The Kaprow Happenings

Yesterday (5/29) I helped create a "happening," coordinated by Museum of Contemporary Art and Nancy Keystone of Critical Mass Performance Group.  I helped Nancy as she re-envisioned one of Allan Kaprow's Happenings titled "Pose". 

 

Happenings, a term coined by Allan Kaprow in the late 1950s, define an art form in which an action is extracted from the environment, replacing the traditional art object with a performative gesture rooted in the movements of everyday life. "What is a Happening? A game, an adventure, a number of activities engaged in by participants for the sake of playing." –Allan Kaprow

 

From 4-8pm a small group of us moved a chair across the city of Angels (along Sunset Blvd. from downtown to the ocean).  Using primarily the #2 bus-line, we hopped out periodically along the way to offer passer-bys the chance to sit in the chair and have their Polaroid taken.  Two shots were taken:  one was left at the site and another will be used later by Nancy in a final presentation about the Happening.

 

Besides being quite fun, I was struck with the willingness of most people to participate.  Yes, we weren't asking much of them -- but I tend to assume the worst.  Is it a scam?  Am I being Punk'd and where is Ashton?  etc. etc.   Almost every single person we approached participated in Pose and seemed happy to do so.  A break in the monotony.

 

Today, somewhere in LA, Polariod pictures of random people lie along Sunset as evidence that on that street-corner, that bus-stop, that sidewalk, etc.... someone was here and something happened, and most importantly, they were not alone in it all.

 

Thanks to MOCA and the wonderful Ms. Keystone for this.  "Art as the simple-things-in-life" is a nice reminder of how simple it can be.