George Maciunas and the flux-labyrinth (1974/1976) : staging a soho way of life

The Flux-Labyrinth, conceived by George Maciunas in 1974, was not only geared at fun, but rather acted as a metaphor for the harsh living experiences in SoHo (NY) during the late 1960s and early 70s. The labyrinth reflects Maciunas’ artistic visions as well as his visionary thoughts on urban renewal of an area in decay. Whereas the first iteration of the labyrinth in René Block’s gallery in SoHo failed due to Maciunas’ trouble with the city authorities, the labyrinth was built for the exhibition ‘New York - Downtown Manhattan - SoHo’ curated by René Block at Berlin’s Akademie der Künste in September 1976 where it responded most directly to the exhibition’s brief to convey ‘the whole spectrum of life and of human activities as well as the problems of living together’ in SoHo.