beck, al, interactivity and the spirit of fluxus

The first pressing of Beck's new album will contain cover art that you design yourself. Design Observer takes a look at the disc and discusses connections to the work of Yoko Ono and Sol LeWitt. I'm a bit surprised that they didn't even mention any connections to the Fluxus work Al Hansen, Beck's grandfather. The focus of the article is interactivity, which excludes a direct connection to Al's work. But it's still surprising that he's not even mentioned, considering that his work is very much in the same spirit and has been a clear influence in all of Beck's work.

Beck’s new album, The Information, comes out tomorrow but the cover art isn’t going to be quite done by then — in fact it will never be finished. Each copy of the album is packaged with a unique kit of stickers and a sheet of grid paper, out of which fans can create their own one-of-a-kind cover. There is a website where fans can upload their designs and plans for a contest to choose one for the second pressing of the album. The cover art is essentially a project for the buyer, bound by the simple rules of the template. Beck’s decision to present a set of parameters as an album cover brings to mind the artist Sol LeWitt, who thoroughly explored the strategy of instruction-as-art decades ago. But now, as then, the gesture reveals a tension about where the creative act is situated: in making the work or making the rules.

via fimoculous

previously on wtg: