Art's Birthday: Sending an Ear to Ottawa

Description:

Art’s Birthday was a tradition started by French Fluxus artist Robert Filliou who declared, on January 17, 1963, that Art had been born exactly 1,000,000 years prior when somebody dropped a dry sponge into a bucket of water. Over many decades, artists have continued to organize annual celebrations in the spirit of Filliou’s “Eternal Network” or “La Fête permanente.”

As part of the week of festivities, Western Front participated in Sending an Ear to Ottawa. This was a national call for arts workers to address issues in Canadian arts funding by faxing a concern alongside a visual representation of an ear. The contributions were collated by a representative in Ottawa and delivered to Parliament.