Kaprow/Fluxus and 60's no mistake: Happen this

In reading about Kaprow and Fluxus recently I came upon two fairly simple conclusions. The first and more obvious conclusion, is that these art movements in the late 50's and early 60's very much correspond with the increasingly rabid drug use during these time periods, particularly LSD and other hallucinogens similar to it. Now don't get me wrong, I don't actually know if these artist took drugs as much as practically everyone else in America did, I am just taking a wild guess that, in my opinion, ties up some otherwise loose ends. When people take drugs like acid, and even to a lesser extent marijuana, the world becomes a more complex place. Things seemingly meaningless become filled with content and perplexing purpose. Anything becomes a possibility, thus impulsive actions become increasingly likely. The world seems unfathomably connected, and finally, as Baba Ram Dass can tell you, the moment becomes extremely important (Be Here Now anyone). To me, these ideas seem remarkably similar to those of Fluxus and the Happenings movements that focus on the moment, performance art, finding/creating beauty (or art or whatever) in things that usually aren't considered such, and pushing the edge of possibility/creativity. It's no coincidence that Van Gogh was painting such eerie images while guzzling absinthe at the local cafe, and who knows what he (and other artists) would came up with if he was taking acid like gumdrops, but I would wager that it would be pretty 'out-there.' It seems like drugs are always the white elephant in the room whenever these movements are discussed in classes; everyone knows it's there but no one wants to acknowledge it.

The second thing that stood out to me about Fluxus and Happenings, was that it seemed like what they were trying to accomplish was essentially what sports are. Kaprow described happenings as "A game, an adventure, a number of activities engaged in by participants for the sake of playing;" that right there sounds like halftime speech from an extremely bland football coach. Furthermore, through there books, Fluxus gives directions for, essentially, 'happenings,' or loose sets of guidelines that involve participants in an act of 'art.' Once again most sports seem to be extremely complex (and admittedly more regimented) versions of these directions. Sports are a 'happening,' there is no final product (aside from a score or pictures and videos, but is that any different from tittles, and photos of in art?) and no one can accurately predict the results (though we may try). Most sports are a result of interaction between a set of players (performers) and fans (viewers); this interaction is intensified most in Basketball, where celebrities line the court literally inches away from the players in the game. Fan interaction in sports can be directly tied to the event they're attending in away that spectators in galleries could not accomplish (before these movements of course). Often times fans are credited with 'helping out the home team' in close games by providing an advantage with their provocative cheers and extremely loud noise (this can become in itself an art, as some student sections provide a cheat sheet on every seat of sore subjects to berate opposing players with). Although technically illegal and frowned upon by mainstream media, fans often run onto the field (some naked) at random times causing momentary confusion and excitement by both crowd and players. In multiple occasions fans and players have engaged in fist fights on and off the court. Essentially sports are happenings that people take way more seriously, which is a significant difference, admittedly. But sports, like happenings, are a spectrum for infinite possibilities and really only false or perceived conclusions. Sports seemingly have a more intended and direct goal, but this goal, is also perceived, and not necessarily accurate, for the real goal of sports may simply be to 'play for the love of the game' or the most used sports cliche ever. a So maybe if Kaprow ever wanted to start taking his happenings seriously he should have picked up a basketball, but maybe that was the point, who knows? Ok I know that was pretty long, but I really had to get some stuff off my chest.