“Metamorphotos” at the 9th Annual Avant-Guarde Festival (28 October 1972)

The photo captures the performance “Metamorphotos”, at the 9th Annual Avant-Guarde Festival.

GAAG rejected to participate in the 9th Avant-Garde Festival of NYC held aboard the Alexander Hamilton, South Street Seaport Museum, New York. The annual avant-garde festival of NY was an annual event that began in 1963 as an open forum for the emerging experimental music scene out of fluxus  in NYC. It was founded by cellist and performance artist Charlotte Moorman, the festival ran in different locations for 15 years. The notable performers included Charlotte Moorman, John Cage, Yoko Ono, Carolee Schneemann, John Lennon, Nam June Paik and so on. Jean Toche and Jon Hendricks decided not to participate for the reasons stated in the document published on October 31, 1972 as follows,

“1 -The principle of freedom of expression is basic to the very existence and survival of art: as artists, we do not accept any form of censorship, be it imposed by Federal or Local government, private enterprise, ‘well meaning’ citizens, or from our own community.

2- To require permission to function as an artist, forces the artists to be subject to an arbitrary will, whether permission is granted or not, and therefore equates censorship.

3- Now, of all times, when civil liberties and human rights are being eroded and destroyed on all fronts in our society by the Nixon administration, artists cannot afford to stick their heads in the sand or build sand castles on the beach.

4- Each one of us as individuals can effect change: apathy is death, refusal to face reality is suicide.”