 20 – 40 cm. large which are at your disposal. Also make a small arrow or dart with a sharp point. Mark some names of articles on your list and attach the list, face down, to a board. From a given distance, shoot your arrow. Whose arrow pierces the marked name of the objects, that person will wear the object on his or her chest as jewelry for the entire following day.
1965

Game of Artist
On the wall of your room, just under the ceiling, nail 100 small hooks spaced at about 5 cm apart. Twist strings around them. To their ends, tie a fork, scissors, shaver, candlestick, bottle, shoes, ladle, clothes hanger with a jacket, etc., etc. …………..Create new arrangements (pictures) again and again by pulling and shifting.
1965

Aktual Clothes
Cut a circle into all parts of your clothing.
1965

Sunday Event
A broom (or some other thing) is tied to the end of a string about 3 yards long. Then it is pulled behind all over the busy streets on a Sunday.
1965

Walking Event
On a busy city avenue, draw a circle about 3 m in diameter with chalk on the sidewalk. Walk around the circle as long as possible without stopping.
1965

Smile Game
Say hello to every pretty girl you meet. If she replies with a smile, you get a point. The one with the most points wins.

Events by Lee Heflin

Fall
Throw things that are difficult to throw because of their light weight.
Date unknown

Ice Trick
Pass a one pound piece of ice among members of the audience while playing a recording of fire sounds or while having a real fire on stage. The piece ends when the block of ice has melted.
Date unknown

First Performance
Performer enters, bows, then exits. This is executed once for every member of the audience.
Date unknown

Events by Larry Miller

Figure/Ground
Wear white clothes and skid into the landscape.
1968(89)

Chewed Drawing
Chew a nice piece of notebook or drawing paper.
1968(89)

Mud Drop
A large heap of mud is dropped from a height onto an egg placed on the ground.
1969

Bag Exchange
On a given day, everyone is asked to bring a brown bag with an object of their choice in it. An area is designated to contain the bags. At the end of the day, the bags are distributed at random.
1969

Patina
Urinate on an egg until it has a nice patina or until it explodes.
1969(89)

Bit Part for Audience
Each word of a poem is written on separate cards passed out to the audience, who perform them in sequence.
1969

Playmate
Teeter-totter with your own weight in carrots.
1969 (89)

100 Yard Run
Runners proceed to the 50-yard mark by taking 3 steps forward and 2 backward; and from the 50-yard mark back to the starting line by taking 3 steps backward and 2 forward.
1970

100 Yard Metronome Run
Runners may only take a step when they hear a designated sound such as an amplified metronome or music. Only one foot may touch the ground at any time.
1970

200 Yard Candle Dash
Each runner carries a lighted candle. He must stop to light it if it goes out. Nothing may be carried to protect the flame.
1970

220 Yard Balloon Dash
All runners have as many inflated balloons as possible tied to their bodies. Once the balloons are in place, they run a normal 220-yard race.
1970

Long Jump
A jumper performs a long jump while holding a lighted candle. The jump must be completed with the candle lit.
1970

Remote Music
For single or multiple keyboard instruments in concert.
A mechanical hand with pointing index finger (or a boxing glove) is arranged out of view on a string-and- pulley system above the keyboard prior to the performance. Out of view, the performer lowers the hand onto the keyboard to produce a single note.
1976

Talk/Don’t Talk
Performer talks, audience listens.
Audience talks, performer listens.
1977

See You in Your Dreams
Appear in another’s dreams.
1977

Events by Mieko Shiomi

Wind Music
1
Raise wind.
2
Be blown by wind.
3
Wind at the beach,
wind in the street,
wind passing by a car.
Typhoon.
1963

Wind Music, Fluxversion I
Scores are blown away from stands by wind from a strong fan in the wings as the orchestra tries to hold them.
1963

Wind Music, Fluxversion II
Loose score leaves on music stands are blown away by a very strong wind produced by a very large fan. This piece should be produced only if such a fan is available. Performers may try to catch scores and put them back on the music stands. They should not try to hold them on the stands.
1963

Shadow Piece
Make Shadows — still or moving — of your body or something on the road, wall, floor or anything else.
Catch the shadows by some means.
1963

Portrait Piece
Do this piece with a portrait of yourself or of your dearest one.
Crumple up the portrait without tearing it.
Smooth it.
Look at the face in the portrait, crumpling and smoothing it.
Look at the face through a magnifying glass.
1963

Music for Two Players
In a closed room pass over 2 hours in silence.
(They may do anything but speak)
1963

Mirror
Stand on a sandy beach with your back to the sea. Hold a mirror in front of your face and look into it. Step back to the sea and enter into the water.
1963

Event for the Twilight
Steep the piano in the water of a pool.
Play some piece of F. Liszt on the piano.
1963

Event for Midday in the Sunlight
12:00 Shut your eyes
12:03 Open your eyes
12:03’05” Shut your eyes
12:04 Open your eyes
12:04’04” Shut your eyes
12:04’30” Open your Eyes
12:04’33” Shut your eyes
12:04’50” Open your eyes
12:04’52” Shut your eyes
12:05 Open your eyes
12:05’01” Shut your eyes
12:05’05” Open your eyes
12:05’06” Shut your eyes
12:07 Open your eyes and look at your hands
1963

Event for the Late Afternoon
Suspend a violin with a long rope from the roof of a building ’till it nearly reaches the ground.
1963

Event for Late Afternoon
Fluxversion I
Violin is suspended with rope or ribbon inserted through pulley at top and secured to floor. Performer in samurai armor positions himself under suspended violin, draws his sword and cuts rope in front of him, releasing violin which falls on to his helmeted heat.
1963

Event of Midnight
0:00 one light
0:04 five tones
0:05 smile
1963

Boundary Music
Make the faintest possible sound to a boundary condition whether the sound is given birth to as a sound or not. At the performance, instruments, human bodies, electronic apparatus or anything else may be used.
1963

Star Piece
The biggest star
Look at while you like
The second biggest star
Obscure it with the smoke of a cigarette
The third biggest star
Shoot it with a gun
The fourth biggest star
Hold a cat in your arms
The fifth biggest star
Look at it through a telescope
The sixth biggest star
When you find it, look at your watch
The seventh biggest star
Reflect on it in the water of a glass and drink it.
The eighth biggest star
Lie down and look at it through a loop in your fingers
The eleventh biggest star
Read a letter sent to you recently
(draw connecting lines as you like)
1963

Music for Two Players I
Stand face to face to one another and stare at the opposite player’s eyes,
first 3m. apart (4 minutes)
then 1m. apart (4 minutes)
then 0.3m apart (4 minutes)
then 6m. apart (4 minutes)
then 0.5m apart (4 minutes)
An assistant my show them time and distance.
1963

Falling Event
1
Let something fall from a high place.
2
Let yourself fall from a high place using an elevator, parachute, rope or anything else, or using nothing.
1963

Fluxversion I
Concert programs are distributed to the audience as paper gliders flown from balcony or ladders or thrown as paper balls.
1963

Fluxversion II
Parachute or very large sheet is suspended over audience. Performers cut all supports simultaneously, letting the sheet fall over the audience.
1963

Passing Music for a Tree
Pass by a tree or let some object pass by a tree, but each time differently.
1964

Shadow Piece II
1.
Project a shadow over the other side of this page.
2.
Observe the boundary between the shadow and the lighted part.
3.
Become the boundary line.
1964

Air Event
Inflate a small rubber balloon in one deep breath and sign your name on the surface of the balloon.
(this is your lung)
You can buy the lungs of other performers at an auction.
1964

Piece for a Small Puddle
This piece is performed by several performers. Each performer takes position around the puddle. Each stands or squats according to ones own chosen rhythm looking at the surface of the puddle.
1964

Disappearing Music for Face
Change gradually from a smile to a smile.
In concert performers begin the piece with a smile, and during the duration of the piece, change the smile very slowly and gradually to a smile. Conductor indicates the beginning with a smile and determines the duration by his example which should be followed by the orchestra.
1964

Photo Event for Two Players
Both performers take photos of each other including complete figure or close-up of some parts.
Second performer uses film already exposed by first performer.
1964

Water Music
1.
Give the water still form.
2.
Let the water loose its still form.
1964

Mirror Piece No. 2
Orchestra members spread their instruments on the Floor. Each walks backwards through the instruments, using a hand mirror to guide himself, trying not to step on the instruments.
1966

Mirror Piece No. 2, Fluxversion I
Orchestra members spread their instruments on the floor. Each walks backwards through the instruments, using a hand mirror to guide himself, trying not to step on instruments. Whenever a performer touches an instrument, he must leave the sate.
1966

Mirror Piece No. 3
Performers seat themselves around a large mirror on the floor of a dark stage. A vessel filled with water stands in the middle of the mirror. Performers stand and sit at random intervals with flashlight pointing to the mirror. The water may be drunk.

Events by Nam June Paik

Prelude
Audience seat are tied up to backs before performance.
Date unknown

Fluxus Hero or Heroine (For Frank Trowbridge)
Piss on the subway tracks and thus stop the train.
Date unknown

Zen for Street
Adult in lotus posture & eyes half shut positions himself in a baby carriage (perambulator) and is pushed by another adult or several children through a shopping center or calm street.
Date unknown
Dragging Suite
Drag by a string along streets, stairs, floors: large or small dolls, naked or clothed dolls, broken, bloody or new dolls, real man or woman, musical instruments, etc.
Date unknown

Atom Bomb Victim
Two uniformed men wearing gas masks carry on a stretcher an “atom bomb victim,” a woman, half of the body prepared in a manner of cruel wounds and deformations, the other half in a sex-feast.
Date unknown

Moving Theater
Fluxus fleet of cars and trucks drives into crowded city during rush hour. At the appointed time, all drivers stop cars, turn off engines, get out of cars, lock doors, take keys and walk away.
Date unknown

Events by Robert Watts

Washroom
The local national anthem or another appropriate tune is sung or played in the washroom under the supervision of a uniformed attendant.
1962

Event: 10
A performer stands on a dark stage with his back to the audience. He strikes 10 matches at uniform intervals. Another performer rings a bell 10 times at the same (or different) intervals.
1962

Event: 10
10 performers are supplied with 1 match each. 10 other performers are supplied with 1 bell each. They take positions in a completely dark performance area. The first performer strikes a match. The 2nd performer immediately strikes a bell. The match is permitted to burn out, followed by a pause. The 3rd performer strikes a match, followed immediately by the 4th performer striking a bell. This continues until all 20 performers have completed their action.
1962

Event: 13
From backstage, at stage left, release 13 helium filled balloons through a slit in the curtain. From backstage at stage right, drop 13 white balls or eggs through a slit in the curtain.
1962

Subway Event
Performer enters the subway station with a token and the exact change for a second token. He uses token to enter subway by the gate. He leaves by thenearest exit and buys one token at the booth.
1962

Street Car Variation
Any number of performers in a queue enter a bus one by one. Each performers pays the fare, exits immediately to rejoin the tail of the queue and start the cycle again. Performance may last for any duration of time.
1962

Casual Event
Performer drives to a filling station to inflate right front tire. He continues to add air until the tire blows out. He changes the tire and drives home. If car is a newer model, he drives home on the blown-out tire.
1962

Two Inches
A 2-inch-wide ribbon is stretched across the stage or street and then cut.
1962

Duet for Tuba
A tuba is prepared so that it dispenses coffee from one spit valve and cream from the other.
1963

C/S Trace
An object is fired from a cannon at a cymbal.
1963

C/S Trace
An object is fired from a cannon and caught in the bell of a tuba.

C/T Trace
A squeaking rubber toy or an egg is caught between two cymbals.
1963

F/H Trace
A French horn is filled with small objects (ping-pong balls, ball bearings, rice, small toys, etc.) or fluid (water, mud, whiskey, etc.). Performer enters the stage, faces the audience, and bows toward the audience so that the objects cascade out of the bell of the horn into the audience.
1963

Trace
Place a card on a horizontal surface.
Place a straw in the center of the card. Light one end of the straw with a match.
When the flame is extinguished, hang the card on the wall.
1964

Christmas Event
Send a yam this year.
Date unknown

Events by Tomas Schmit

Piano Piece No. 1
Performer places various objects — toys, chess pieces, concrete blocks, wood blocks, bricks, glass vases, rubber balls, etc. — on the closed lid of a grand piano. He may arrange these objects very carefully and with deliberation. He may construct a building out of the blocks, or arrange the chess pieces, or arrange the various toys, etc. When he has completed his arrangement, he lifts the great lid suddenly. The piano must be placed so that when the lid opens, the objects slide toward the audience.
1962

Zyklus
Water pails or bottles are placed around the perimeter of a circle. Only one is filled with water. Performer inside the circle picks the filled vessel and pours it into the one on the right, then picks the one on the right and pours it into the next one on the right, etc., till all the water is spilled or evaporated.
Date unknown

Sanitas No. 2
Auditorium or theater should be dark. Performers throw small objects, coins, toys, etc., into the audience and then try to find these objects using flashlights.
Date unknown

Sanitas No. 13
Telephone time service is relayed to the audience for an hour.
Date unknown

Sanitas No. 22
Performer reads aloud an entire newspaper, advertisements and all.
Date unknown

Sanitas No. 35
Blank sheets are handed to the audience without any explanations. 5 minutes waiting.
Date unknown

Sanitas No. 79
A bus carries the audience a good distance, deposits them in a desolate location and returns empty.
Date unknown

Sanitas No. 151
250 nails are hammered.
Date unknown

Sanitas No. 151, Fluxvariation 1
All the piano keys of a chromatic scale are nailed down.
Date unknown

Sanitas No. 165
Audience is seated on mis-numbered seats, then are asked to correct the mistake by switching about, (first row to last, etc.)
Date unknown

Events by Ben Vautier

Radio
Performers and audience listen to a play over the radio.
1961

Theft
A theft is announced and the audience is searched.
1961

Police
Performers disguised as police officers push the audience to the stage.
1961

Smile
5 performers walk about smiling.
1961

Strike
After the audience is admitted to the theater and seated, a member of the actors’ union gives a 5- minute talk on low wages and announces a 3-hour strike.
1962

Drink 1
While other pieces are being performed, one performer sits drinking in a corner of the stage. He gets drunk and starts being a nuisance.
1962

Drink II
Performers drink as much as they can drink, as fast as possible.
1962

Shower II
A performer sits on a chair in the center of the stage holding a fire hose and does nothing. On hearing the audience begin to complain, he shouts “Go!” The water is turned on. The performer soaks the audience.
1962

Telephone
Using a telephone placed on stage with a monitor hooked up to a loud speaker, the performer makes one of the following calls:
1) Call the police and talk as long as possible.
2) Call the president of the country.
3) Call the local newspaper with false news.
1962

The Others
Various people such as blind beggars, drunks, bums, tramps, etc., are invited to a meeting they know nothing about. They are led onto the stage by way of a back entrance. When all are assembled on stage, the curtain is raised.
1962

They
Spoerri, Isou, Kaprow, Higgins, Patterson and Vautier accept an invitation to live imprisoned in a cage for 48 hours. The audience watches.
1962

Make Faces
20 performers grimace at the audience, making faces and vulgar gestures until the audience expresses protest.
1962

Wet
Performers throw wet objects into the audience.
1962
Nothing
Performers do nothing.
1962

Sale
Performers sell the theater.
1962

Run
A performer runs about, around and through the audience until completely exhausted.
1963

Mystery Food
Performers eat a meal that cannot be identified by anyone.
1963

Apples
4 performers eat 4 apples.
1963

Monochrome for Yves Klein
Performer paints a large white panel black.
1963

Monochrome for Yves Klein, Fluxversion I
Performer paints a movie screen with nonreflective black paint while a favorite movie is being shown.
1963

Monochrome for Yves Klein, Fluxversion II
An orchestra, quartet or soloist, dressed in white, plays a favorite classic. A fine mist of washable black paint rains down during the performance. Performers continue to play as the scores and music stands, their instruments and clothes slowly turn from white to black. The performance ends when no performer can read the notes.
1963

Meeting
4 people who have never met are invited on stage to talk to each other for 20 minute or more.
1963

Verbs
Performers enact different verbs from a book of verbs.
1963

Bathtub
As many performers as possible jam themselves into a bathtub.
1963

Push
10 to 20 performers push each other from the stage nonviolently until only 2 performers are left.
1963

Hens
3 hens are released and then caught.
1963

Lesson
Like a classroom teacher with a blackboard, performer gives a lesson to other performers on a subject such as geography, Latin, grammar, mathematics, etc.
1963

Curtain I
After the traditional 3 rings or 3 knocks, the curtain doesn’t go up. Rings or knocks are repeated 10 time, 20 times, 100 times, 1000 times for 2 hours, but the curtain never goes up.
1963

Curtain II
A noisy performance takes place behind a closed curtain. Curtain is raised only for a bow.
1963

I Will be Back in Ten Minutes
Performer positions a poster on the stage announcing, “I will be back in 10 minutes!” and goes across the street to have a cup of coffee.
1963

Look
The performer looks at an object (a piano, for instance) in as many different ways as possible.
1964

Ben’s Striptease
A naked performer enters an entirely darkened stage. The lights go on for a fraction of a second.
1964

Hold-Up
A real hold-up is enacted in the theater. As much loot as possible is stolen and taken away by thieves.
1964

Gestures
1st performer positions a table on the stage.
2nd performer positions a suitcase on the table.
3rd performer takes the suitcase off the table.
4th performer takes the table off the stage.
1964

Choice
4 identical objects are placed on the stage. 3 performers enter. Each chooses one of the objects, and leaves after choosing, taking the object away. The last object remains on the stage.
1964

Tango
The audience is invited to dance a tango.
1964

Orders
One performer seated at a table on the stage gives orders such as “get up,” “run,” “jump,” etc., to 20 performers seated among members of the audience. The audience is free to join in.
1964

Expedition
Light but very voluminous packages are carried by performers from the stage through the audience to the exit, through crowded street, onto street cars, etc.
1964

Supper
The curtain is raised. A large table set with food, drink, flowers and candles is displayed on stage. 10 well dressed performers carrying instruments enter, bow, and seat themselves behind the table. They lay down their instruments. 2 waiters begin to serve food and wine. Performers begin to eat, drink and talk. After a few minutes, the audience can also be offered food and drink.
1965

Piano Concerto No. 2 for Paik
Orchestra members seat themselves and wait for the pianist. The pianist enters, bows and walks to the piano. Upon reaching the piano, he jumps from the stage and runs to the exit. Orchestra members must run after him, catch him, and drag him back to the piano. The pianist must try his best to keep away from the piano. When the piano is finally returned to the piano, the lights are turned off.
1965

Orchestra Piece No. 4
Instruments, stands and empty seats are displayed on stage. Performers appear one by one, slowly and very silently. Performers entering from the left must go to the far right and vice versa. Conductor enters last, just as slowly. The whole entry should last 10 minutes. Upon completion of the entry, the lights are turned off.
1965
Concerto for Audience by Audience
The audience is invited to come to the stage, take instruments that are provided to them, sit on the orchestra seats and play for 3 minutes. If the audience does not respond to the invitation, instruments should be distributed to them.
1965

Three Pieces for Audiences
1. Change places.
2. Talk together.
3. Give something to your neighbor.
1964

Audience Piece No. 1
Audience is locked into the theater. The piece ends when they find a way out.
1964

Audience Piece No. 2
The curtain remains closed. At the exit, leaflets are distributed saying, “Ben hopes you enjoyed the performance.”
1964

Audience Piece No. 3
An announcer asks the audience to follow a guide. The guide leads them to another theater to watch an ordinary play or movie.
1964

Audience Piece No. 4
After the audience is seated, performers proceed to clean the theater very thoroughly: wash floor, vacuum chairs and curtain, white wash stage, change light bulbs, etc.
1964

Audience Piece No. 5
Tickets are sold between 8 and 9 p.m. At 9 p.m., the announcement is made that the performance has already begun and will end at 12 p.m. At no time is the audience admitted to the theater.
1964

Audience Piece No. 6
The stage is transformed into a refreshment area. After the curtain is raised, the audience may come on stage to eat and dance.
1964

Audience Piece No. 7
The audience is requested to come on stage one by one to sign a large book placed on a table. After signing, each is led away, one by one, to the street. This is continued until all have signed and left the theater. Those led outside are not permitted to return.
1965

Audience Piece No. 8
The audience is told that the next piece is presented in a special area. They are led away in small groups by ushers, taken through back exits to the street and left there.
1965

Audience Piece No. 9
Each member of the audience is led individually into an antechamber where they are asked to undress and led into a dark theater. Those who refuse can have their money returned. When the entire audience is seated naked in the auditorium, a huge pile of their clothing is illuminated on stage.
1965

Audience Piece No. 10
An announcer hidden from view of the audience observes all who enter the theater with binoculars and describes each in detail over a public address system.
1965

Audience Variation No. 1
The audience is all tied up together using a long string. Performers in the aisles use balls of string, throwing string over the heads of the audience to opposite rows of performers. Balls are thrown until all the string is used up in creating a dense web over the audience. Enough string must be used to entangle the whole audience, tying them to each other, to their chairs, etc., making it difficult for them to leave. After this has been achieved, the performers leave the hall. The audience is left to untangle itself.
Date unknown

Events by Yoko Ono

Four Pieces for Orchestra
To La Monte Young
(Provisional Instruction. It may be revised by conductor.)
a. Upon first signal from the conductor, each performer begins to rub a dowel, screwdriver or file across the f hole of any string instrument which will be provided for that purpose, or with an eraser on the surface of a wind instrument. Second signal will indicate termination.
b. Upon third signal, each performer peels off a tape taped upon their instrument.
c. Upon fourth signal, each performer tears off a page from the score.
New instructions to these pieces will most likely be provided by La Monte Young during rehearsal.
Date unknown
Laundry Piece
In entertaining your guests, bring out your laundry of the day and explain to them about each item. How and when it became dirty and why, etc.
1963

Wall Piece for Orchestra
To Yoko Ono
Hit a wall with your head.
1962
Lighting Piece
Light a match and watch it til it goes out.
1955

Painting to be Stepped On
Leave a piece of canvas or finished painting on the floor or in the street.
1960

Fly Piece
Fly
1963

Tape Piece I
Stone Piece
Take the sound of the stone aging.
1963

Tape Piece II
Room Piece
Take the sound of the room breathing
1) at dawn
2) in the morning
3) in the afternoon
4) in the evening
5) before dawn
Bottle the smell of the room of that particular hour as well.
1963 

[Image: John Baldessari, Millennium Piece (With Orange), 1999, from Blind Spot.]

Thanks to all visitors, readers and contributors_

Four years index:

______________2010____________________________________________________________________

- keith arnatt. self-burial. 1969 [06-05-2010]

- samuel beckett. da peggio tutta. 1983 [04-03-2010 .it]

- gianluca cataldo. il flecnodo in europa. 2010 [22-04-2010 .it]

- roberto cavallera. ebook: C40. 2009 [02-04-2010 .it]

- gianluca garrapa. leobloom. 2010 [13-05-2010 .it]

- andrea inglese. genealogie del testo poetico interrotto [su jean-jacques viton]. 2008 [11-01-2010 .it]

- pascal leclerq, animaux noirs. 2009 [21-06-10 .fr / .it]

- david lehman. wittgenstein’s ladder. 2005 [18-01-2010 .en / .it]

- tao lin, da you are a little bit happier than i am. 2006. II [18-02-2010]

- tao lin, da you are a little bit happier than i am. 2006. III [17-06-2010]

- adilia lopes. op-art. 2002 [20-05-2010 .pt / .it]

- antonio loreto. poema sentimentale e binario  sulla natura umana. 2008 [05-04-2010 .it]

- michele marinelli, from arc. 2010 [24-06-10]

- k. silem mohammad. sonnagram 40. 2009 [30-03-2010 .en]

- bruno munari. la favola delle favole. 1994 [07-01-2010 .it]

- charles north. fourteeen poems. 1989 [15-02-2010 .en / .it]

- francis ponge. da comment une figue de parole et pourquoi. 1977. I [25-02-2010 .fr / .it]

- francis ponge. da comment une figue de parole et pourquoi. 1977. II [08-04-2010 .fr / .it]

- ebook: porn with/out porn. 2010 [23-03-2010]

- sergio soda star. da note. 2009. II [04-02-2010 .it]

- gertrude stein. da sentences and paragraphs. 1931. [03-06-2010 .en /.it]

- italo testa. ebook: non ero io. 2010 [31-05-2010 .it]

- fabienne vallin. da when/where. 2008 [11-02-2010 .fr / .it]

- lewis warsh. the outer banks. 2001 [ 11-03-2010 .en / .it]

- barrett watten. plasma. 1979 [04-01-2010 .en / .it]

- luca zanini. lumen. 2009 [01-03-2010 .it]

- paolo zublena. esiste (ancora) la poesia in prosa?. 2010 [27-05-2010 .it]

:

…and more:

tobias rehberger [25-01-2010], john mccracken [22-02-2010], the international obfuscated c code contest, I [18-03-2010], opere di galileo [25-03-2010], david kramer [29-04-2010] tracciamenti [10-06-10]

______________2009____________________________________________________________________

- vincenzo agnetti. da obsoleto (cap.1). 1968 [29-10-2009 .it]

- pierre alferi. da cercare una frase. 1991 [22-02-2009 .it]

- alfredo anzellini. ebook: ouverture. 2009 [04-04-2009]

- alberto arbasino. da la vita bassa. 2008 [11-10-2009 .it]

- mariasole ariot. similitudes [15-12-2009]

- jean arp. l’air est un racine. 1933 [03-09-2009 .fr]

- syd barrett. word song. 1969 [10-05-2009 .en]

- donald barthelme. snow white. 1967. I [09-07-2009 .en / .it]

- donald barthelme. snow white. 1967. II [09-08-2009 .en / .it]

- donald barthelme. snow white. 1967. III [10-09-2009 .en / .it]

- ida börjel. ebook: europeiska midjemått / european waistlines / girovita europei [12-01-2009 .sv / .en / .it]

- ida börjel. da europeiska midjemått. 2001. I [12-01-2009 .sv / .en / .it]

- ida börjel. da europeiska midjemått. 2001. II [16-04-2009 .sv / .en / .it]

- ida börjel. da europeiska midjemått. 2001. III [8-05-2009 .sv / .en / .it]

- stéphane bouquet. da le mot frère. 2005 [22-01-2009 .fr / .it]

- david-baptiste chirot. death from this window. 2009 [10-12-2009 .en]

- claude closky. eight works from www.sittes.net. 1999-2006 [17-05-2009 .fr / .en]

- ugo coppari. da limbo mobile. 2009. I [22-03-2009 .it]

- ugo coppari. da limbo mobile. 2009. II [07-06-2009 .it]

- corrado costa. da l’equivalente. 1969 [23-11-2009 .it]

- aleister crowley. liber al vel legis. capitolo I. 1904 [21-05-2009 .en /.it]

- rachel defay-liautard. ebook: n of { rom, ram, rwm } [19-07-2009]

- alessandro de francesco. ebook: da 1000 m. 2009 [05-03-2009 .it / .en / .fr]

- marcel duchamp. il processo creativo. 1957 [24-02-2009 .fr / .it]

- denise duhamel. da kinky. 1997. I [12-03-2009 .it]

- denise duhamel. da kinky. 1997. II [05-07-2009 .it]

- max ernst. commedia dell’arte. 1961 [15-10-2009 .it]

- max frisch. da diario della coscienza. 1974. VI [19-01-2009 .it]

- max frisch. da diario della coscienza. 1974. VII [9-03-2009 .it]

- gammm. prosa in prosa. 2009 [05-12-2009]

- marco giovenale. con l’approvazione. 2009 [12-07-2009 .it]

- giulio ossequiente. da prodigi. IV-V sec. d.C. [29-03-2009 latino e italiano]

- kenneth goldsmith. paragrafi sulla scrittura concettuale. 2005 [23-04-2009 .en / .it]

- dick higgins. cowboy plays. 1967 [30-11-2009 .en]

- emilio isgrò. ebook: l’avventurosa vita di emilio isgrò… 1975 [26-01-2009 .it]

- joseph kosuth. art as idea as idea. 1966 [03-05-2009 .en]

- drew kunz. light / shadow / wall. 2008 [16-02-2009]

- jim leftwich. new year’s caution totem. 2008 [01-01-2009]

- antonio loreto. poema pubblicistico e ordinario sulla natura umana. 2009 [09-11-2009 .it]

- giancarlo majorino. da viaggio nella presenza del tempo. 2008. III [29-01-2009 .it]

- michele marinelli. ebook: una mas. 2009 [20-09-2009]

- john martone. commonplace book. 2009 [18-10-2009 .en]

- john martone. contemplative imagery from the new lascaux. 2009 [16-11-2009 .en]

- bernadette mayer. da midwinter day. 1982 [03-12-2009 .en / .it]

- bruno munari. emozioni. 1995 [09-04-2009 .it]

- frank o’hara. lines for the fortune cookies [21-12-2009 .en / .it]

- georges perec. scale. 1974 [02-11-2009 .it]

- gianluigi ricuperati. una conversazione con rem koolhaas [01-10-2009 .it]

- claude royet-journoud. del vicinato e della forma. 2007 [24-05-2009 .fr / .it]

- lucio saffaro. autonomogramma. 1969 [17-09-2009 .it]

- arno schmidt. da specchi neri. 1951 [16-12-2009 .it]

- zachary schomburg. da the man suit. 2007. I [05-01-2009 .en / .it]

- zachary schomburg. da the man suit. 2007. II [02-02-2009 .en / .it]

- zachary schomburg. da the man suit. 2007. III [26-02-2009 .en / .it]

- leonardo sciascia. da atti relativi alla morte di raymond roussel. 1971 [24-09-2009 .it]

- sergio soda star. da note. 2009. I [16-07-2009 .it]

- éric suchère. …un autre mois… (n°126-127). 2008 [25-06-2009 .fr / .it]

- vincent tholomé. une station service. 2006 [14-06-2009 .fr / .it]

- cecil touchon. ebook: the raven (for edgar allan poe). 2008 [08-02-2009]

- unknown. untitled pieces. 40000 b.c. [25-10-2009]

- franco vaccari. da atest. 1968 [30-07-2009]

- ben vautier. bizart baz’art. 2003 [02-03-2009]

- jean-jacques viton. da gala. 1989 [31-12-2009 fr / .it]

- lawrence wiener. response to three statements by david lamelas. 1970  [28-05-2009 .en / .it]

- lawrence wiener. a log of some time with some people someplace in new gunea. 1989 [28-06-2009 .en / .it]

- lawrence wiener. translation from one language to another. 1995  [26-07-2009 .en / .it]

- lawrence wiener. a table of a maiden or two. 1996  [27-08-2009 .en / .it]

- lawrence wiener. towards a theatrical engagement. 2003 [ 27-09-2009 .en / .it]

- william xerra. io mento. 2002 [04-06-2009 .it / .en]

:

…and more:

sol lewitt [15-01-2009], their hands [08-03-2009], imbutofono track 2 [15-03-2009], april 2009: the 11 chaps [12-04-2009], fiona banner [30-05-2009], dash snow: 18 polaroids from tinyvices.com [14-05-2009], robert smithson [11-06-2009], sam durant [18-06-2009], burney akab aion [21-06-2009]; linh dinh [23-07-2009], robert barry [06-08-2009], vincenzo accame [20-08-2009], loic peoc’h (i) [30-08-2009], christoph niemann [04-10-2009], loïc peoc’h (ii) [8-10-2009], dogma 95 [22-10-2009], leftwich & topel: opeb [06-11-2009], eight pics from a square [28-12-2009]

______________2008____________________________________________________________________

- damiano abeni. title search. 2006 [18-01-2008 .en / .it]

- pierre alferi. da le chemin familier du poisson combatif. 1992 [01-06-2008 .fr / .it]

- nanni balestrini. da tristano. 1966-2007 [19-03-2008 .it]

- j.g. ballard. da la mostra delle atrocità. 1969 [15-06-2008 .it]

- luigi ballerini, paul vangelisti: due o tre cose che so di lui. [22-09-2008 .it]

- maurizio bortolotti. viale harald szeeman di gianni motti. 2005 [14-04-2008 .it]

- jules boykoff. ebook: mamme, non lasciate che i vostri figli crescano e poi diventino economisti della supply-side economics. 2006 [10-03-2008 .en / .it]

- victor burgin. any moment. 1970 [01-12-2008 .en / .it]

- olivier cadiot. (n-1). 1988 [14-01-2008 .it]

- biagio cepollaro. ebook: trigrammi [18-09-2008]

- nicolas chazel. je ne parle pas au monde. 2006 [04-09-2008 .fr / .it]

- david-baptiste chirot. maciunas’ fluxus street theatre [16-04-2008 .it]

- gianluca codeghini. la scatola di utensili. 2001 [25-01-2008 .it]

- gianluca codeghini. una questione immateriale. 2005 [11-02-2008 .it]

- gianluca codeghini. campo di concentrazione culturale. 1993-2007 [21-05-2008 .it]

- alessandra mr d’agostino. semi di anguria. 2007 [23-01-2008 .it]

- brandon downing. da lake antiquity. 1996-2006. III [20-07-2008 .en]

- christophe fiat. da un’avventura di batman a gotham city. 1999-2004. I [01-03-2008 fr. / .it]

- christophe fiat. da un’avventura di batman a gotham city. 1999-2004. II [28-03-2008 fr. / .it]

- christophe fiat. da un’avventura di batman a gotham city. 1999-2004. III [26-04-2008 fr. / .it]

- christophe fiat. ebook: il cielo di nijinsky. 2002 [04-04-2008 .fr / .it]

- max frisch. da diario della coscienza. 1974. I [20-02-2008 .it]

- max frisch. da diario della coscienza. 1974. II [05-03-2008 .it]

- max frisch. da diario della coscienza. 1974. III [02-04-2008 .it]

- max frisch. da diario della coscienza 1974. IV [25-05-2008 .it]

- max frisch. da diario della coscienza 1974. V [06-10-2008 .it]

- susana gardner. ebook: da scarabocchio. 2006 [08-12-2008 .en / .it]

- francesca genti. da il cuore delle stelle. 2007 [11-10-2008 .it]

- jean-marie gleize. ebook: bisogna dire il nome delle cose. 1999 [05-01-2008 .fr / .it]

- ray gonzalez. faith run. 2005 [05-02-2008 .en / .it]

- giuliano guatta. quattro racconti. 2007 [07-04-2008 .it]

- nellie haack. wittgenstein [22-10-2008 .en / .it]

- christophe hanna. ebook: poesia azione diretta. contro una poetica del gingillo. 2003 [01-02-2008 .it]

- emmanuel hocquard. les bostoniens du dimanche. 1987 [18-02-2008 .fr / .it]

- emmanuel hocquard. je ne sais pas si fernando pessoa a vraiment existe’. 1986 [17-03-2008 .fr / .it]

- kent johnson. da lyric poetry after auschwitz. 2005. I [06-07-2008 .en / .it]

- rem koolhaas. da junkspace. 2001 [20-11-2008 .it]

- drew kunz. ebook: tether. 2007 [30-10-2008 .en / .it]

- r.d. laing. nodi. 1970 [08-06-2008 .it]

- serge latouche. da breve trattato per una decrescita serena. 2008 [18-11-2008]

- jim leftwich, jukka-pekka kervinen. the refrigerator [07-08-2008]

- tao lin, da you are a little bit happier than i am. 2006. I [01-09-2008]

- giancarlo majorino. da viaggio nella presenza del tempo. 2008. I [26-10-2008 .it]

- giancarlo majorino. da viaggio nella presenza del tempo. 2008. II [15-12-2008 .it]

- christophe marchand-kiss. da hiver II. 2007 [21-01-2008 .fr / .it]

- giulio marzaioli: ebook: cavare marmo. 2008 [24-11-2008 .it]

- giuliano mesa. da tiresia. 2008 [18-05-2008 .it / .fr / .en / .es / .de]

- jean-françois meyer. parler contemporain. 2006 [16-09-2008 .fr / .it]

- jacques-henri michot. ebook: la ventitremiladuecentoventisettesima notte. 2002 [03-03-2008 .it]

- giampiero neri. da armi e mestieri. 2004 [28-01-2008 .it]

- vincenzo ostuni. dumani. 2008 [29-12-2008 .it]

- adriano padua. ebook: frazioni. 2008 [04-05-2008 .it]

- mattia paganelli. is this sustainable at all?. 2005 [08-01-2008 .en]

- georges perec. ebook: tentativo di esaurimento di un luogo parigino. 1975 [11-04-2008 .it]

- edward ruscha. words, titles. 1959-1972 [13-07-2008 .mul]

- vanni santoni. personaggi precari. 2006-2008 [11-05-2008 .it]

- spencer selby. merry. 2008 [25-12-2008]

- botho strauss. da l’equilibrio. 1995 [02-05-2008 .it]

- éric suchère. un-autre-mois (n°124-125). 2008 [27-07-2008 .fr / .it]

- paul vangelisti. da portfolio. 1978 [07-02-2008 .en / .it]

- nico vassilakis. ebook: five sequences. 2008 [24-03-2008 .en]

- lawrence wiener. art is not a metaphor. 2008 [03-11-2008 .en / .it]

:

…and more:

john cage [22-02-08 .it], georges didi huberman [12-01-2008], emilio villa [11-02-2008], parreno & tiravanija [25-02-2008], filippo minelli: i fly you don’t [15-02-2008], emiliano corrieri: no fashion [07-03-2008], james joyce [14-03-2008], ruggero solmi’s opeb [21-03-2007], peter ciccariello: the conversation [31-03-2008], dal papiro jumilhac [18-04-2008], mark titchner: we are all immortal [21-04-2008], edward burtynsky: china [28-04-2008], andrew topel: architext 2 [22-06-2008], gammm ::: i primi due anni [29-06-2008], jason rhoades [04-08-2008], www[dot]scritturacollettiva[dot]org [11-08-2008], kristof kintera [18-08-2008], carl andre [25-08-2008], annika strom [10-09-2008], emilio isgrò [28-09-2008], bazon brock [10-11-2008], emiliano corrieri [18-12-2008]

______________2007____________________________________________________________________

- damiano abeni. two doodles. 1999 & 2007 [25-07-2007]

- nanni balestrini. from observations on the flight of birds. 1988 [14-01-2007 .en]

- eric baus. three texts. [11-04-2007 .en / .it]

- gherardo bortolotti. review: the anthology of spam poetry. [06-08-2007 .en]

- gherardo bortolotti. soluzioni binarie al problema dell’età adulta. [01-06-2007 .it]

- giacomo bottà. da protocollo di helsinki. 2005 [25-05-2007 .it]

- nicolas bourriaud. da postproduction. 2004 [29-03-2007 .it]

- anne boyer. two vispos. 2006 [08-10-2007]

- alessandro broggi. campo d’azione. 2007 [18-05-2007 .it]

- alessandro broggi. cronistoria. 2007 [16-04-2007 .it]

- alessandro broggi. musica di ricerca: 85 cd [07-05-2007 .it]

- roberto cavallera. playlist. 2007 [20-08-2007 .it]

- roberto cavallera. da prosthesis. 2007 [30-11-2007 .it]

- david-baptiste chirot. for ray johnson, thinking of ‘am’ [18-04-2007 .it]

- jeff derksen. ebook: but could I make a living from it [01-02-2007 .en / .it]

- linh dinh. free love pics [11-05-2007 .en]

- linh dinh. da borderless bodies [15-10-2007 .it]

- gillo dorfles. scrittura asemantica: irma blank. 1974 [18-07-2007 .it]

- christian dotremont. signification et sinification. 1950 [30-07-2007 .fr / .en]

- brandon downing. da lake antiquity. 1996-2006. I [23-11-2007 .en]

- brandon downing. da lake antiquity. 1996-2006. II [28-12-2007 .en]

- steven roger fischer. da breve storia del linguaggio. 1999 [08-06-2007 .it]

- jeamel flores-haboud. nove poesie. 2003-2004 [25-01-2007 .es / .it]

- michel foucault. da l’ordine del discorso. 1971 [20-03-2007 .it]

- kathleen fraser. da frammenti romani. 1994. I [13-04-2007 .it]

- gianluca gigliozzi. da neuropa. 2005. I [11-01-2007 .it]

- marco giovenale. su jukka-pekka kervinen. 2006 [08-02-2007 .it]

- marco giovenale. dell’opera disfatta. 2005 [02-05-2007 .it]

- marco giovenale. two questions to jukka-pekka kervinen. 2006 [03-09-2007 .en]

- jean-marie gleize. la poesia è fatta da tutti. 1995 [11-06-2007 .it]

- elio grazioli. collezionismi. 2007 [04-04-2007 .it]

- kate greenstreet. da salt. 2006 [26-10-2007 .en / .it]

- jared hayes. da body sonnets. 2005 [10-12-2007 .en / .it]

- helmut heissenbuttel. da testi 1-2-3. 1962. III [27-08-2007 .it]

- lyn hejinian. da my life. 1987 [14-05-2007 .en / .it]

- jenny holzer. truisms. 1977 [02-11-2007 .en]

- éric houser. ebook: tra letto e muro. 2007 [20-07-2007 .it / .en]

- piers hughill. da 8 pieces. 2005 [24-08-2007 .en / .it]

- morton hurley. da the anthology of spam poetry. 2007 [06-08-2007 .en / .it]

- andrea inglese. prati. 2006 [04-01-2007 .it]

- andrea inglese / stefano delle monache. le circostanze della frase. 2007 [03-07-2007 .it]

- nelly kaprièlian. scrittori mutanti: sulla poesia contemporanea francese. 2003 [22-10-2007 .it]

- allan kaprow. riscaldamenti. 1975 [03-08-2007 .it]

- jukka-pekka kervinen. four texts. 2006 [04-02-2007 .en]

- richard kostelanetz. da 1001 opera libretti [21-09-2007 .en / .it]

- sol lewitt. arte concettuale. 1969 [25-04-2007 .en / .it]

- tao lin. da this emotion was a little ebook. 2006 [30-04-2007 .en / .it]

- christophe marchand-kiss. ebook: alter ego. 2005 [14-09-2007 .fr / .it]

- christophe marchand-kiss. da hiver I. 2007 [21-12-2007 .fr / .it]

- david markson. da reader’s block. 1996 [13-07-2007 .it]

- amedeo martegani. la realtà: una faccenda ottusa. [18-01-2007 .it]

- giuliano mesa. ebook: nun [01-04-2007 .it]

- patrick mimran. art is like homeopathy. 2006 [25-02-2007 .en]

- k. silem mohammad. ebooKritik: sought poems [18-02-2007 .it]

- k.silem mohammad. from deer head nation. 2003. IV [19-02-2007 .en / .it]

- k.silem mohammad. from deer head nation. 2003. V [19-10-2007 .en / .it]

- gianni motti. viale harald szeemann. 2005 [23-04-2007]

- magdalo mussio. da visioni altere, erratica. 2000 [12-08-2007]

- giampiero neri. da l’aspetto occidentale del vestito. 1976 [23-07-2007 .it]

- massimo nota / gherardo bortolotti. misunderstandigs about your intentions. 2006 [22-03-2007]

- valère novarina. il dramma della vita. 1984 [07-01-2007 .it]

- massimo orgiazzi. da la stanza cinese. 2006 [28-05-2007 .it]

- cosimo ortesta. il margine dei fossili. 2006 [11-02-2007 .it]

- georges perec. approcci di cosa?. 1973 [01-03-2007 .it]

- georges perec. da la vita, istruzioni per l’uso. 1978 [17-08-2007 .it]

- marina pizzi. da sotto le ghiande delle querce. 2006 [22-06-2007 .it]

- charles reznikoff. da olocausto. 1975 [28-01-2007 .it]

- andrea raos. da le api migratori. 2007 [24-12-2007 .it]

- denis roche. prefazione ai récits complets. 1963 [09-04-2007 .it]

- amelia rosselli. testi. 1969 [04-05-2007 .it / .en]

- greta rosso. testi. 2006 [08-03-2007 .it]

- gregory vincent st. thomasino. tops – tilting. 2006 [07-09-2007 .en / .it]

- angela sanmann. berlin tegel. 2006 [08-12-2007 .de / .it]

- massimo sannelli. da la giustizia e da santa cecilia e l’angelo. 2004 e 2005 [21-01-2007 .it]

- vanni santoni. personaggi precari. 2004-2006 [25-03-2007 .it]

- jennifer scappettone. 3 poems. 2004-2006 [24-09-2007 .en / .it ]

- arno schmidt. da dalla vita di un fauno. 1953 [15-06-2007 .it]

- spencer selby. two intermedia overlays. 2007 [11-07-2007]

- ron silliman. da sunset debris. 2002 [09-07-2007 .en / .it]

- ruggero solmi. da liste. 2007 [12-10-2007 .it]

- mark strand. da 89 clouds. 1999 [26-11-2007 .it]

- gary sullivan. foamfeatheredness. 2007 [05-11-2007 .en / .it]

- christophe tarkos. da pan. 2000 [18-03-2007 .it]

- christophe tarkos. da anachronisme. 2001 [09-11-2007 .it]

- christophe tarkos. da le signe =. 1999 [15-12-2007 .it]

- rodrigo toscano. 2 poems. 2006 [11-03-2007 .en / .it]

- roberta valtorta. un’ulteriore eventuale utopia. 2000 [27-04-2007 .it]

- paul virilio. l’arte a perdita d’occhio. 2005 [31-12-2007 .it]

- michele zaffarano. gammm eraser gammm. 2007 [01-07-2007]

- luca zanini. ebook: lettera minuscola. 2004 [04-06-2007 .it]

:

…and more:

cabaret voltaire [15-03-2007], italo calvino [20-04-2007], yona friedman [21-05-2007], genesi I, 5 [05-03-2007], paul vangelisti’s opeb [22-02-2007], ludwig wittgenstein [15-02-2007], vanessa beecroft [06-07-2007], opeb di massimo orgiazzi [16-07-2007], filippo minelli: the black birds some eyes lenin and sugar potatoes [11-09-2007], sound [12-11-2007], rachel defay-liautard’s opeb [28-09-2007], birgir andrèsson: portrait #4 [19-06-2007], portrait #5 [19-06-2007], portrait #6 and portrait #7 [31-08-2007], portrait #14, portrait #15 [17-09-2007], portrait #16, portrait #17 [05-10-2007], aulo gellio [29-10-2007], kojiki [03-10-2007], www.narrativelife.org fiction and/or reality [16-11-2007], lennon & mccartney [19-11-2007], ross sinclair [03-12-2007], apronenia avitia I e II [17-12-2007]

______________2006____________________________________________________________________

- damiano abeni. da vetrine [19-08-2006 .it]

- william allegrezza. 2 poems. 2005 [07-12-2005 .en / .it]

- nanni balestrini. tape mark I: algoritmo, testo, ebook [03-09-2006 .it]

- charles bernstein. da parsing. 1976 + ebook [29.10.2006 .en / .it]

- julien blaine. ebook: le grand noir du berry brayait avec le baudet du poitou? [24.12.2006 .fr]

- gherardo bortolotti. review: a city_ a cloud [27-09-2006 .en]

- gherardo bortolotti, marco giovenale. tre paragrafi su scritture recenti. 2006 [16-07-2006 .it]

- patrick bouvet. americalibre. 2005 [10-12-2006 .fr / .it]

- erik brandt. letterpress. 2001 [12-10-2006]

- alessandro broggi. serata socievole. 2006 [23-11-2006 .it]

- william burroughs. intervista [02-11-2006 .it]

- olivier cadiot. delenda est carthago. 1988 [28-12-2006 .it]

- john cage [29-06-06 .it]

- andrea cavalleri. fotografia I [09-09-2006]

- andrea cavalleri. fotografia II [17-12-2006]

- gianluca codeghini. tutto quello che scivola via [18-07-2006 .it]

- bruce covey. da reveal [16-09-2006 .en / .it]

- e.e.cummings. from late poems, V and VI [21-12-2006 .it]

- jeff derksen. transnational muscle cars. 2003 [29-06-2006 .en / .it]

- jacques derrida. da et cetera. 2005 [16-11-2006 .it]

- thomas stearns eliot. the burial of the dead. 1922 [02-11-2006 .en / .it]

- jean-michel espitallier. l’asse del bene. 2004 [16-07-2006 .fr / .it]

- jean-michel espitallier. numeri di re (1 & 2). 2003. 2004 [19-11-2006 .it]

- susana gardner, marco giovenale. a realism. 2006 [30-11-2006 .en]

- mario gerosa (and sam shahrani), convention for the protection of virtual architectural heritage [19/22-10-06 .en]

- marco giovenale. the reader is a radar. notes on leon (and gleize) [13-08-2006 .en]

- jean-marie gleize. il sonetto come mistero formale. 1999 [28-07-2006 .fr / .it]

- johann wolfgang von goethe. curriculum di studi scientifici. 1821 [05-11-2006 .it]

- andreas gursky. 99 cents [13-07-2006]

- helmut heissenbuttel. da testi 1-2-3. 1962 [29-06-2006 .it]

- helmut heissenbuttel. da testi 1-2-3. II. 1962 [26-10-2006 .it]

- jukka-pekka kervinen, marco giovenale. unprint [27-08-2006 .en]

- jon leon. diphasic rumors. 2005 [28-07-2006 .en+.it]

- k.silem mohammad. from deer head nation. 2003. II [05-10-2006 .en / .it]

- k.silem mohammad. from deer head nation. 2003. I [03-12-2006 .en / .it]

- omero. iliade, II 493-760 [08-10-2006 .it]

- massimo orgiazzi. da la stanza cinese. 2005 [15-10-2006 .it]

- adriano padua. da frazioni. 2005 [14-12-2006 .it]

- arthur rimbaud. da les illuminations. 1886 [29-10-2006 .fr. / .it]

- edoardo sanguineti. laborintus, 5. 1956 [26-11-2006 .it]

- steven shearer. poems. 2005 [19-08-2006 .en]

- éric suchère. dans un temps pas encore. 2006 [21-09-2006 .fr / .it]

- do-ho suh. who am we? [21-07-2006]

- rodrigo toscano. clues (manoscritto). [05-07-2006 .en]

- elisabeth workman; barbara campbell. fragment 15 from a city_ a cloud [27-09-2006 .en]

- michele zaffarano. war games. [11-09-2006 .en]

…and more:

guy debord [29-06-06], dusi/e-chap [03-08-06], flux for gammm [08-08-2006], jpk’s opeb [04-07-06], bill viola [01-10-06], esse zeta atona’s opeb [22-10-06], frasi = sentences = phrases [29-10-06], jeff wall [09-11-06], christian boltanski [12-11-2006], choose/Duchamp [31-12-2006]

all works from: birch libralato gallery, los angeles.

Oh Lovely TV Lulu, Show Me Thy Fully Busty TV Tutu, Thy Fully Fluffy TV Tush, Thy Slutty UK TV Eye

Milli Vanilli, Tears For Fears, Oasis,
The Feelies, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Fun Boy Three,
Yes, TV on the Radio, Small Faces,
They Might Be Giants, Ween, Tenacious D,

Pere Ubu, Yo La Tengo, Alabama,
Velvet Revolver, Toto, Bow Wow Wow,
Of Montreal, a-ha, Bananarama,
Vetiver, Mott the Hoople, Henry Cow,

Menomena, The Go! Team, Mr Mister,
The Doobie Brothers, Hoobastank, Sublime,
Wet Willie, Kajagoogoo, Twisted Sister,
Hole, Animal Collective, Nifelheim,

The Slits, The Strokes, The Fugs, The Fools, The Fall,
The Who, The Move, The The, The Eels, The Call.

[Sonnet 40 (“Take all my loves, my love, yea take them all”)]

For those who aren’t familiar with my Sonnagrams project, I take Shakespeare’s Sonnets, scramble the letters with an anagram generator, then rearrange the scrambled letters into an all-new sonnet in iambic pentameter with the English rhyme scheme.  Once I’ve managed to create the sonnet, all leftover letters are used to make a title. K. Silem Mohammad

Per quelli che non sanno niente del mio progetto Sonnagrams, prendo i Sonetti di Shakespeare, ne mischio le lettere con un generatore di anagrammi e, quindi, riordino le lettere mischiate in un sonetto nuovo di zecca in pentametri giambici secondo le schema di rime inglese. Una volta che sono riuscito a creare il sonetto, tutte le lettere avanzate vengono usate per fare il titolo. K. Silem Mohammad

You could say that characters in The Bible were obsessed
 with hiding their nakedness

I touch the leg of the table with the toe of my foot

The child searches in a drawer for the damaged toy

Feeling of love were impaired by excessive anxiety

I put in my order for the butcher before it gets too late
 & the holidays are “upon us” or so they say

You can wear the same clothing every day & no one cares

She complains that she spends too much time making herself
 beautiful while he just picks up the clothing he
 wore yesterday from the floor & doesn’t even
 bother washing his face or combing his hair

I hear a rooster cry at dawn from someone’s roof

I experience an epiphany, I’m not what you might call handy

There’s a dead seal on the beach & a fishing boat
 on the horizon

The guy downstairs complains about a leak when I take a shower

Some people don’t mind if you take them for granted

She can’t break up with her boyfriend until she knows
 she has another waiting in the wings

It’s hard to love anyone who holds a grudge

I wear my compromises over my mask

My deficiencies won’t add up, no ice no drink

The shades of night toss their dilapidated forms over my
 shoulders like a Ukrainian shawl

Women with kerchiefs, a family with stroller, her equestrian
 thoughts ride into the sunset

Think of A’s love for B in terms of the needs of A for whom
 B provides the promise of immediate gratification

The sun goes down in my mirror where I address myself not as
 “I” but as a you who exists outside me & can’t think

I thought I’d take time out from my work to make a call
 but as soon as I heard her voice I hung up

A 16-year old student has been charged as an adult with
 attempted murder & unlawful use of a weapon in the
 shooting of a teacher who ordered him to stop smoking

Seek out a stranger to alleviate desire but don’t call her
 back––she might be “busy tonight”

It seems like you might as well have a drink to loosen you up

In the summer of 1964 I lived in a bungalow in Far Rockawaay
 with my girlfriend, her father & her baby

“She’s not here now––she’s never here––who should I say
 called?”

It strikes me: it strikes me that I repeat everything twice in
 my life, & keep repeating, without acknowledging my
 mistakes

Some people keep love at a distance because they’re frightened of
 being hurt but it’s hard to be on the outside looking in at
 your own life or perpetually standing on the edge of
 things with no where to go
 
We thought the matinee began at 3 but when we arrived it was
 intermission

People meet on a blind date & eventually get married for the sake
 of discretion (“my parents wanted me to”)

You find out what interests you, but don’t do it––no yet,
 anyway––since it’s more interesting to put it all off
 till tomorrow, to let things slide, to trap the thought
 in its beauty like a tiger in a cage & watch it climb the
 walls & disfigure itself out of sheer helplessness

You map out a theory of knowledge & watch it dissolve like an
 integer divided by itself, but turned on their sides
 the numbers look like songs

You pretend to work hard so others will leave you alone

You talk to strangers & megalomaniacs, you read books you
 read before.

You prefer pieces of paper with words on them to people, but
 that phase passes

You identify with the three outside your window: all my family
 makes a home here but the branches are obscure, even
 to me

You sing a judicious symphony like a necklace of amber beads

A half-dressed man leans out the window & shouts to his
 girlfriend on the sidewalk

A police car with a loud speaker announces a reward for any
 information leading to the arrest & conviction of a person
 who shot a policeman

I was working in the library at Columbia University & we met
 during my lunch hour on the steps of Grant’s Tomb

Tumblers on the tray bisect the light of the immigrant wager
 which we place on the tongue to taste the snow, the rain
 & the spray which from yonder fountain alights on our
 faces

There’s a bracelet close to her skin that resembles ivy but if
 I touch it I fear my heart might grow numb

The specialty of the house wasn’t on the menu but you could
 request it from the waiter, the waitress or maitre d’ who
 would bow down & kiss your knees out of a desire to
 give pleasure

Love is no solution to fear, the touch of a hand in the dark,
 nor the flowers, nor the beating of the wings against
 the screen

A job that represses your sexual instincts may be just what
 You need

“Don’t wait up for me” is something I might have said
 but when I returned the bed was a talisman
 of crumbs & plaster

They say there was a lot of rain & possible flooding before
 we came: they tell us we brought the bad weather with us

Tell us what remains of desire, as you know it

All the swings in the park are taken, all the benches broken,
 let’s sit here

There’s a jail across the border where they’ll take us when
 we get out of hand & from which we can see the evening
 star, a symbol of persistence of desire

All they do is torture us, behold us in wonder at out
 beauty,  desiring to subjugate us because we’re so unlike
 them in our sweet ways,  & even our most muddled
 intuitions are wiser than the vows of militancy
 the concoct

I go to the prison of the practical world to take care of
 business

I look up my name in the index but it isn’t listed

She was born & died before my time but if she were alive
 today we might have been pals

Bodies intermingle in a subway car––I stare covertly at legs,
 arms, eyes

I collect the wood & light the coals, but the wood is wet & I
 Have to use a whole box of blue tips just to keep
 It going

I plant the symbol of order, Neptune’s trident, on the opposite
 side of the archipelago & set forth under warm skies to a
 new terrain, spellbound by the possibilities of the future
 & the shadows of the strange birds hanging motionless
 on the horizon, but I don’t know the name of the boat
 I’m aboard––it’s like a shadow of some other boat
 that went  down in the storm off the Isle of Good Hope,
 where promises of love were made only to be broken
 the next day, where marriage vows were spoken
 in the shadows of an empty cathedral, where friends
 & relatives gathered to wish you well––could
 anyone of them, or you, predict
 this spell of cold weather
 we’ve been having recently?

All the objects in the world won’t unlock the door to the
 present where daylight strips us of night’s desire
 & a voice riding the airwaves whispers into the fog:
 don’t lose heart

When I close my eyes I can see the after-image of the light
 of the candle like the face in a dream, you are my
 shadow

—- 

BASSIFONDI ATLANTICI

Si potrebbe dire che i personaggi della Bibbia cerchino ossessivamente di celare la loro
 nudità

Tocco la gamba del tavolo con il dito del piede

Il bimbo cerca in un cassetto il giocattolo rotto

I sentimenti d’amore venivano menomati da un eccesso d’ansia

Ordino della carne al macellaio prima che sia troppo tardi & le feste “ci piombino
 addosso” come si suol dire

Puoi metterti tutti i giorni gli stessi vestiti & non gliene importa niente a nessuno

Lei si lamenta di metterci troppo tempo a farsi bella mentre lui
 semplicemente tira su dal pavimento
 i vestiti che indossava ieri & non si preoccupa
 nemmeno di lavarsi la faccia o pettinarsi

Sento un gallo che piange all’alba dal tetto di qualcuno

È per me un’epifania, non sono quello che si direbbe un tuttofare

C’è una foca morta sulla spiaggia & un peschereccio all’orizzonte

Il tipo al piano di sotto si lamenta di una perdita quando faccio la doccia

Ad alcuni non dispiace se li dai per scontati

È una che un ragazzo non lo molla se prima non è sicura di averne un altro che l’aspetta

È dura amare qualcuno che porta rancore

Indosso i miei compromessi sopra la maschera

Le mie carenze non si sommano l’una all’altra, niente ghiaccio niente bibita

Le ombre della notte mi gettano sulle spalle le loro forme cadenti come uno scialle
 ucraino

Donne con fazzoletti in testa, una famiglia con passeggino, i suoi pensieri equestri
 cavalcano dentro al tramonto

Pensa all’amore di A per B come al bisogno di A, cui B fornisce la promessa
 d’immediata soddisfazione

Il sole cala nel mio specchio dove mi rivolgo a me stesso non come a “io” ma come a un
 “tu” che esiste fuori di me & non può pensare

Ho pensato di fare una pausa dal lavoro per fare una chiamata ma appena ho sentito la
 sua voce ho riattaccato

Uno studente sedicenne è stato incriminato come un adulto di tentato omicidio & uso
 illecito di arma da fuoco per aver sparato a un insegnante
 che gli aveva ordinato di smettere di fumare

Cerca una sconosciuta per alleviare il desiderio ma non richiamare lei—potrebbe “essere
 impegnata”

A quanto pare tanto varrebbe che bevessi qualcosa per rilassarti

Nell’estate del 1964 abitavo in un bungalow a Far Rockaway con la mia ragazza, suo
 padre & il suo bambino

“In questo momento non c’è—non c’è mai—chi devo dire che ha chiamato?”

Mi colpisce: mi colpisce che ripeta tutto due volte nella mia vita, & continui a ripetere,
 senza ammettere i miei errori

Alcuni tengono l’amore a distanza perché hanno paura di starci male
 ma è dura dall’esterno guardar dentro alla propria vita
 o starsene perpetuamente al margine delle cose
 senza un posto dove andare

Pensavamo che lo spettacolo pomeridiano cominciasse alle 3 ma quando siamo arrivati
 c’era l’intervallo

La gente si incontra con un appuntamento al buio & alla fine si sposa per discrezione (“i
 miei genitori volevano che mi sposassi”)

Trovi quello che t’interessa, ma non lo fai—perlomeno, non ancora—perché
 è più interessante rimandare tutto a domani, lasciar scivolar via
 le cose, intrappolare il pensiero nella sua bellezza come una
 tigre in gabbia & l’osservi mentre si arrampica sui muri
 & si deturpa per pura inettitudine

Metti a punto una teoria della conoscenza & l’osservi mentre si dissolve
 come un numero intero diviso per se stesso, ma visti di lato
 i numeri sembrano canzoni

Fingi di lavorar sodo così gli altri ti lasciano in pace

Parli agli sconosciuti & ai megalomani, leggi libri che hai già letto

Preferisci pezzetti di carta con parole indirizzate alla gente, ma questa è una fase che
 passa

T’identifichi con l’albero che c’è fuori della finestra: tutta la mia famiglia si fa una casa
 qui ma i rami sono oscuri, persino per me

Canti una sinfonia assennata come una collana di perline d’ambra

Un uomo mezzo svestito si sporge dalla finestra & urla alla sua ragazza sul marciapiede

Una volante della polizia con un altoparlante comunica che c’è una ricompensa per
 qualunque informazione che conduca all’arresto & alla condanna di una persona
 che ha sparato a un poliziotto

Lavoravo in biblioteca alla Columbia University & ci siamo incontrati durante la pausa
 del pranzo sulle scalinate della Tomba di Grant

I bicchieri sul vassoio bisecano la luce dell’ostia immigrante che mettiamo
 sulla lingua per assaporare la  neve, la pioggia & lo spruzzo
 che da quella fontana ci si posa sulla faccia

C’ha un braccialetto sulla pelle che assomiglia all’edera ma se lo tocco ho paura che il
 cuore mi si indurisca  

La specialità della casa non era sul menù ma potevi  chiederla al cameriere, alla cameriera
 o al maître d’hotel che avrebbe fatto un inchino & mosso dalla voglia di procurati
 piacere ti avrebbe baciato le ginocchia

L’amore non è una soluzione di cui si debba avere paura, né del tocco di una mano al
 buio, né dei fiori, né dello sbattere delle ali contro lo schermo

Un lavoro che reprima i tuoi istinti sessuali può essere proprio quello che ti serve

“Non aspettarmi” è qualcosa che avrei potuto dire ma quando sono tornato il letto era un
 talismano di briciole & intonaco

Dicono che ci siano state molta pioggia & possibili inondazioni prima che venissimo: ci
 dicono che abbiamo portato il maltempo

Dicci cosa resta del desiderio, secondo te

Tutte le altalene nel parco sono occupate, tutte le panchine rotte, sediamoci qui

C’è una prigione dall’altra parte del confine dove ci porteranno quando saremo fuori
 controllo & da cui potremo vedere la stella della sera, un simbolo della
 persistenza del desiderio

Il peggio che possano fare è torturarci, ci contemplano pieni d’ammirazione per la nostra
 bellezza, col desiderio di soggiogarci perché siamo così diversi da loro con i
 nostri modi gentili, & perfino le nostre intuizioni più confuse sono più sagge dei
 giuramenti di militanza che loro escogitano

Vado alla prigione del mondo pratico per sistemare le cose

Cerco il mio nome nell’indice ma non è sulla lista

È nata & morta prima ch’io venissi al mondo ma se oggi fosse viva avremmo potuto
 essere amici

Corpi si mischiano in un vagone della metropolitana – fisso di nascosto gambe, braccia,
 occhi

Raccolgo la legna & do fuoco al carbone, ma la legna è bagnata & devo usare un’intera
 scatola di fiammiferi solo per tenerlo acceso

Pianto il simbolo dell’ordine, il tridente di Nettuno, dalla parte opposta
 dell’arcipelago & mi metto in viaggio sotto cieli caldi verso
 una nuova terra, ammaliato dalle possibilità del futuro
 & dalle ombre degli strani uccelli appesi immobili
 all’orizzonte, ma non so il nome della barca
 su cui mi trovo – è come l’ombra di
 qualche altra barca affondata nella tempesta
 al largo dell’isola di Buona Speranza, dove si facevano promesse
 d’amore solo per infrangerle il giorno dopo, dove si pronunciavano
 voti matrimoniali tra le ombre di una cattedrale vuota, dove amici
 & parenti si riunivano per farti gli auguri—qualcuno
 di loro, o tu stesso, avrebbe potuto prevedere
 queste giornate di freddo
 che abbiamo avuto di recente?

Nessun oggetto del mondo ci schiuderà la porta del presente dove la luce del giorno ci
 toglie il desiderio della notte & una voce che cavalca le radioonde
 sussurra tra la nebbia:
 Non scoraggiarti

Quando chiudo gli occhi posso vedere l’immagine postuma della luce
 della candela come la faccia in un sogno, tu sei la mia
 ombra

[Traduzione di Francesca Leardini. In: Nuova poesia americana. New York / a cura di Luigi Ballerini, Gianluca Rizzo e Paul Vangelisti, Mondadori, 2009]

My first rule in art-making: the work must have being, presence.
Second rule: it must be strong and beautiful. Third: it must be positive.
Metaphors for the work: energy object.
The real thing that brings real smiles.

John McCracken

[from: John McCracken, Almine Rech Éditions, Paris, 2000. Image: two McCracken works from Documenta XII, Kassel, 2007.]

Similarly, whereby the current polarization
Holds out little hope for lasting revision

*

Meanwhile tragedy outgrows its religious
Origins in an effort to encompass

*

A dip in air pressure, the sense that daylight
Has slipped from its porch onto the grassy night

*

Need, ambition, unrest, and one-dimensional
Thinking latticed on a horizon of metaphysical

*

Rather than its extension by mutual process
Into means, and thence the directory of endless

*

Aquamaniles used to come in colorful guises
People and monsters joined in practical devices

*

In circuitous like memory in a snake.
You follow the coastline for several miles, then forsake

*

A large patch of dandelions, the sense that light
Has curled back into the eye—a figment of sight

*

A theory may be true and also a puzzle
As good weather includes an occasional light drizzle

*

Carthwheeled bolted to the explosion that worked
By individual decoy which for once unfrocked

*

The way “blue sky” is an appropriate term
Emitting a clear redundancy, like a germ

*

As beautiful as a jar that holds the beautiful
For centuries—or until the idea is full

*

All landscape and consequently all distance
Are wings, to which the essential substance

*

Raspberries being the perverse lacrymae
Confusing time and space. As for civic decay

—

QUATTORDICI POESIE

Similmente; per cui grazie all’attuale polarizzazione
Restano ben poche speranze di una revisione duratura

*

Intanto nel tentativo di coinvolgere la tragedia
Trascende le sue origini religiose

*

Uno calo nella pressione dell’aria, l’impressione che la luce
del giorno scivoli via dalla veranda per raggiungere la notte erbosa

*

Bisogno, ambizione, irrequietezza, e il pensiero a una dimensione
sagomato come una grata lungo un orizzonte di metafisica

*

Al posto di un’estensione trasformata in mezzo grazie a un
Processo reciproco, e a partire da lì l’elenco degli infiniti

*

Una volta di aquamanile se ne facevano d’ogni tipo e colore
Gente e mostri riuniti in pratici accorgimenti

*

Tortuosa come in un serpente la memoria.
Per parecchie miglia segui la costa, poi l’oblio

*

Un bel pezzo di prato coperto di denti di leone, impressione di una
luce rincantuciata nell’occhio—un fantasma della vista

*
Non si esclude che una teoria possa essere vera o anche un rovello
Così come il bel tempo non esclude una pioggerella di tanto in tanto

*

Piroettato inchiodato all’esplosione che ha funzionato
da parte di una finta che almeno una volta si è tolta

*

Il modo in cui “cielo azzurro” deve dirsi esatta definizione
capace di trasmettere , come un virus, una non equivocabile ridondanza

*

Bella quanto un’anfora che contiene il Bello
Per secoli e secoli—o finché l’idea resta piena

*

L’intero paesaggio e pertanto l’intera distanza
sono ali, delle quali la sostanza essenziale

*

Essendo i lamponi lachrymae perverse in cui vengono
confusi spazio e tempo. Quanto poi al civico decadimento

[Traduzione di Luigi Ballerini. In: Nuova poesia americana. New York / a cura di Luigi Ballerini, Gianluca Rizzo e Paul Vangelisti, Mondadori, 2009]