Benjamin Pattersons Lost PETs

Bill Dietz

It seems almost ominous that the last work in The Black & White File (the 1999 primary collection of scores and instructions for [Benjamin Pattersons] music, events, operas, performances and other projects: 19581999) preceding B.P.s temporary retirement from art into life (the work is Seminar II, an environment of challenge, from 1965) is prefaced by Notes on PETs (acronym for Perception Education Tools), a text which not only formulates a theoretical framework for his activities to that date starkly contrasting the general Fluxus framework within which his work is now almost exclusively understood, but which also goes so far as to offer PET-oriented interpretive thumbnails of his own works in marked contradistinction to the orthodoxies of that then-burgeoning neoavant-garde movement. Fluxus appears only in an endnote to the text, subordinately, as one possibility of the phenomenon it describes. Because these Notes are is apparently so unknown as to have escaped the extant Patterson literature, a summarizing selection (the entire text is reproduced following this article): I require that the central function of the artist be a duality of discoverer and educator: discoverer of the varying possibilities for selecting from environmental stimuli specic percepts and organizing these into signicant perceptions, and concurrently, as an educator, training a public in the ability to perceive in newly discovered patterns. [] art objects [] are in the rst order not aesthetic objects, but educational tools. [] Each style is actually a by-product of a new discovery of how percepts stimulated by the envir-

onment may be selected and organized to obtain visual signicance (i.e., enter into a critical relationship with the individuals previous comprehension of the environment). In this light, what now seem to be held as the greatest hits of B.P.s early period, works like PAPER PIECE (1960) and the licking piece from methods & processes (1962), appear as rather spectacular exceptions in the trajectory the artist himself was seeking to articulate. By the time methods & processes is published, all manner of training and exercise modes appropriate to the formulation of PETs are apparent: tournaments, studies, questionnaires, seminars, demonstrations at the chalkboard, examinations. Asserting this interpretive distinction now is not meant to deemphasize the signicance of a work such as PAPER PIECE , but to ask how understanding PAPER PIECE as an at least nascent form of PET might change our experience of it. Put in B.P.s terms: How can we wrest these early works away from their art historical assimilation as art objects (they are, indeed, received in the widest sense as such, regardless of their status as performative ephemera) and experience them anew as means toward the formulation of novel perceptual and behavioral patterns? Explicitly evoking the historical avantgarde and simultaneously dismissing both neuroscience and psychedelics, this nearly fty year old texts call for working through such newly discovered patterns via and beyond the bounds of art reads today with undiminished urgency. The combination of psychological methodology with the specic instances of his works exceeds a looming positivism (Pavlov, the Red Chinese) and points toward the potential of a perpetual recomposition of our selves via sensuous experience. If normative behavior is predicated on usefulness, on that which is benecial to a given self (as B.P. describes), the uselessness of Pattersons exercises suggests an authentically postCagean indeterminacy. Who, indeed, are you after performing a given exercise

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Bill Dietz, Benjamin Pattersons Lost PETs (2014)

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from methods & processes until process becomes automatic? Who would you be if processing networks in [your, the reader-participants] brain would indeed become receptive to such new patterns? It is no wonder that after a gap of twenty odd years, B.P.s return to art is accompanied by turning his tools diNotes on PETs * 1 rectly on the behavioral patterns of the Benjamin Patterson art world in works such as How the Average Person Thinks About Art (1983), Critical Encounters (1988), and Artists Greeting (1988). Derivative is usually a nasty word. Thus In late Spring 2013, Mitch McEwen perhaps I feel the necessity to defend and I paid B.P. a visit in Wiesbaden. On and explain the resemblances between the train ride over from Stuttgart, we methods I have used in recent pieces and agreed that the Notes on PETs would certain methods used by psychologists in be an excellent entry for conversation. clinical and experimental work. But upon mentioning it, B.P. responded These resemblances are not accidensomewhat dismissively, Oh, that old tal. The methods have been consciously thing In the text, however, he writes assimilated. They are, however, not the with an uncanny prescience: The art- result of an attempt to produce any sense ists have come to accept the educational of parody, satire, etc. Criticism of socilimits of their work (their methods), to etys involvement with modern psychology is not the intent of these pieces. The deaccept that what they offer society is often overlooked and rarely accepted or cisions favoring this assimilation have been largely pragmatic; that is, based on adopted. It is hoped that only ignorance of the possibilities of pedagogical innov a recognition that these methods have a ation has made this retreat possible. capacity to produce desired results with I cant read this statement today with- a greater degree of predictability. In an out thinking of Pasolini writing, Death earlier attempt to dene my position, is not in being unable to communicate, I stated, My intentions have not been but in not being understood. We dont to produce Art , but have instead condeserve B.P., clearly. And yet we have trived to excite that faculty or faculties the great privilege of his continued tol- responsible for integrating experience. erance of us. In Wiesbaden, after our I have been obsessed with training and overly-thought-out conversation starter exercise. Provocative, but not enlightbombed, we went on to have a wonder- ening. Here a more substantial explanful day together. When we headed off to ation will be attempted. I require that the central function of catch the last train home, we were laden with gifts even a few objects which B. P. the artist be a duality of discoverer and had signed, grinning. Art objects or me- educator: discoverer of the varying possimentoes of an intimate educational en- bilities for selecting from environmental stimuli specic percepts and organizing counter? these into signicant perceptions, and Long live B.P. and his PETs. Berlin, January 2014 concurrently, as an educator, training a public in the ability to perceive in newly discovered patterns.2 The activity of discovery can only take place in the mind of the artist and remains imperceptible to all others. What may be perceived by an outsider is the activity of education, usually attempted through the exhibition

of art objects. Actually, every artist rewards offered mere producers of aesserves in this dual capacity, even though thetic objects are apparently sufcient his function as an educator is usually ob- to distract or buy off many good teachscured by his function as a producer of ers. The artists have come to accept the aesthetic objects. To illustrate, we nd educational limits of their work (their methods), to accept that what they offer in the history of painting styles such discoveries as perspective, the distribu- society is often overlooked and rarely action of light, pointillism, cubism, collage, cepted or adopted. It is hoped that only pop art and op art. Each style is actu- ignorance of the possibilities of pedaally a by-product of a new discovery of gogical innovation has made this retreat how percepts stimulated by the environ- possible. ment may be selected and organized But then, some persist. The Dadato obtain visual signicance (i.e., enter ists were among the rst to reject the into a critical relationship with the indi- traditional methods. And now, with the viduals previous comprehension of the development of happenings (more acenvironment). But this is obvious. What curately, environments) and other lesser is not obvious is that these art objects known activities3, it seems that some art(the paintings) are in the rst order not ists are again re-examining and searchaesthetic objects, but educational tools. ing for new methods. However, even in They stand between the subject matter the majority of this work the method is (the environment) and the student (the still exhibition. The observer is still on viewer) in much the same manner as do his own to devise methods by which he the audio-visual materials associated may assimilate these new patterns into with progressive schools. While there his own mentality. The results in terms has been a constant evolution of the role of conversion or assimilation can only be and subject of art throughout its history, uneven and certainly not predictable. there has not been a parallel developThe development of patterns of hument of its methods. In an earlier con- man behavior (of which perception is a text, a supporting role in religious ritual, part) is generally held to be at least parthe design and methods of the art object tially the result of environmental preswere probably adequate. However, the sures. The individual, through his experimajor portion of art today is no longer ences in the environment, observes the intended for this context, and in many results of specic acts of behavior to cases the artists intended content is of be either benecial or not benecial to such dimensions that its full expression his well-being. These specic acts and demands a complete ritual. Nevertheless, their results are noted by the individual a majority of artists today still attempt to (feedback) and classied into groups or communicate and educate using methods sets, from which networks or patterns of originally designed for a supplementary behavior develop. The adoption of any role. The result is an exhibition of mater- specic pattern of behavior (in this case, ials, the effectiveness of which is depend- perception) by the individual depends ent upon the skill of each individual in upon the degree of usefulness which he judges the pattern of behavior will obanalysis and / or chance assimilation. The development of the professional critic, tain in his attempts to maintain or imwith his published analysis and interpret- prove his well-being within the environations, has returned a certain pedagogic- ment. All this suggests that, to affect a al aspect to the art object, even though behavioral change, the individual must be his efforts have often only obscured the active, not passive, in the environment. original teachings. With societys growing The psychologists say about perception, need for discoveries and education in in- Far from being a passive representation tegrated perception, the responsibilities of what is there, perception shows itof the artist are greater than ever before, self to be a highly selective effort after meaning (Barlett, 1832) whereby the but his methods are inadequate, and the

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individual brings upon the information York, 1964) structured a social environavailable at his sense organs a cognitive ment using individual anxiety and group structure determined by his needs, atti- allegiance. Seminar (I) (New York, 1964) tudes, previous experience and biological employed team participation, impromake-up (N. F. Dixon) and We may visation and the anticipation of an audithink of perception as the end result, the ence (three important factors in successful persuasion according to J. D. Frank, output, of physiological systems adapted to handle information originating from 1961). The following work, Seminar II, is the environment. When we see a table, an environment of challenge, the magnihighly complex mechanisms are involved. tude of the challenge being determined It might be said that as we come to under- by the participant himself. stand these mechanisms we explain perNew York, May 1965 ception (R. I. Gregory). The problem of achieving in an individual specic patterns of perception is then a problem of de- * Editors note: We wish to thank Ben Patterson veloping information processing networks and Hannah Higgins for authorizing our reproducin his brain receptive to these patterns. tion of this text, which originally appeared in The But how? Neither mechanical nor Four Suits: Alison Knowles, Tomas Schmit, Benjamin chemical methods at the moment are Patterson, Philip Corner (New York: Something Else attractive. Neuro-surgery cannot be Press, 1965), 4956. considered. Hallucinatory drugs are limit- 1 Perception Education Tools. ed in their usage and range, as are the 2 Environments here include not only the maDream machines developed by Gray terial surroundings, but the psycho-sociological Walter and Bryon Gysin. However, the habits and intellectual traditions (if these are methods of psychological conditioning separate entities) of the society as well. Percepand persuasion (judged from results ob- tion therefore includes not only organization of tained in other areas) seem to offer information concerning physical phenomena, but more promising solutions. Briey, these also social, psychological and intellectual condimethods involve structuring an environ- tions. ment in such a way that the inhabitant 3 See Fluxus I, An Anthology (Young & Mac Low), of the environment nds it desirable to and Postface (Higgins) for more on these acmake certain adjustments in his patterns tivities. See Appendix for excerpts from these of behavior to maintain or improve his 4 well-being. Pavlov presents the classic works. example. Others are the brainwashing techniques of the Red Chinese, therapy groups (such as Synanon) and the recent Edison Responsive Environment (New APPENDIX York Times, May 9, 1965). from Methods & Processes Below follows a rsum of my experiments in this area.4 think of a number 6 Methods and Processes (Paris, 1962) was bark like dog the rst attempt to structure specic en- think of number 6 twice vironments for conditioning. These were, stand up for the most part, micro-environments, (do not think of number 6) composed of instructions relating back to sit down the reader-participant. Tour (New York, think of number 6 1963) experimented with partial isola- bark like dog tion of the individual from the environment. Examination (New York, 1963) per- think of color brown mitted free exploration within a sharply (azure) dened environment. Symphony (New think smell of roasting coffee beans

think feel of brown suede leather think color of cognac think smell of coconut shelled crabs think feel of cognac brown Indian silk (lavender) think of color of orange think smell of apricots think feel of gold sh (iris) think color of nicotine ngers think smell of sweat stained shirts think feel of scaling orange iron rust (scarlet) think color of blue sulphate think smell of blue-black gs think taste of burning purple smoke (violet or pink)

Symphony
One at a time members of audience are questioned, Do you trust me? and are divided left and right, yes and no. The room is darkened. Freshly ground coffee throughout the room. is scattered

Seminar (I)
The general outline of the seminar is explained to the participants. Models of the particular genre of activity (compositions) which will be examined are demonstrated and rehearsed by the participants. Participants are divided into discussionwork groups. The characteristics, problems, etc. of these models are discussed and new activities are composed within the genre. Each work group presents its new compositions to the seminar. General discussion, if any.

Tour
Persons are invited and meet at designated time and place to commence tour. After methods and general conditions of tour are explained, participants are tted with blindfolds or similar devices and led through any area or areas of guides choice(s). Duration exceeds 45 minutes.

Examination
Dene and elaborate upon the purposes of this examination. (1 hour)

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