Merideth Monk. Going so far, in one instance, as to create a picket line at the premiere of German composer, Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Originale on Sept. 8th, 1964. This particular event was very divisive within the Fluxus movement and called into question the allegiance of many of the artist who crossed the line (wikipedia.com/Fluxus). This anti-art aesthetic produced such works, as “Ice Cream Piece 1966” by Albert M. Fine: performer buys an ice cream cone, then a) eats it b) gives it to a stranger c) waits it till it melts completely, then eats the cone or d) on finishing the piece buys another ice cream cone; and “Music for my Son, date unknown” Jed Curtis: do not prepare for the performance and even try to forget that in a short time you will be performing. When the time of the performance comes, simply do something appropriate”(wqxr.org). Pieces like these aim at a concept engendered in the artists by John Cage.
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This idea is clearly an influence on the work of Pauline Oliveros. Her Sonic Meditations (published in 1974) bear a resemblance to the Fluxus pieces in their instructional format, but seem to have a slightly different aim. Monk’s approach to her work seems to have at least a similar aim, if not the same, as Oliveros. In this way she differs from much of the Fluxus artists. Fluxus pieces seem to have a political or sociological bent. They try and turn the audience on their head by presenting something very far-out of the normal conception of art. Monk, on the other hand, doesn’t adhere to this approach, but the exposure to such varied and unconventional works certainly provided a rich foundational compost from which she could fashion works that would be unimpeded by traditional ideas of what art should look
This idea is clearly an influence on the work of Pauline Oliveros. Her Sonic Meditations (published in 1974) bear a resemblance to the Fluxus pieces in their instructional format, but seem to have a slightly different aim. Monk’s approach to her work seems to have at least a similar aim, if not the same, as Oliveros. In this way she differs from much of the Fluxus artists. Fluxus pieces seem to have a political or sociological bent. They try and turn the audience on their head by presenting something very far-out of the normal conception of art. Monk, on the other hand, doesn’t adhere to this approach, but the exposure to such varied and unconventional works certainly provided a rich foundational compost from which she could fashion works that would be unimpeded by traditional ideas of what art should look