Holy Happenings, Batman!

To me, Allan Kaprow makes more sense (I use this term loosely) than Joseph Beuys.  After watching the footage of some of Kaprow's Happenings, I was left feeling quite similarly to how I felt after watching that documentary about Beuys' installation in the Guggenheim, but I think in the long run I was a little less confused.

Kaprow is one happenin' dude

When I saw Beuys' work, I really did not (do not) understand the ideas behind it, and I think this is because so much of his work is deeply rooted in his own personal experiences, making it difficult for me to comprehend.  After learning his history, many of his works become very powerful, and obviously meaningful to Beuys, but I still don't really understand them.  When I see Kaprow's work on the other hand, I think I understand more the meaning behind more of it, while not necessarily understanding the work itself.

I think that Kaprow's idea of creating art without creating a physical product is really interesting.  I like the idea that this kind of art can be so interactive and how each performance is unique.  I also thought it was interesting to talk about how repeating or even discussing his specific Happenings would in some way take away from them, since they are meant to be seen only once and in person. I enjoyed creating our own Happening in class the other day, although the Happening we performed didn't seem to make anyone particularly uncomfortable, which seems like a common theme in Kaprow's other Happenings.  Maybe next time we should lick jam off of the mirrors or something.

I'm still working on adding subtitles to the interviews and will upload a few more clips to be translated be someone who speaks Tagalog.  Hopefully will find someone soon...