HAPPENINGS

Happenings were introduced in the art world in the late 1950s and were identified as a distinct form with Allan Kaprow's ninety-minute piece 18 Happenings in 6 Parts (1959). Very much an avant-garde form, happenings attracted only small audiences during their height in the early 1960s.

Using ordinary objects and avant-garde theatrical techniques, the creators of happenings consciously posed several challenges to the conventional art world. First, in staging exhibits as events rather than as a collection of objects, they questioned the notion of art as static. By employing commonplace objects, they questioned the division between art and life. By occasionally encouraging audience participation, they broke down the division between artist and public. Sometimes described as "living sculptures," happenings were often staged in art galleries, though other locations were not...