Developed in the early 60s as an antithesis to ‘high-art' Fluxus was playful, genial and often absurd. Frequently described as an attitude or spirit rather than an art movement, Fluxus evolved in Europe and the US and is considered the most radical and experimental art movement of the 1960s. Fluxus is a collective movement with multiple origins, and from it we can arguably trace the origins of multi-media, conceptual performance, and installation art.

Fluxus was, and still is, an international artists' collective with a strong sense of community. Social occasions such as dumpling parties, dinners, banquets and boat trips reflect the convivial ideologies and community ethos of the Fluxus community.

On 29 June 1971 George Maciunas hosted a Dumpling Party for a group of Fluxus artists and associates in the original ‘Fluxhouse' (80 Wooster Street, New York). Using this social gathering as a starting point FLUX-FEST launched with its own Dumpling Party on Wednesday 25 June 2008 hosted by artist Feng-Ru Lee. Visitors were invited to eat dumplings whilst watching the first presentation in the UK of the performance Car Bibbe by Sean Carillo and (Al Hansen's daughter) Bibbe Hansen - originally performed by Al Hansen in 1958/9.

Also at VIVID during 25 June to 13 July was a rich screening programme of films providing the audience with a rare opportunity to view original Fluxfilms by Nam June Paik, Yoko Ono, Joe Jones, Paul Sharits, Alison Knowles and George Maciunas, and interviews and documentaries of Fluxus activity from 60s through to 90s by Larry Miller, Takahiko Iimura and Jonas Mekas.

Mecanologie (1997) by Pierre Bastien was installed at VIVID and comprised a robotic installation of everyday objects - a teapot, a comb, some toothbrushes - that together form an ensemble of sounds. Bastien will also perform at Capsule's Supersonic Festival on Sunday 13 July.

Typographically charged works commissioned specifically for FLUX-FEST by Birmingham based designer James Langdon included a programme of activity where the audience was invited to spin an arrow to select an event to attend. Langdon's pieces drew on the flamboyant styles of Fluxus print and the importance of graphic design to Fluxus' founder George Maciunas.

The Re:Flux Fluxconcert, curated by a.a.s. and Ensemble Interakt, on Friday 27 June, was a one day audio performance event exploring collaborative and participatory working as developed by Fluxus. Contributing artists include Ana Benlloch, Cormac Faulkner, Jonathan Green, Phillip Henderson, Calum F. Kerr, Sian Macfarlane, Niki Russell, Stuart Tait, Keir Williams and Dan Williamson.

On Thursday 3 July, 7 Inch Cinema and associates greeted the spirit of Fluxus with Flummoxed, including silent raving, limited edition flickbooks, performance, bespoke film/music presentations by Film Ficciones and Nicholas Bullen and a three-turntable improvisation performed without headphones by audio-collagist Ergo Phizmiz using assorted vinyl.

Journey with Fluxus on Saturday 5 July saw visitors journey along Birmingham's canal systems whilst playing Fluxus-style games with artists Melissa Bliss and Andy Abbott. Also aboard this family friendly outing curated by Deborah Kermode, Ergo Phizmiz staged a unique participatory performance in a new live art work using wordplay and sound.

SharedTable invited you to experience a spectacular Fluxfood event on Wednesday 9 July. FluxFeast  attempted to undermine the monumentality of art through the use of food. In true Fluxus-DIY style, VIVID and SharedTable asked you to propose a recipe to challenge the senses! The winning recipe was re-created and served at the banquet.