Allen Kaprow

“Happenings” in the New York Scene

Interpretive notes by Dani Day...

            Happenings happen.  They go nowhere, have no structure, they are fleeting and cannot be reproduced.  Happenings are open-ended, fluid, unconventional theater pieces filled with primitive energy and rawness only experienced by the participants.

            Allan Kaprow determined three distinct qualities found in Happenings.  First is the context.  The environment where it takes place or the idea is born is a key element that sculpts the basic course for the happening.  The roughness of nature, the industrial confines of an inner-city dwelling or the congestion of mass transit can have a dramatic affect on the outcome and experience of a Happening.

            The second characteristic of a Happening is how it is generated.  There is no plot or obvious philosophy, only a “root” direction loosely followed by the generators.  The element of chance is relied upon for spontaneity and impermanence.  The flexible structure and room for chance open the creative doors within the generators and allows a flow of energy and creativity to flood the space and become a “reality” of sorts.

            Melodrama is what separates the United States from Europe as the saga of the Pioneer parallels the American Artist as the melodramatic figure.  The adventure is the main point more than the destination.  Happenings according to Kaprow, “are living out the purest melodrama…[and] cannot be sold and taken home; they can only be supported…a state of mind”