Starting in 1965, Mieko Shiomi conducted a series of nine events that she called Spatial Poems. Each one began with an invitation to a large number of friends and colleagues to respond to a simple instruction, which often took the form of an intimate action poem that anyone could perform. The responses she received in the mail would then constitute the work. In 1975, Shiomi published a booklet documenting the nine Spatial Poems and including a collection of responses to each of these works. The accumulated responses give a glimpse of the wide network of artists who were connected through Fluxus activities, from those engaged in the eclectic arts and letters scene in New York City’s downtown to artists located in Tokyo, Łódź, Montevideo, and New Dehli. In this Feature, you’ll find entries from Shiomi’s 1975 booklet selected by post Editors. These entries reflect the nature and range of the responses to the Spatial Poems and the geographic dispersal of their authors. In several instances, Shiomi published maps that charted the locations of the respondents—a fitting visualization for a project that she considered a global event. You’ll find a few of these maps in the images below.
You will also find other Spatial Poem materials from MoMA’s Library and Archives and the Museum Collection. These materials document the various published iterations of this project between 1965 and 1975. Some have been in the museum’s library for several decades, others were recently added to the Archives and the Museum collection as part of the Silverman Fluxus Collection.
Another aspect of the project is inspired by Shiomi’s dedication of the 1975 publication “to the people of the 30th century.” The inscription conveys the spirit of an open invitation. In this spirit, post has invited the artist David Horvitz to conduct his own project, which directly references strategies used by Shiomi and pays homage to her way of working. Horvitz’s project will have a home here on the post site in the coming weeks. In addition, former MoMA colleague Gretchen Wagner, who is now Curator at the Pulitzer Foundation, will contribute an essay that further elaborates the work on Shiomi’s Spatial Poems that she presented at MoMA in her exhibition, Thing/Thought: Fluxus Editions (2011 – 2012). Both essays will be linked here once they are available.
Spatial Poem No. 1 (Word Event). Ink and pencil on board with sixty-nine offset cards mounted on pins and typewriting on paper with cardboard box, overall: 11 15/16 x 18 x 7/8″ (30.3 x 45.7 x 2.2 cm). Spatial Poem No. 1 (blank board). Traced map on board with sixty-nine cards mounted on pins and typewriting on paper with cardboard box, overall (board): 11 15/16 x 18 1/8 x 1/2″ (30.3 x 46 x 1.3 cm). Spatial Poem No. 2 (Direction Event). Offset, sheet: 14 1/2 x 32 1/2″ (36.8 x 82.6 cm). Spatial Poem No. 3 (calendar pages housed in a wooden box). Wood box with metal clasp, containing offset card and 110 offset sheets, overall (box): 4 15/16 × 5 7/8 × 1″ (12.5 × 15 × 2.5 cm) Spatial Poem No. 3 (Falling Event). Offset sheets mounted to leather with four metal bolts, overall: 6 7/8 x 5 1/16 x 1 3/16″ (17.5 x 12.8 x 3 cm). Instructions for Spatial Poem No. 3. Sheet: 3 1/2 x 5 1/2″ (8.9 x 14 cm). Spatial Poem No. 4 (Shadow Event). Plastic box containing offset card and microfilm with plastic viewer, 2 x 2 9/16 x 2 9/16″ (5.1 x 6.5 x 6.5 cm).
Spatial Poem No. 2, One sheet, 25 x 18 cm. Partial mimeo reprint prepared by Cavan McCarthy for further circulation. Spatial Poem No. 2, Partial mimeo reprint prepared by Cavan McCarthy for further circulation. Invitation letter for Spatial Poem No. 4. Part of a set of invitation letters for Spatial Poems 4-9. Printed on tan, green, red, and yellow papers. Issued in an envelope. 1 of 7 folded sheets, 19 x 19 Explanation about Spatial Poems sent with invitation for Spatial Poem No. 4. Part of a set of invitation letters for Spatial Poems 4-9. Printed on tan, green, red, and yellow papers. Issued in an envelope. 1 of 7 folded sheets, 19 x 19 cm. Spatial Poem No. 4 with enclosed “shadow” transparency. Part of a set of invitation letters for Spatial Poems 4-9. Printed on tan, green, red, and yellow papers. Issued in an envelope. 1 of 7 folded sheets, 19 x 19 cm. “Shadow” transparency. Part of a set of invitation letters for Spatial Poems 4-9. Printed on tan, green, red, and yellow papers. Issued in an envelope. 1 of 7 folded sheets, 19 x 19 cm. Instructions for Spatial Poem No. 5. Part of a set of invitation letters for Spatial Poems 4-9. Printed on tan, green, red, and yellow papers. Issued in an envelope. 1 of 7 folded sheets, 19 x 19 Instructions for Spatial Poem No. 6. Part of a set of invitation letters for Spatial Poems 4-9. Printed on tan, green, red, and yellow papers. Issued in an envelope. 1 of 7 folded sheets, 19 x 19 Instructions for Spatial Poem No. 7. Part of a set of invitation letters for Spatial Poems 4-9. Printed on tan, green, red, and yellow papers. Issued in an envelope. 1 of 7 folded sheets, 19 x 19 Instructions for Spatial Poem No. 8. Part of a set of invitation letters for Spatial Poems 4-9. Printed on tan, green, red, and yellow papers. Issued in an envelope. 1 of 7 folded sheets, 19 x 19 Instructions for Spatial Poem No. 9. Part of a set of invitation letters for Spatial Poems 4-9. Printed on tan, green, red, and yellow papers. Issued in an envelope. 1 of 7 folded sheets, 19 x 19 Spatial Poem No. 3: A Fluxcalender. Selection from calendar, 39.9 x 13.3 cm. Loose-leaf day calendar documenting “falling” actions by artists from June 24–October 16, 1966. The calendar is bolted to a piece of leather at its midway point. The nuts can be unscrewed so that the pages of the calendar fall freely from one set of bolts, then are picked up and placed on another set of bolts inserted at the top. Spatial Poem No. 3: A Fluxcalender. Selection from calendar, 39.9 x 13.3 cm. Loose-leaf day calendar documenting “falling” actions by artists from June 24–October 16, 1966. The calendar is bolted to a piece of leather at its midway point. The nuts can be unscrewed so that the pages of the calendar fall freely from one set of bolts, then are picked up and placed on another set of bolts inserted at the top. Spatial Poem No. 3: A Fluxcalender. Selection from calendar, 39.9 x 13.3 cm. Loose-leaf day calendar documenting “falling” actions by artists from June 24–October 16, 1966. The calendar is bolted to a piece of leather at its midway point. The nuts can be unscrewed so that the pages of the calendar fall freely from one set of bolts, then are picked up and placed on another set of bolts inserted at the top. Spatial Poem No. 3: A Fluxcalender. Selection from calendar, 39.9 x 13.3 cm. Loose-leaf day calendar documenting “falling” actions by artists from June 24–October 16, 1966. The calendar is bolted to a piece of leather at its midway point. The nuts can be unscrewed so that the pages of the calendar fall freely from one set of bolts, then are picked up and placed on another set of bolts inserted at the top. Spatial Poem No. 3: A Fluxcalender. Selection from calendar, 39.9 x 13.3 cm. Loose-leaf day calendar documenting “falling” actions by artists from June 24–October 16, 1966. The calendar is bolted to a piece of leather at its midway point. The nuts can be unscrewed so that the pages of the calendar fall freely from one set of bolts, then are picked up and placed on another set of bolts inserted at the top. Spatial Poem No. 3: A Fluxcalender. Selection from calendar, 39.9 x 13.3 cm. Loose-leaf day calendar documenting “falling” actions by artists from June 24–October 16, 1966. The calendar is bolted to a piece of leather at its midway point. The nuts can be unscrewed so that the pages of the calendar fall freely from one set of bolts, then are picked up and placed on another set of bolts inserted at the top. Spatial Poem No. 3: A Fluxcalender. Selection from calendar, 39.9 x 13.3 cm. Loose-leaf day calendar documenting “falling” actions by artists from June 24–October 16, 1966. The calendar is bolted to a piece of leather at its midway point. The nuts can be unscrewed so that the pages of the calendar fall freely from one set of bolts, then are picked up and placed on another set of bolts inserted at the top. Spatial Poem. Front cover of illustrated book: 21 x 27 cm. Spatial Poem. Participants and Instructions Spatial Poem. Pages 2-3. (Spatial Poem No.1 – World Event) Spatial Poem. Pages 54-55. (Spatial Poem No.7 – Sound Event) Spatial Poem No.1. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.1. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.1. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.1. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.2. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.2. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.2. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.2. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.3. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.3. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.3. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.3. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.3. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.4. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.4. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.4. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.4. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.5. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.5. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.5. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.5. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.5. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.6. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.6. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.6. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.6. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.7. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.7. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.7. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.7. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.8. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.8. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.8. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.8. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.8. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.9. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.9. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko Spatial Poem No.9. Report. Excerpt from Spatial Poem by Shiomi Mieko
Page 1 of a two-page letter from George Maciunas to Shiomi Mieko Invitation letter for Spatial Poem No. 2: Directional Event. Offset, printed in black. 9 1/2 x 7 1/16″ (24.1 x 17.9 cm) Invitation letter for Spatial Poem No. 3: Falling Event. Offset, printed in black. 5 7/8 x 9 1/4″ (14.3 x 23.5 cm) Invitation letter for Spatial Poem No. 4: Shadow Event. Offset. 7 3/8 x 7 3/16″ (18.7 x 18.2 cm) Enclosure with invitation letter for Spatial Poem No. 4: Shadow Event. Plastic, offset. 3 7/8 x 7″ (9.8 x 17.7cm) Invitation letter for Spatial Poem No. 5: Open Event. Offset, printed in black. 6 5/8 x 7 3/8″ (16.8 x 18.7 cm) Invitation letter for Spatial Poem No. 8: Wind Event. Offset, printed in black. 7 1/8 x 6 7/8″ (18.1 x 17.5 cm) Invitation letter for Spatial Poem No. 9: Disappearing Event. Offset, printed in black. 6 13/16 x 7 1/8″ (17.3 x 18.1 cm) Submissions to Spatial Poem No. 3: Falling Event (1965) and Spatial Poem No. 5: Open Event (1972) by Shiomi Mieko Submission to Spatial Poem No. 4: Shadow Event by Shiomi Mieko Untitled (working material for possible contribution to Spatial Poem No. 4 by Shiomi Mieko). Photostat. 8 1/4 x 11 5/8″ (20.9 x 29.5 cm) Tone Yasunao and Shiomi Mieko. Black and white negative. 4 15/16 x 3 15/16″ (12.5 x 10 cm)