Fluxus Box

Photos

Mind Bent-o, foam, needle felt, air dry clay, yarn, glass, cork, watercolor paper, fabrics, watercolor, acrylic , 13” x 4” x 11 1/2”

My intent with this piece is to visually communicate the tension between human vulnerability and the pursuit of a goal. Each object in the box was chosen to reflect a different stage of that struggle and the emotional weight that comes with it.

The needle felted heart represents the fragile and deeply human side of ambition. It suggests that the desire to achieve something meaningful often exposes the parts of ourselves that are most tender. The jar of fall leaves, mixing early greens with vivid reds, symbolizes the cycle of life and death. It speaks to the joy that can come from moving toward a dream as well as the pain of confronting physical and emotional limits.

The tower topped with a brain and trailing nerves illustrates a state of fixation. It embodies the feeling of becoming trapped in one’s own thoughts while striving for something important, like being caught in an isolated tower built from internal pressure.

The golden scroll contains the idea of complete knowledge, something beautiful yet ultimately out of reach. It reflects the way certain goals can drift into the realm of the impossible without losing their fascination.

The final object, a thin and exhausted human figure, acknowledges the toll that striving can take. Despite the weight he carries, he continues to move forward. His presence brings the theme back to the core idea that vulnerability does not stop the pursuit, but instead shapes it.

​In-process Images

Foam base

Skirt

Hand base

Water color paper

Painted paper

Research
-Screenshot an image from the research source. I encourage more than one piece/source of research.
-Source hyperlink for research.

Fluxus Artists Inspiration:

George Maciunas

George Maciunas, Excreta Fluxorum, 1973/1978. Plastic box with offset label, containing objects in various media with offset labels.

Link: 

https://www.on-curating.org/issue-51-reader/the-fluxus-virtual-actually.html

Notes
Movie Goemon’s Bloodspary and the Fuma conspiracy with both handle themes of the pursuit of a goal at the expense of relationships and one’s body.

For this project, I first started by making my objects and then made the box afterward to fit the objects comfortably. I began by making a heart. At first I tried to make it more realistic, but I ended up creating a swirl instead, and I loved it. I undid some of the felt to make all the pieces spiral. It was worth it and beautifully stylized.

The tower was inspired by the idea of a personality type system called the Enneagram, where a certain personality (Type 5) tends to separate themselves from others in pursuit of knowledge. This is why there is a brain sitting in an ivory tower. I was comfortable making structures with watercolor from the previous project, so I used that experience to make the tower.

The jar of leaves was an immediate idea. I already had the jar from a mindfulness activity, and I loved its shape, so I used it for the leaves. The fall leaves are a small Easter egg referencing my original character Nathaniel, whose fictional birthday is November 1st, 1996. He is a fall baby, and I chose All Hallows’ Day as his birthday because themes of life, death, and mortality are important to his narrative. These leaves were made with watercolor.

The golden scroll has some lore behind it. It contains all the knowledge of everything that has ever been and everything that will be. The scroll is heavily protected, and it is considered a suicide mission to even attempt to reach it. Nathaniel, my original character, tries to retrieve it and fails, but is thankfully resurrected by a paranormal being. In that tunnel vision state, the scroll was all that mattered to him, and he put far too much of his self worth into obtaining it. The scroll was made from a folder painted gold, rolled up, and tied with a red bow.

The last object is the human figure of Nathaniel. When I made him, I intentionally created a bent metal frame. His ribs show, and he looks tired from the pursuit of his goals, yet he still does not want to give up. He is made of air dry clay, brushed out black yarn for the hair, and watercolor and acrylic for his skin and other features. He wears a green fabric skirt. Green is an important color for his character because it represents the color of his magical aura.

The box is bento box made of cardboard and duct tape painted brown to represent my characters half Japanese heritage. The inside is lined with red fabric.