On "cc V TRE": A Retrospective View Through The Looking Glass Of a Multipurpose Newspaper (1964-1979)

Sixty-two years after the foundation of the “non-movement”, it is easy to appreciate how the editorial work of Fluxus was both an original aesthetic - a stylistic synthesis - and an effective means of publicizing the group’s many activities and disseminating George Maciunas “Fluxus Editions". In 1963, George Brecht founded the newspaper, "V TRE", in conjunction with the activities of the Yam Festival, outside of Fluxus; in January 1964 it became "cc V TRE". The newspaper was published from 1964 to 1979 for a total of eleven issues. It was initially edited by George Brecht and the Fluxus Editorial Council for Fluxus and finally, there was an “extra” edition dedicated to Maciunas, and edited by Geoffry Hendricks. This came out in March 1979 to commemorate Maciunas’s passing. The newspaper is thought of as a stream of consciousness or prodrome of television zapping, in black and white, and alternates with photos of events and performances, ironic drawings of advertising objects with neo-dada features, ready-mades with the most varied functions, incisive graphics based on lettering, diagrams, schemes, artistic essays and the sale of objects (real or imaginary). As can be seen from the analysis of the individual issues, "cc V TRE", and then "V TRE", was much more than a simple newspaper, but rather can be considered a synthesis of Fluxus on various fronts. Starting from the essays and scores present in the first issues, from the gags and misleading photographs, permeated by strong irony, it then became a documentary source, thanks also to the countless photographs taken by Peter Moore during the Fluxus events. On the one hand we therefore have a "theoretical" part, which informs the reader about what Fluxus is, not only directly – as in Brecht's essay "Something About Fluxus" – but also in accustoming him to a “Fluxussian” aesthetic-(icono)graphic construction which is already emerging from the first issues. On the other hand, the publication also plays a role in advertising and informing the reader that the "movement" was active on various fronts and in selling the objects of the Fluxus Editions.