Happening

The Happening ( from english to happen happened, ') is next Fluxus one of the most important forms of performance art of the 1960s. A Happening is an impromptu event directly with the audience. One of the early forms of happenings is the décollage. These include throwing objects into the audience, Exhibitionism, blood and color orgies, destroying, tearing, get dirty objects. The aim is caused by a wide variety of actions shock effect on an audience that is included in the event. This is part of the artist conceived action. It is included with the artistic actions, the sequence of events is not fixed from the outset. Depending on the reaction of the audience can be improvised differently (where happenings are rarely completely improvised, but certainly be rehearsed before). It follows also that Happenings have no fixed time frame usually, often knows the audience does not even know when the happening is finished. Another feature of the happenings is the use of various objects and their random or Wanted juxtaposition, which is also a fundamental principle of Surrealism.

History

The term was first used in 1959 by Allan Kaprow for an action in New York's Reuben Gallery, which consisted of 18 Happenings in six parts. There were between three rooms, which were separated by plastic film and in which at the same time expired happened. However, Kaprow had already used the term in his 1958 essay published " The Legacy of Jackson Pollock ," where he designs a forecast for the art of the post- Pollock generation.

The aim of the Happenings artists was to expand the traditional concept of art and to connect art with everyday life. This should clear the people everyday activities and are thereby abstracted. The boundary between Fluxus and Happening can not be defined exactly, because some artists are based on two forms of action and participate.

Happening and Fluxus in the Rhineland in the 1960s

In the 1960s, a comprehensive and revolutionary cultural and intellectual movement that was predominantly to experience self-confident and committed by people such as Joseph Beuys, Wolf Vostell and the Korean artist Nam June Paik, Cologne and revolutionized the art developed in the Federal Republic. The happenings that created by their provocative motivation critical time confessions quickly met with a band of followers. The extravagance, the political and sociological references and visionary prophecies were ingredients of the happenings of Vostell. These events, which included all the sense in the Happening and Fluxus in the concerts, the commitment of Beuys and Vostell, the luminaries of the art evolution, were still unacceptable to many art lovers at this time.

The Happening and Fluxus activists were convinced of the ability of people to draw with the participation of the happenings and Fluxus actions, even from their own resources and the "perfect" through creativity. Audience participation is a part of the happenings. Free and autonomous Beuys, Paik Vostell and stylized in the Rhineland by the developed of them video art happening to known artists. Looking at the international art markets since the 1970s until today, the influence of the Happening and Fluxus movement is obvious manifold.

The nature and the means of expression of many works of art that adorns galleries, often pay homage to, without intending it, the pioneers of this in the 1960s, acting in Rheinland Happenings, Fluxus and video artist with a tribute.

Known representatives

Allan Kaprow, John Cage, George Brecht, Joseph Beuys, Bazon Brock, Wolf Vostell, Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, Claes Oldenburg, Robin Page, Robert Whitman, Robert Rauschenberg, Red Grooms, Jim Dine, Al Hansen, Robert Jasper Grootveld.