Last night Vivid launched Flux-Fest, ‘a season of Fluxus inspired activity featuring rare film, participation, food and performance’.
I’d never heard of the Fluxus movement before and find I cannot begin to attempt a definition after experiencing it because it defies one, as shown by George Maciunas’ headache-inducing Flux family tree, Expanded Arts Diagram.
However I do appreciate Fluxus’ fondness for good food and drink. The tasty dumplings from Feng Ru-Lee’s Secret Recipe was nicely followed by SharedTable’s pretilly boxed gingerbread cocks, a tempting appetiser to their FluxFeast on 9th July. All washed down by Island Bar’s especially-created cocktail Subversion, a surprisingly tasty snot-green concoction served in a variety of strange receptacles.
I only got the full effect of this when I walked out of the room and re-entered to see crowds of arty types talking earnestly whilst drinking out of teapots, squeezy sauce bottles and, in one poor guy’s case, a dogfood bowl. There’s something impish about the spirit of Fluxus which really appeals to me.
Refreshments were followed by playful performances by original Fluxus member Al Hansen’s daughter Bibbe, with her husband Sean Carrillo. This culminated in Car Bibbe, a chaotic orchestra of car horns, revving engines and slamming doors which was great fun to watch and I’m guessing even better to take part.
Flux-Fest continues until 13th July. Try to catch the Re:Flux Fluxconcert at St Paul’s Cathedral tomorrow evening or Flux-Films at Vivid on Saturday if you’re about this weekend. 7 Inch Cinema’s presentation Flummoxed at The Rainbow next Thursday 3rd July also looks pretty promising. See Vivid’s website for details.
