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Press conference & 2 Inches
Across the conference room at Hotel Prindsen a banner was suspended reading ‘Life consists of details’.
Of the ten international artists participating in the Festival of Fantastics, eight attended the press conference: Ben Vautier, Eric Andersen, Ann Noël, Philip Corner, Geoffrey Hendricks, Robert Watts, Alison Knowles and Emmett Williams. Anne Tardos and Jackson Mac Low arrived later.
The artists were cheerful and talkative; especially Ben Vautier who elaborated extensively and humorously on the tale of Fluxus. Despite Ben Vautier’s never ending torrent of words, all the artists got a chance to reflect on their understanding of Fluxus and how the spirit of Fluxus was present in their individual praxis.
The Danish press was well represented, and Emmett Williams noted that reporters far outnumbered the audience of the first Fluxus festival in Wiesbaden in 1962.
2 Inches
Impatient to get the festival started, Bob Watts’ work Two Inches was performed in front of Hotel Prindsen after the press conference. The score for the performance instructs the performers to stretch a piece of 2 inch ribbon across a stage and eventually to cut the ribbon.
With no ribbon available, Ben Vautier and Alison Knowles held either end of a long piece of receipt paper from a cash register and with no stage in the immediate proximity, they stretched the paper across the street. This action brought cars and trucks to a halt, while cyclists simply ducked underneath.
However, impatient drivers drove through the temporary barrier before the performers managed to end the performance by cutting the ribbon.
1985
17:00 PRESS CONFERENCE ar the Hotel and supper afterwards.
Ben Vautier, of course, dominated the meeting. I’ve never met him before, though I have heard plenty of stories about him and he certainly lived up to his reputation as “art entertainer.” Everyone managed to get their 2 cents in though, including myself, and whereas Ben was making detrimental remarks about some people’s work, I agreed pretty much with a lot he said about what he thought Fluxus was. “Was” being the operative word.
- Ann Noël in her diary, May 1985
April 6th, 2009
After a long time of holding forth i finally interrupted Ben’s harangue, saying directly to the press, “Don’t listen to a word he says. He always says the same old thing and it is all wrong.” and things of that kind. I think Ben kind of liked that.
April 6th, 2009
Performing is not egotism.
Creativity is not egotism.
Imagination is not egotisme.
Competence is not egotism.
Dedication is not egotism.
Generosity is not egotism.
Enthusiasm is not egotism.
Ecstasy is not egotism.