Harry Stendhal in Collaboration with George Maciunas Foundation and Think Offsit

e LLC is Pleased to Announce a Web Exhibition

Maciunas Prefabricated Building System : An ASSESSMENT REPORT Founder of Fluxus
Also Visionary Architect and Inventor.
New York, NY, August 02, 2010 -- Fluxhouseâ ¢ George Maciunas, the driving force b
ehind the Fluxus, increasing viewed as one of the major Post-Modern art movement
s of the past half century, was also personally responsible for the residential
renovation of Soho by way of cooperative housing. Trained as an architect, coope
rative living arrangements, or Fluxhouses, were never far from Maciunas thoughts
. The George Maciunas Foundation has just released a Comprehensive Assessment Re
port of Maciunas prefabricated housing to explore its current potential for the
provision of affordable, well-designed community based housing.
Born in Lithuania to an architect and engineer father, Maciunas (1931-1978) appr
enticed in his fatherâ s office before immigrating to the United States with his fa
mily after World War II. Their first residence was the post-war housing developm
ent in Levittown, Long Island, giving Maciunas early, first hand experience of m
ass-produced prefabricated housing.
In 1954, Maciunas earned an architectural degree from Pittsburghâ s Carnegie Instit
ute of Technology. After graduation, he worked for several major firms, includin
g Skidmore, Owing and Merrill, and the highly regarded designers Knoll Associate
s. In the early sixties, Maciunas focus shifted to avant-garde art, designing pu
blications and organizing festivals promoting American, European and Asian exper
imental artists such as Joseph Beuys, Nam June Paik and Yoko Ono.
Despite his association with innovative artists of 1960's, his involvement with
affordable mass produced pre-fabricated housing was a concrete example of his pr
actical nature. A student of history, Maciunas was intimately aware of the prece
ding building systems of Le Corbusier (homes as â machines for livingâ ), and Buckmini
ster Fullerâ s geodesic dome. He was also interested in advanced housing developmen
ts in the Soviet Union. The Fluxhouses are modeled on these precedents.
As a way to avoid the bland conformity of Soviet block housing, or a Levittown d
evelopment, Maciunas stressed optimum flexibility and adaptability. His system o
f Fluxhouses is based on panels and modules so that it can expand, contract, or
change shape to meet any required function (personal, public or commercial).
The newly available Assessment Report provides an extended history of prefabrica
ted housing systems, explains in detail how the Maciunas system of Fluxhouses wo
rk, and proposes steps for realizing the design in the current market. To read t
he report in full, visit the George Macunias website at www.georgemaciunas. com
*Fluxhouse is a trademark of George Maciunas Foundation Inc.
George Maciunas Foundation Inc. is a501 (c)(3) tax-exempt non-for-profit arts or
ganization.
MACIUNAS PREFABRICATED BUILDING SYSTEM
An Assessment ReportModern art
Designed by Alina Ryk and Harry Stendhal
Stendhal Gallery, New York2009
George Maciunas Foundation inc would like to thank John Held Jr , Scott Weinkle,
Ken Burrows, Ali C. Hocek , Bashar Azzouz and Nijole Valaitis
©Think OffSite LLC and The George Maciunas Foundation, Inc New York
Report prepared by Think OffSite LLC for The George Maciunas Foundation, Inc.
Fluxhouse is a trademark of George Maciunas Foundation Inc.
George Maciunas Foundation Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) tax exempt non-for-profit arts o
rganization.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise,
without the written permission of the George Maciunas Foundation, Inc.
George Maciunas Foundation, Inc. 545 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011, Tel:
+212-366-1549, info@georgemaciunas.com.
Press Contact:
Harry Stendhal
George Maciunas Foundation, Inc.
545 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-366-1549
harry@stendhalgallery.com
http://www.georgemaciunas.com