Fluxus Fête: Study Day, International Symposium and Artistic Afternoon.

Fluxus Fête is a three-day celebration of the radical spirit of Fluxus, marking the culmination of the research project Activating Fluxus, which has been supported by a multi-year grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) at the Bern Academy of the Arts (HKB).

Across multiple formats and locations, the Fête brings together artists, scholars, and audiences to explore Fluxus’s playful, experimental, and boundary-pushing practices. The program combines lectures, panels, and discussions that critically engage with Fluxus’s history, philosophy, ongoing influence, and afterlife, alongside performances that activate scores and reinterpret Fluxus and Fluxus-inspired works.

Highlights include a study day dedicated to Ay-O’s Finger Boxes, co-organized with the Getty Research Institute; an international symposium featuring speakers from around the world, including presentations by members of the Activating Fluxus research team; and an artistic afternoon at Cabaret Voltaire devoted to enactments, readings, and an exhibition of scores.

Fluxus Fête offers space and time for reflection and experimentation, as well as opportunities for convivial exchange between specialists and non-specialists alike—and all those curious about Fluxus.

Join us!

DAY ONE: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2026, 6 PM-9 PM CET
The (Im)possibilities of Touch: Ay-O’s Finger Boxes
—A Conservation Study Day

The expert meeting is dedicated to the study of Ay-O’s finger boxes. Co-organized with the Getty Research Institute, this hybrid event will take place online with limited in-person participation at the HKB Bern. Contributors include Rachel Rivenc, Getty Research Institue; Kit Brooks, Princeton University Art Museum; Alessandra Guarascio and Wenting Chen, M+ Hong Kong; Caroline Ugelstad, MUNCH, formerly Henie Onstad; Hubertus von Amelunxen, Archivio Conz; and the project team, Josephine Ellis, Aga Wielocha, and Hanna Hölling.
This event is by invitation only.

DAY TWO: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2026, 12-7 PM CET
Activations: A Fluxus Symposium
HKB Bern, Auditorium

With speakers and discussants from the Fluxus milieu and beyond, including Tim Ingold, Judit Bodor, Natasha Lushetich, Natilee Harren, Elke Gruhn, Sally Kawamura, Emilie Parendeau and Stefanie Manthey, as well as presentations of research by the project team members Josephine Ellis, Aga Wielocha and Hanna Hölling. The symposium takes place at HKB Bern, Fellerstrasse 11, and is open to the public. Find the full program down below. More information is available at this link: https://activatingfluxus.com/activations-a-fluxus-symposium-friday-february-27-12-7-pm-cet/.

DAY THREE: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2026, 1 PM-5 PM CET
FLUXUS.GRAM
Cabaret Voltaire, Zürich

Organized as a part of the artistic contribution to the project, this final day of Fluxus Fête includes artistic enactments, readings, and an exhibition of scores. This is a public part of the program, taking place in the historical premises of Cabaret Voltaire at Spiegelgasse 1, 8001 Zürich. Space is limited.

Organisation
HKB Bern, CH | Activating Fluxus Research Team
E-mail address
activatingfluxusgmail.com

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The public symposium (FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2026, 12-7 PM CET) takes place at Hochschule der Künste Bern, Fellerstrasse 11, 3027 Bern (Auditorium).

PROGRAM

12:00
Welcome and introductions to the project and symposium
Hanna B. Hölling, Aga Wielocha, and Josephine Ellis

12:15
Activity and Activations: Tim Ingold in conversation
Tim Ingold, introduced and moderated by Hanna B. Hölling

13:00
[Re]activating the Archive: The Past, Present, and Possible Futures of Artpool Art Research Center
Judit Bodor, Introduced and moderated by Aga Wielocha

13:45

15-minute convenience break

14:00
Towards an Ethics of (Flux-)Dust
Josephine Ellis, Introduced and moderated by Emilie Parendeau

14:45
20-minute coffee break

15:05
Do You Flux?
Natasha Lushetich, Introduced and moderated by Josephine Ellis

15:05
Learning from Activation: Other Forms of Institutional Stewardship and Their Potentialities
Aga Wielocha, Introduced and moderated by Elke Gruhn

16:40

15-minute convenience break

16:55

Flux, Fluxus, Fluxism: Conservation after Permanence
Hanna B. Hölling, Introduced and moderated by Sally Kawamura

17:40
Roundtable
Led by Natilee Harren, with speakers, moderators, and guests

18:40
Wrap-up and concluding words
by Stefanie Manthey, and the project team