Allan Kaprow

Happenings are probably my favorite form of performance & Kaprow is one of my favorites of the practitioners of the form. He begins this pamphlet w/ this definition:

"A Happening is an assemblage of events performed or perceived in more than one time and place. Its material environments may be constructed, taken over directly from what is available, or altered slightly; just as its activities may be invented or commonplace. A Happening, unlike a stage play, may occur at a supermarket, show more driving along a highway, under a pile of rags, and in a friend's kitchen, either at once or sequentially. If sequentially, time may extend to more than a year. The Happening is performed according to plan but without rehearsal, audience, or repetition. It is art but seems closer to life."

As I recall, the term "happenings" got attached to many people's work who didn't want it there. Jim Dine, maybe? & I'm sympathetic to resisting unwanted labels. However, for me personally, I like the term alot. Keeping the misuse of the term in mind, it shd also be noted that Kaprow's definition above wdn't apply to many, maybe even most, of the events customarily historified as Happenings. Take, eg, "an assemblage of events performed or perceived in more than one time and place" - that probably wasn't usually the case.

One of the many things that I like about Kaprow's version of Happenings is his emphasis on NO AUDIENCE. These events then become shared experiences in wch there's no passive receptivity. I also like Kaprow's emphasis on multiple places & extended times. Basically, the Happening provides a template for breaking one's habits OR, if the habits are the focus of the Happening, the habits can become recontextualized. As for the "art" aspect? That's completely disposable from my perspective. show less

Ha ha! I keep returning to the way the word "anarchy" (& its related forms: anarchist, anarchism, anarchistic) is used by the authors of the works I'm reviewing here. I don't always do it but I like it as a thread. So many bks have the word in it, most authors misuse it (IMO). Being an anarchist, I tend to respect the author's intelligence more if they use the word in a sense I agree w/. Stockhausen, by the by, even though I forgot to mention this in my review of the bk of conversations w/ show more him by Jonathan Cott, used "anarchy" in a rather stupid way. Kaprow writes in "Untitled Essay":

"Anarchy now testifies to the healthiest part of us: our fundamental creative powers."

He says more, but I want to keep the quote short. This essay opens the pamphlet & then descriptions of 3 Happenings follows: "Mushroom", "Paper", & "Interruption". A bk that collects together as much info as possible about every known Happening wd be a cultural document of the utmost importance for me. Get rid of People Magazine & Interview (if either still exist! - I wdn't 'know'). Such a bk shd include Augusta Leigh McDonald's Baltimore Happening of the late 1970s. Now THAT wd be thorough! show less

Allan Kaprow is considered to be the founding father of the Happening, of Environments and Activities: terms that he continued to redefine throughout his career.

With a wide selection of images, this unique large-format publication documents Kaprow’s posters, a lesser-known side of his work, produced between 1953 and 1996.

Most of these posters were designed by Allan Kaprow and are characterized by their aesthetic quality, the earliest ones in particular a combination of hand-lettered text show more and drawings and the later ones of photographs and typographic text in a minimalist style.

More than merely advertising Happenings or Activities, these posters act as scores/tools for the participants to the Happenings and as everyday objects that blur the boundaries between art and life. show less

If you love HAPPENINGS (I do) & have an interest in Assemblage (I do) & love ENVIRONMENTS & know about Kaprow's work then I need say no more. This is a lovingly put together bk of work that was very fresh at the time & work that still thrills me. It's full of fantastic photographs of fantastic events - not just by the people listed in the bk description but many other vital folks as well. There's a picture, eg, of "Rose-Marie Larsson was on the lead end of a 180-foot show more history-of-the-world-in-rags train. Her marriage to the small auromobile followed." Don't see that everyday. show less