Ben Patterson

 

RIP Ben Patterson (1934 - 2016) american artist and one of the founders of Fluxus movement. 

After a brief career as a double-bass player with symphony orchestras in Canada he settled in Cologne in 1960. There, he was active in the contemporary music scene, performing in festivals in Cologne, Paris, Venice, Vienna and elsewhere.
During this pre-Fluxus period he created and performed some of his early seminal works:  "Paper Piece", "Lemons" and "Variations for Double-Bass". 

Late in 1961 Patterson moved to Paris, where he collaborated with Robert Filliou. Commuting between Paris and West Germany, Patterson assisted George Maciunas in organizing the historic 1962 Fluxus Festival in Wiesbaden. His interview with Emmett Williams - for the opening of this festival - became the first article ever about Fluxus. 

 

After Wiesbaden Patterson and his works continued to be an important presence at Fluxus events around the world. In 1963 Patterson moved to New York, where he participated in Fluxus events until the late 1960's, when he returned to pursue "an ordinary life".

After this period, he did occasionally appear with performances and new works for such events as the 20th Anniversary Fluxus Festival in Wiesbaden in 1982 and the 1983 Sao Paulo Bienal, and has been well represented in various exhibitions.

After after, he flied up in the sky a few days ago...