‘The Publisher wishes wo acknowledge vith grautude the generous support of he Lannan Foundation in funding the Lannan Series of Contemporary Art Crtcom, = which is devoted to presenting the writing of contemporary crits a8 well as that of carly waiters who belped co shape contemporary artic 1 ‘Sadakichi Hartmann: Critical Modernie edited by Jane Calhoun Weaver u The Hydrogen Jukebox: Selected Writings of Peter Scheldahl edited by MaLin Wilion m Allan Kaprow, Essay on the Blurring of Art and Life edited by Jef Kelley ESSAYS ON THE BLURRING OF ART AND. LIFE ok ALLAN KAPROW NY 504 Edited by Jeff Kelley Kae 1992 : THIS MATERIAL MAY Ne perecieD BY COPYRIGHT LAW (Title 17 U.S. Code} a\or UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS HEURELEY LOSANGELES. LONDONUniversity of California Pres Berkley and Los Angele, California Universi of California Press, Lad ‘London, England {© 105 by Allon Kaprow Library of Congres Cataloging in Publication Dat Kaprow, Allan. Furpe onthe Muvring af aan i Allan Kapen: eited by Je Kale cn — (Lanna seer of consrporary art crim + 3) Tacludes biographical references td index ISBN 0520.070664 LAr, American. 2 Ars, Modern—20thcentury—Unied State Kel, Jol. Te. TM. Seren, AGES 1983 73730504520 3.18060 Printed inthe United Stes of America Peres 4a 2T “The pape ue in this pubeaion meee the minimum requirement of ‘American National Sandard for Information Sciences—Prmanence of Paper (or Printed Libary Materia, ANSI 39481986. CONTENTS Liat of tluctratione Acknowledgments Introduction THE FIFTIES ‘The Legacy of Jackon Pollock (1958) [Notes on the Creation of Teal Ar (1958) ‘THE SIXTIES ‘Happenings in the New York Scene (1961) Impurity (1963) ‘The Artis as a Man ofthe World (1964) ‘The Happenings Are Dead: Long Live the Happenings! (1966) Experimental Art (1966) Manifesto (1966) Pinpointing Happenings (1967) ‘The Shape ofthe Art Environment (1968) ‘THE SEVENTIES ‘The Education of the Un-Actit Part 1 (1971) ‘The Education of the Un- Arti, Part I (1972) Doctor MD (1973) ‘The Education ofthe Un-Artit, Part II (1974) Video Art: Olé Wine, New Botte (1974) Formalism: Flogging « Dead Luvs (1974) Nonthestrieal Performance (1976) Participation Performance (1977) Performing Life (1979) 15 2 6 ae & 8 ” ny 0 8 4 6 8THE EIGHTIES “The Real Experiment (1983) ‘Art Which Can't Be Art (1980) Right Living 1987) ‘THE NINETIES “The Meaning of Life (1980) Selected Bibliography of Allan Kaprow’s Writings on Are Index 29 a3 ae 27 10. a, ILLUSTRATIONS Jackson Pollock in his studio 1950. Photograph by Hans ‘Namath, copyright 1990, Allan Kaprow in The Apple Shrine, 1960. Photograph by Robert MeBiroy Allan Kaprow A Spring Happening, 1961. Photograph by Robert McElroy Robert Whitman, American Moon, 1960. Photograph by Robert McElroy Jim Dine, Car Cras, 1960, Photograph by Robert McEleoy Piet Mondtian, Composition 2, 1922. Oil on canvas, 20" x 214% Solomon R. Guyyenicin Museu. Photograph by David Heal, copyright The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York FN 51.1309 ‘Myron S. Stout, Untied (No.4), 1936. Oil on canvas, 26" 18 The Carnegie Museum of Art, Pitsbargh. Gift of Leland Hazard, SB.3 Jackson Pollock, Compastion 32, 1950. Copyright 1992 ARS, New York/The Pllork- Krasner Foundation, New York, and VG Bild-Kunst, Bona. Photograph by Walter Klein, courtey Kunstarmmlung Nordrhein: Westfalen ‘Barnett Newman, Vir Hericus Sublims, 1950~51 canvas, 114°% 17°94", Collection, The Museum of ‘Modera Art, New York, Gift of Mr. and Mrs, Ben Heller Allan Kaprow, Howhold, 196, near Ithaca, New York. Photograph by Sol Goldberg ‘A participant in Allan Kaprow's Record, 1967, near ‘Austin, Texas, Photograph by Howard Smagula 3 2 36 38 a 86Notes on the Creation of a Total Art (1958) Teas been inconceivable until recently to think of the arts as anything. ‘ther than separate disciplines, united at a given moment of history cnly by vaguely parallel philosophical objectives. During certain pe- Fiods in the West, notably the Middle Ages in the atmosphere and ritual of the church, the atts found a certain theological harmony—a blending perhaps, but not a total unity. Painting, music, architecture, ceremony—were each an identifiable genre. With the advent of the Renaissance, an emphasis on unique personal styles led to more spe- alization. Conscious thoughts sbout a tral act did not emerge until ‘Wagner and, later, the Symbolist. But these were modeled on the carlic examples of the church: essentially hierarchies of the several arts organized by master directors. The Baubaut experiments contin tued this approach, only modernizing the forms and subject mater. ‘A total art could not come about this way. A new concept and new 0 were necessary. ‘Art forms developed over along period and articulated to a high degree are not amenable to mixture: they are self-sufficient so their cohesiveness and range of expression are concerned, But bypass “art” and take nature itself as a model or point of departure. ‘we may be able to devise a different kind of art by first putting together 4 molecule out ofthe sensory sttt of ordinary le: the green of a leaf, the sound of a bird, the ough pebbles under one’ feet, the Ftering past of a butterfly. Each of these occurs in time and space and is, perfectly natural and infinitely flexible. From such a rudimentary yet ‘wonderful event, a principle of the materials and organization of a creative form can be built. To begin, we admit the usefulness of any subject matter or experience whatsoever. Then we juxtapose this ma- terial—ican be known oF invented, “concrete” ur “abntsaet” =o pro- duce the structure and body of our own work. For instance, if we join a literal space and a painted space, and these two spaces to sound, we achieve the “right” relationship by considering each component a quantity and quality on an imaginary scale. So much of such and such color is juxtaposed to so much ofthis or that type of sound. The “balance” (if one wants to call that) i primarily an environmental one. ‘Whether itis art depends on how deeply involved we become with elements of the whole and how fresh these elements are (as though they were “natural,” like the sudden Autering by of the butterfly) when they occur nest to one another Paradoxically, this idea of a total art has grown from attempts to ‘extend the possiblities of one of the forms of painting, collage, which has led us unknowingly toward reecting painting in any form, with: ‘out, however, eliminating the use of paint. In fact, the theory, being Ferible, does not say how much of one element or another must be ‘sed, Because Ihave come from painting, my present work is definitely weighted in a visual direction while the sounds and odors are less complex. Any of these aspects of our tastes and experiences may be favored. There ie no rule that saye all mut be equal. Although T expect that in the furure a greater equivalence of these different senses will reduce the role thatthe visual side now plays in my own work, this results not necessriy desirable for another artist. Any moment taken at random from life may have differently accented components: we ‘may be primarily aware sometimes of the great number of sounds produced by « waterfall und a other tines of the penetrating odor of gasoline. Someone trained as a composer may begin to create in this new art form by showing a preference for sounds over odors, but this person a the same time, will not be dealing simply with the older art ‘of music, any more than Thelieve Tam engaged inthe arte of painting, seulpture or architecture. In the present exhibition [Allan Kaprow: An Exhibition, Hansa Gallery, New York] we donot come to look a things. We simply enter, are surrounded, and become part of what surrounds us, passively of actively according to our talents for “engagement,” in much the same way that we have moved out of the totality of the street or our home where we also played a part. We ourselves are shapes (though we are ‘not often conscious ofthis fet). We have diferently colored clothing; can move, fee, speak, and observe others variously; and will constantly change the “meaning” of the work by so doing. There is, therefore. anever-ending play of changing conditions between the relatively fixed or “sored” parts of my work and the “unexpected” or undete ained parts, In fact, we may move in and about the work at say pace or in any direction we wish. Likewise, the sounds, the silences, and the spaces between them (their “here-” and “there-"ness) continue throughout the dey with a random sequence or simultancity that ‘makes it posible to experience the whole exhibit differently a different times, These have been composed in such a way a to ofst any desire to ec them in the light of the traditional, closed clea frais uf ar we have knowa them. ‘What has been worked out insted is form that is as open and fluid as the shapes of our everyday experience but does not simply imitate them. I believe chat this form places a much greatee tesponsi- bility on visitors than they have had before. The “succes” of a work depends on them as well as on the artist If we admit that work that on some daye fil om other days, we may sem to dicegard the enduring and stable and to place an emphasis upon the fragile and impermanent. But one can insist as many have, that only the changing ie really enduring and allelee is whistling inthe dark. PART TWO THE SIXTIESHappenings in the New York Scene (1961) IF you haven't been to the Happenings, letme give you a kaleidoscope suunpling of some of their great moments. Everybody is crowded into a downtown lof. milling about, like at an opening. Its hot. There are lots of big cartons sitting all over the place. One by one they tat to move, sliding and careening drunkenly in every diveetion, Inning into ane another, accompanied by loud breathing sounds over four loudspeakers, Now it's winter and cold and its dark, and all around little blue lights go on and off at their own tpeed while three large brown gunnyzack constructions deag an cnor- ‘mous pile of ice and stones over bumps, losing most of it, and blankets keep falling over everything from the ceiling. A hundred iron bartels tnd galloa wine jugs hanging on ropes swing back and forth, crashing like church bells, spewing glass all over. Suddenly, mushy shapes pop up from the floor and painters slash at curtains dripping with action. ‘A wall uf tces Ged with volored rays avanees on the crowd eaternng everybody, forcing them to leave. There are muslin telephone booths for all with a record player or microphone that tunes you in to every- body else. Coughing, you breathe in noxious fumes, or the smell of hospitals and lemon juice A nude gil runs after the racing pool of a searchlight, throwing spinach greens into it. Slides and movies, pro- jected over walls and people, depict hamburgers: big ones, huge ones, red ones, skinny ones, Aat ones, ete. You come in a9 spectator and ‘maybe you discover you're caught init after all, as you push things around like so much furniture. Words rumble past, whispering, dee- ‘aus, baroom, love me, love me; shadows joggle on screens; power saws and lawn mowers sereech just like the LRT. at Union Square. Tin cans ratle and you stand up to see or change your seat or answer questions shouted at you by shoeshine boys and old ladies. Long si- lences when nething happens, and you'te sore because you paid $1.50 5contribution, when bang! there you are facing yourself in a mirror jammed at you, Listen. A cough from the alley. You giggle beeawe you're afraid, suffer claustrophobia, alk to someone nonchalanly, but all the time you're there, geting into the act... Electric fans star gently wafting breezes of New-Car smell past your nose as leaves bury Piles of a whining, burping, foul, pinky mess. So much for the Bavor. Now I would like to describe the nature cof Happenings in a diferent manner, more analyticaly—their pur- pose and place in art ‘Although widespread opinion has been expressed about these events, usually by those who have never seen them, they are actually Fiule Known beyond a small group of intrested persons. This small following is aware of several diferent kinds of Happenings. There are the sophisticated, wiery works put on by the theater people; the very sparsely abstract, almost Zen-like rituals given by another group (mostly writers and musician); and those in which I am most involved, crude, lyrical, and very spontaneous. This kind grew out of the ad~ vanced American painting ofthe ltt decade, and those of us involved were all painters (or sil are). There ic some beneficial exchange among the three, however. In addition, outside New York there isthe Gutai group in Osaka; reported activity in Sen Francisco, Chicago, Cologne Pais, and Milans and a history that goes back through Susrealism, Dada, Mime, the circus, carnivals, the traveling saltimbanques, all the way to medieval riymery plays and proceaions. OF mist of this we kuow very litle conly the sprit has been sensed. Of what I know. I find that I have decided philosophical reservations. Therefore, the points I make are Antended to represent, not the views ofall those who create Works that might be generically related, or even ofall those whee work ¥ admire, but of those whose works I feel to be the most adventuresome, fruit- fully open to applications andthe most challenging of any atin the sir at present. Happenings are events that, put simply, happen. Though the best of them have a decided impact—that is, we fel, “here is something important”—they appear to go nowhere and do not make any partic- tlar literary point. In contrast to the arts of the past. they have no structured beginning, middle, or end. Their form is open-ended and fluid; nothing obvious is sought and therefore nothing is won, except the certainty of a number of occurrences to which we are more than 6 Fig.3 Allan Kaprow, A Spring Happening, 1951. Photeraph by Robert McEiroy normally atcative, They exist for single performance, or only a few, and are gone forever as new ones take their pace. ‘These events are essentially theater pieces, however unconven- sional. That they are sul largely rejected by devotees of the theater may be due to their uncommon power and primitive energy, and to their derivation from the rites of American Action Painting. But by widening the concept “cheater” to include them (like widening the concept “painting” to include collage), we can tee them against thie basic background and understand them beter. ‘To my way of thinking, Happenings possess some crucial qualities that distinguish them from the usual theatsical works, eveu the exper imental ones of today. First theres the context. the place of conception ‘nd enactment. The most intense and essential Happenings have been | spawned in old lofts, basements, vacant stores, natural surroundings, and the sreet, where very small audiences, or groupe of visitors, are ‘commingled in some way with the event, flowing in and among its parts. There is thus no separation of audience and play (as there is ‘even in round or pit theater); the elevated picture-window view ofmost playhouses is gone, a8 ae the expectations of curtain openings and tableus vinantt and curtain closings ‘The sheer rawness of the out-of-doors or the closeness of dingy city quarters in which the radical Happenings flourish is more appro- priate, believe, i temperament and un-atines, to the materials and directness ofthese works. The place where anything grows up (a eet- tin kind of art in tis case), that is, its “habitat,” gives to it not only a spac, ast of relauonships othe various things around it anda range