happenings - OHO
“In addition to OHO’s artist book, record, and film production, the summer of 1968 saw a great number of happenings and actions taking place in urban environments and becoming the central and most visible part of the group’s activities. Many of them were performed in Ljubljana’s Zvezda Park. Among them, Matanovič’s works where he invited passersby to participate tended to draw a lot of attention; one such example was a project that involved blowing up a long plastic tube with a vacuum cleaner. Such activities continued into the winter with the so-called winter photo projects and actions, the most famous among them being Mt Triglav. There Matanovič, Nez and Drago Dellabernardina draped a large dark tarpaulin over themselves so that only their heads protruded. The work was based on a play of words (Triglav = three-headed; the mountain has three peaks) or on the turn from the metaphorical meaning of the name to a literal one. The living sculpture also had an implicit ironic effect, playing on an emotionally, symbolically, and ideologically charged motif. By using play, the artists questioned the ceremonial and solemn connotations of Triglav as a national symbol of Slovenia” - Igor Španjol
triglav, 1968 “I convinced two friends to sit for a few hours on a ladder and pretend to be the tallest mountain in Slovenia. It was a New Year gift to the citizens too old or feeble to climb the mountains - we brought it to them.” (see Triglav for more)"
"OHO - Katalgo: Happening the Passion (or Biblical Stories), 1968 “We were asked to create an exhibit and also an event/happening in a theater hall. For the exhibit I created a sculpture called Red Sea, a series of wavy wooden boards that I painted red. When we discussed what to do in the hall, I suggested parting the Red Sea as a theme and we agreed to improvise around it. We got hold of a large roll of cardboard paper and after people settled into their seats we rolled the paper over everybody and then punched holes in it so people could stick their heads above it; we turned people into a ‘sea’ and their heads into ‘waves’. This took quite a bit of time. And then we used karate chops to break the paper and we ‘parted’ the sea Moses-like. Then we walked out. It left people completely puzzled - we didn’t use any words or have any performing experience. It was all very strange and humorous!"
Happening in Zvezda Park (a vacuum cleaner filled long plastic tubes with air), 1968 “I bought a role of plastic (I think it was used for plastic bags) and I used a vacuum cleaner to fill it with air. I invited friends to come to Zvezda Park and about twenty came and I asked them to form a circle. As the unfolding tube would reach them, they were to gently redirect it back towards the center of the circle. The tube unfolded quite slowly: it took about twenty minutes over which it grew in size until the circle was filled with the twisted tube"
Milenko Matanovič makes a path, 1968 “I did this piece in Barje (I enjoyed visiting there) and noticed the many animal and human paths. I was intrigued by the idea of making my own path (I also liked the poetry of that act) by tramping down a line in the grass that didn’t exist before."