Transmisión del calor

fig. 4 Four Fluxus events by Robert Watts, 1963-1964

T h e c o n c e p t io n o f th e a rt o b je c t c o n s id e r e d to b e such b e c a u s e of th e a rtis t's i n v o l v e m e n t , e v id e n t in th e w o rk of D u c h a m p , K le in and M a n z o n i, a n d t h a t o f th e a rt o b je c t b e in g th a t w h i c h is s i t u a t e d in a p a r t ic u la r fr a m e , a p p a r e n t in th e " n o n - a r t e x p e r i e n c e s " w ith in F lux u s p e r fo r m a n c e s , is a m a lg a m a t e d in th e e x a m p le o f t h e G e rm a n artist J o s e p h B e u y s . T h o u g h a llie d to th e F lu x u s m o v e m e n t , B e uys a d v a n c e d a r e c o n c e iv e d n o tio n o f a rt i n e x t r ic a b ly b o u n d up w i t h th e p a r t ic u la r c ir c u m s t a n c e s o f his life, to th e e x te n t th a t he e s t a b l is h e d 'F l u x u s Zon e W e s t' in 1 9 6 7 as a b o d y c o n c e r n e d w ith "th e s itu a tio n o f w e s t e r n m a n " 09, a p ro je c t s o m e w h a t m ore c le a rly d e fin e d th an a n y th a t m ig h t be a ttr ib u t e d to th e f o u n d in g c o lle c tiv e .

B e u y s c o n s c i o u s l y e v o k e d both th e n e a r p a s t o f R o m a n tic is m , e le v a t in g th e ro le o f th e a rt is t to th e c e n tr a l p o s itio n in an u n d e r s t a n d in g o f the a rt w o r k , and th e d is t a n t p a s t w h e re the s h a m a n u n ite d a e s t h e t ic , s p iritu a l and s c i e n t i f i c c o n c e r n s w it h in a u n ita ry e f f i c a c i o u s p ra c tic e . His c h a m p io n in g o f a p r e s c r i p t i v e d e f in it io n o f a rt w o u ld se e m at o d d s with th e p lu r a lis t ic t e n o r o f t h e p e rio d , th o u g h r a th e r t h a n s im p ly fo r e g r o u n d th e p o s itio n o f th e a rt is t he s o u g h t to d is c o v e r w h a t c o n s t i t u t e d t h e a rtis t t h ro u g h p e r f o r m in g s u c h a c o n d it io n . As th e o b je c t a n d th e b e h o l d e r had b e e n 'p r e t e x t s ' t o ’ th e p e r f o r m a t i v e w o r k d is c u s s e d a b o v e , t h a t in th e ir p la y in g o u t d is r u p t e d f i x e d p o in t s o f o rig in a t io n , so B e u y s e m p lo y e d the v is ib ilit y g r a n t e d to him as a rt is t to u n d e r m in e , t h r o u g h his a c t io n s , the lim ite d re m it o f one d e s t i n e d to fa s h io n c u lt u r a l p r o d u c t s . He d if f e r s in th is r e s p e c t f r o m A n d y W a r h o l, an A m e r ic a n c o n t e m p o r a r y a ls o r e g a r d e d as h a v in g b lu r r e d th e d is t in c t i o n b e t w e e n th e ir life a n d th e ir w o r k in the s e n s e t h a t W a r h o l, s i t u a t e d a m id s t a P op s e n s i b i l i t y th a t c e le b r a t e d m ass p r o d u c t i o n and c o n s u m e r c u lt u r e , m ig h t e v in c e a n a c c e p t in g , iro n ic s ta n c e t o w a r d his c o n d it io n to d e c la r e t h a t " e v e r t h i n g is so rt o f a r t i f i c i a l ! d o n 't k n o w w h e r e th e a r t s to p s a n d th e real b e g i n s " 90 w h e r e a s B e u y s ' fa m o u s d ic t u m " A R T = M A N " 91 is a lm o s t as i n c l u s iv e but s u g g e s t s a h u m a n is tic e t h o s th a t s t a n d s a p a r t f r o m th e m a te ria l w o r ld . IV W h e r e W a r h o l a n d B e u y s , in d if f e r in g s w a y s , can be s e e n to c o n f la t e th e a r t is t and t h e o b je c t , a d v a n c in g th e ir i d e a s and t h e i r m ore c o n v e n t i o n a l , in s e n t ie n t a rt o b je c t s in a h ig h ly v is ib le and v o c a l m a n n e r, B o d y A rt u n d e r t o o k to e x p lo r e th e im p lic a tio n s o f t h e p ro je c t io n o f the s e lf in th e w o r l d In a m a n n e r c o m p a r a b le to M in im a lis m 's r e v e a lin g , and h e n c e d is r u p t in g , o f th e te rm s by w h ic h th e o b j e c t is k n o w n , Body A r t s o u g h t to e x p o s e th e s t r u c t u r e th a t d ic t a t e s i n t e r p e r s o n a l c o m m u n ic a t io n s . E v i d e n t at th e end o f th e 1 96 0s, B o d y A r t d is p la y e d

th e i n f lu e n c e o f a n u m b e r o f p ra c tic e s t h a t had e m e rg e d in th e e a rlie r p a rt o f th e d e c a d e . V ito A c c o n c i, one o f th e f o r e m o s t A m e r ic a n a rtists w o r k in g in t h i s fie ld , had b e g u n w o r k in g w ith his b o d y a fte r s e v e r a l y ears w ritin g p o e t r y th a t s o u g h t to a d d re s s the a c t o f w ritin g a n d its limits r a th e r th a n r e g a rd it a s a t r a n s p a r e n t a c t iv it y t h a t illu m in a t e d some p re -e x is t in g tim e a n d s p a c e A c c o n c i f o u n d th is t r a n s p a r e n c y q u e s t io n e d in M in im a l A r t, f o rc in g him to m a k e o b s e r v a t io n s o f his own s ta te b e fo re th e o bjec t:

...I w a s in a c e r t a i n c o n d it io n , I had a h e a d a c h e fo r e x a m p le . I had a c e rt a in h is t o ry , I had a c e rta in b ia s . . . w h a t m in im a l a rt did f o r me w a s to c o n fir m f o r m y s e lf th e f a c t th a t a r t o b v io u s ly h a d to be th is re la t io n b e tw e e n w h a t e v e r it w a s t h a t s ta rt e d o f f the a rt and th e v i e w e r . 92

N o t io n s o f th e p e r f o r m e r a ris in g from th e w o r k p ro d u c e d by the J u d s o n D a n c e C o m p a n y a c k n o w le d g e d th e im p o r t a n c e o f the r e la t io n s h ip b e tw e e n t h e o b j e c t - a s - p r o v o c a t i o n and th e b eh o ld e r. Y v o n n e R a in e r 's a n a ly s i s o f h e r d a n c e p i e c e,T rio A, w rit t e n in 1966, s u g g e s ts t h a t in o r d e r t h a t th e p h y s ic a l b e in g in p e r f o r m a n c e be d is c e rn e d , r a t h e r th a n t h e p ro je c tio n o f c h a r a c t e r and a ttitu d e , "id e a lly one is not e v e n o n e s e lf , o n e is a n e u tra l d o e r " 93. S u c h 'n e u t r a lit y ' lends an a p p a r e n t s im p lic ity t o m uch B o d y Art, as in th e c a s e o f A c c o n c i's

F o llo w in g P i e c e ( 1 9 6 9 ) 94, th o u g h th e p e r f o r m a n c e its e lf g iv e s rise to a m u ltitu d e o f c o n c e r n s :

D aily S c h e m e : c h o o s in g a p e rs o n at r a n d o m , in th e stre e t, any l o c a t io n ; f o l lo w in g him w h e r e v e r he g o e s , h o w e v e r fa r or l o n g he t r a v e l s (the a c t iv it y e n d s w h e n he e n t e r s a p r i v a t e p la c e - his hom e, o ffic e , e t c . ) 95

T he in d i v id u a l b e in g f o llo w e d m ig h t fe e l th r e a t e n e d , b e m u s e d or be u n a w a re o f h er p u r s u e r , w h o in tu rn r e lin q u is h e s his f r e e d o m to

s o m e o n e o v e r w h o m he has no co n tro l. T h e p ie ce e x p l o r e s p o te n t ia lly in t r u s iv e b e h a v io u r , n o t by in d u lg in g in it b e fo re an a u d ie n c e , or by s h o w in g a film o f th e w o rk , b u t by th e a rtis t p la c in g h im s e l f in a