Its precedent is knowless big book, a 1966 multimedia installationaslivingspace equipped with a kitchen, toilet, artwork and other amenities. It was first aired publicly in 1966 at something else gallery in new york and later traveled to several galleries, disintegrating into its individual components as it traveled. Posts about alison knowles written by books on books. This comprehensive analysis of big book, a work of art no longer extant, contextualizes its publisher, something else press through dick higgins. In 1982, after the first big book was destroyed, knowles produced the second largescale book, called the book of bean. In 1969, she designed and coedited john cages notations, a book of music manuscripts, published by. Alison knowles, the boat book, 20142015, wood and metal frame with silkscreen, digital print on silk, collage, assemblage, personal ephemera, beans, books, fishing net, photographs, ship anchor, fabric tunnel, electrical lights, audio recording, etc. Galerie renate kammer, hamburg, septemberoktober 1992 by alison knowles. Alison knowles radcliffe institute for advanced study at. The big book has quite a number of articles written about it.
Event scores, involve simple actions, ideas, and objects from everyday life recontexualized as performance. An eightfoot tall walkin construction, it was comprised of a title page and eight moveable pages anchored to a metal spine, each equipped with casters. Alison knowles, spine, poem and bean turner, dimensions variable. For fluxus artist alison knowles, anything can be art. Alison knowles was born on april 29, 1933 in new york city, new york, usa. Knowles, higgins and the carpenter masami kodama built the big book with help from. Its precedent is knowless big book, a 1966 multimedia installationasliving space equipped with a kitchen, toilet, artwork and other amenities. Alison knowles was born in new york city in 1933, and graduated from the pratt institue of fine art in brooklyn. The big book is an eight foot tall construction by alison knowles which has a front cover and several pages, and contains a stove, telephone, chemical toilet. With fluxus she made the bean rolls by invitation of george maciunus, a canned book that appeared in the whitney. In 1967, knowles produced what is considered to be the first computerized poem the house of dust in collaboration with composer james tenney. Abstract archival enactment, retelling the big book. In the 1960s, knowles composed the notations book of experimental. In the 60s she worked for special editions press doing silkscreens and was associated with the fluxus movement.
Alison knowles, the big book, 1967 knowless travels through the fluxus idiom and its aftermath have included a focus on performance, indeterminacy, and in particular the eventscore as first developed by george brecht in cages 1959 class and then expanded in her work by crossing the fourth wall into homes, kitchens and other environmental. She is a composer and writer, known for fluxfilm no. Alison knowles born 1933 is an american visual artist known for her installations, performances, soundworks, and publications. The big big book would be 80 feet tall, which is ultimately ten times as large in a conceivable way.
The process of making a salad is the concert material itself, as in the events 2012. The backroom alison knowles exhibition at signalreturn. During the late 1960s, alison started to produce soundworks. Knowless walkthrough installation the big book included objects and images of daily livinga saucepan, a telephone, a toiletwithin a threedimensional framework of eightfoot pages. With fluxus, she made bean rolls 1963, a canned book designed by george maciunas, which appeared in the whitney museum.
Alison knowles, the big book, 1967 knowles s travels through the fluxus idiom and its aftermath have included a focus on performance, indeterminacy, and in particular the eventscore as first developed by george brecht in cages 1959 class and then expanded in her work by crossing the fourth wall into homes, kitchens and other environmental. The big book 1967 the big book is an eightfoot tall construction by alison knowles which has a front cover and several pages, and contains. Shes been joined for the occasion by several friends and new acquaintances as part of the. The big book, alison knowles, passenger books motto distribution. Alison knowles books list of books by author alison knowles. Oral history interview with alison knowles, 2010 june 12. The big book by alison knowles, 9783940215, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. It was possible to leaf through the individual pages that were equipped with casters. Alison knowles is an american visual artist known for her soundworks, installation, performances and publications, and as a founding member of fluxus. This important publication provides a first time document and revisitation of artist alison knowles classic fluxus project, the big book 1967. The big book inspired her other largescale installations, the book of bean and the boat book.
In 1967, alison knowles was pictured on the first floor of her chelsea brownstone, standing on a ladder with her arms outstretched and carefully moving one of those oversized rectangular pages of the big book. Join facebook to connect with alison knowles and others you may know. Event scores are texts that can be seen as proposal pieces or instructions for actions. Alison knowles has 23 books on goodreads with 117 ratings. The event is particularly noteworthy as an addition to this list of largescale works of book art. Books by alison knowles author of ollie and his super.
An interview of alison knowles conducted 2010 june 12, by judith olch richards, for the archives of american arts elizabeth murray oral history of women in the visual arts project, at knowles home and studio, in new york, n. Alison knowles, something else press and fluxus, positions knowles big book 1966 as a case study of historical methodology and interdisciplinary artistic practice in the postwar period. It is fully immersive, engaging in touch, sight and. The big book 1967 the big book is an eightfoot tall construction by alison knowles which has a front cover and several pages, and contains a stove, telephone, chemical toilet, art gallery, electric fan, books and other necessities of life. It comprised a title page and eight moveable pages anchored to a metal spine.
Knowless work is performative in function, inviting bodies to experience the space in. A recently created exhibit there displays multiples and original works by the multifaceted fluxus artist and teacher alison knowles. Alison knowles, something else press and fluxus, positions knowles big book 1966 as a. Knowles was a founding member of the fluxus movement, the experimental avantgarde group formally founded in 1962. She also traveled and performed with the fluxus group throughout europe, asia and united states. Alison knowles, interview in brooklyn rail signalreturn is a newly opened book artsletterpress and artist coop space in detroit.
Alison fluxus knowles alison knowles the book of bean. Beyond the physical implementation of the concept of being absorbed in a book, there is something childishly fun about the boat book. Big book 1967 the big book is an eight foot tall construction by alison knowles which has a front cover and several pages, and contains a stove, telephone, chemical toilet, art gallery, electric fan, books and other necessities of life. Alison knowles has built the book as a work of art to be lived in, physically and mentally, a place to contemplate useful and changing relationships. A single performer goes among the other performers with scissors, cutting out large sections of the rolls. Alison knowles with carolee schneemann the brooklyn rail. The bean rolls 1964 was a hand held, canned book of small scrolls of bean lore and. Alison knowles born april 29, 1933, american artist. A longdeserved close look at alison knowles, first lady.
The carnegies gallery is exactly as dick higgins described knowless big book decades ago. Since 1964, knowles has made large and small experimental books. The observer read the walls, then turned the page, thus changing the environment. Dec 17, 2015 alison knowles in the mid1960s, she then began to concentrate on building environments, for which she became famous. One called alison in wonderland by emmett williams, a wonderful poet. Big book from 1967, for instance, was a structure similar to a living space, but with walls like pages in a book. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. Alison knowles composed the notations book of experimental composition with john cage as well as coeurs volants, a print with marcel duchamp, both were published by something else press. The big book is an eightfoottall construction by alison knowles which has a front cover and several pages, and contains a stove, telephone, chemical toilet, art gallery, electric fan, books and other necessities of life. About the exhibition alison knowless computerized poem of 1967, the house of dust and her subsequent built structures of the same name are the focus of this presentation. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. Alison knowles is an artist who, in the early 1960s, helped found the fluxus group, with which she performed internationally. A retrospective gives alison knowles her due features.
Alison knowles forum gallery carnegie museum of art, pittsburgh may 20october 24, 2016. Image courtesy alison knowles and james fuentes, ny. She composed the pages for and coedited john cages book notations and created the print coeurs volants, signed by marcel duchamp. In 1968, the house of dust, programmed with the help of composer jim tenney, was recognized as the first computer poem on record, winning her a guggenheim fellowship. The bean rolls 1964 is a hand held, canned book of small scrolls of bean lore and information which has appeared in important artists books surveys alongside titles such as by alison knowles and more by alison knowles 19651979, spoken text 1993, bread and water and. The big book 1967, a walk in book installation was comprised of 8ft. The big book was built starting in 1965 by knowles, dick higgins, and carpenter masami kodama, among others, and subsequently published by something else press. The big book by alison knowles was an eightfoot tall walkin construction. The eightfoot tall wood book, bound to a central spine, is derived from knowless original the big book 1966, where visitors climbed through the structure in order to read. Further works by alison knowles can be found at her web site. Criteria that have come to distinguish her work as an artist are the arena of performance, the indeterminacy of her event scores resulting in the. Courtesy the artist and james fuentes gallery, new york photo.
996 1410 385 165 1291 499 1025 94 1125 1437 843 1520 81 1501 1496 886 154 524 689 813 1292 1054 62 787 315 1178 1358 242 345 605 1566 1116 686 1397 1335 205 818 81 1459 1448 1261 448 1277 573 1210 77