Susana Sulic on John Cage: The notion of silent and oriental meaning ... has its roots in my practice not only in the mythical image of John Cage but also with my personal history and friendship with the Fluxus artists who influenced also my poetry, art concepts and performance.
Physical Sound (1993-2012) virtual sound sculpture, computer video
Images: The Silent Voice I, II, III (1993-2011)
Biography
While I was studient in social sciences, and fine arts I used to play music, developing the concept of variations in multi-cultural rhythms, also in poetry. I found the first Fluxus catalogue when I was preparing to enter the superior school of arts in Buenos Aires, city where I was born. It was the first catalogue of Fluxus artists absolutly different from anything I knew: a non-conventional object expressing freedom, sobriety in the white and black pages and the design. It was probably one of the first published by Maciunas himself. Once I settled in France, I got in touch with Fluxus artists. I used to create poetry events with a minimal script and improvisation, computer, objects and then bio feedback sounds in the alternative spaces of Paris in the eighties.
Pierre Restany came to my first sound performance and installation made of air music, recycled material, a van and feathers in 1983-1984. I was hunted by the figure of Klein and the Monotone Symphony, conceived in 1947-1948. I used to make ephemeral installations, minimal drawings and performances like at the Tag der Poetry at the Kunstakademie, Düsseldorf 1989-1990. I met and interviewed Beuys and Paik in this city. I‘ve also met Vostell and Kaprow in Paris and Venice. Vostell asked me to assist him in Madrid in 1983 and 1984. He invited me also to take part of the concert The Cry, Paris Bastille in 1990.
I was interested in the way the movement evolved in Europe I used to speak about happenings and Fluxus with Vostell, Paik or La Monte Young in Paris also.
It should not be a coincidence if I met Allan Kaprow, at the Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte, Venice, Italy Ubi Fluxus Ibi Motus 1990-1962. With Nastassia my daughter, two years old at that moment, we participated at many events. The opening at the Biennale of Venice was a collective party, but specially a whole happening at the Zitelle.
Kaprow was setting up an installation just near the canal of the Giudecca, arranging the chairs for the public in the way that Cage did for his concerts. Kaprow was making reference to the Silence of John Cage. I helped him to finish the installation. I made a parallelism between Fluids, Beverly Hills, 1963; - that was for me like blank canvas of ice - and this installation. Both pieces reflected the dynamic flux of ambient sounds. But in Venice the dynamic audience, the buildings, the natural noise of water, ships, birth and ‘campaniles’ were surrounding the performance.
The notion of silent and oriental meaning which is the result of this work with variations has its roots in my practice not only in the mythical image of John Cage but also with my personal history and friendship with the Fluxus artists who influenced also my poetry, art concepts and performance. John Cage is one of the main figures as Paik had registered in GlobalGroove (1978).
Biography
Susana Sulic is a writer, performer, art writer, and computer artist.
I arrived in Paris from Argentina with a fellowship from the French government in 1981. My first work was at the Museum of Modern Art, Paris, for the Electra exhibition, requiring research, and performance -interactive work, with the public (1982-1983). I experimented with all kinds of different technology - computer assisted process, synthetic images. This work continued in the Art&Genetics project (1995-1997) at the Cochin Institute of Molecular Genetics, Pasteur Institute, the INSERM, and the exhibitions ZAC (Zones d'Activation Collective) at the MAM Paris (1999), Virus Festivaland Contamina©ions I-X (1998-2002) in Paris. Art&Space in Buenos Aires, Tilcara Museum, Argentina 2009 , "The relations between Art and Science: complicity, criticality, knowledge " Dublin 2009 ; Universcience Palais de la Découverte, 2010-11.
Studies and diploma : Professor in Fine Arts, Sociologist at UNBA, Graphics at the Kunstakademy, Dusseldorf; New doctorate: Esthetics, sciences and technologies of the image, Fine Arts Paris VIII “The technical- scientific imaginary in visual arts in the XXth. Century”(1996).
Publications: Catalogue Jeune Création sur Contamina©tion 2003 ; Art Criticism and Interventions in space, Taiwan 2004 ; Poésie virale, Clones et Contamina©tion Indigo, Paris, 2005 ; Egineering Nature: art and consciousness in the post-biological era Edited by Roy Ascott Intellect Bristol (2006);Actes Congress Sao Paulo & Getti Foundation,07; Verso l’Arte Torino, Peggy Gughenheim Foundation -Venice 2009; Ondulations, Ed. Aeneis, 2009 Paris ; Brancussi and the XXI century, Manifesti Verso l’Arte, Torino 2009-2012.