The Destruction in Art Symposium (a.k.a. DIAS) was a gathering of a diverse group of international artists, poets, and scientists to London from 9–12 September, 1966. Included in this number were representatives of Fluxus and other counter-cultural artistic undergrounds who were there to speak out on the theme of destruction in art.
The Honorary Committee, led by Gustav Metzger, attracted the attention of both the international media and international art community to the symposium.[1] The symposium was mainly held at the Africa Centre in Covent Garden, London.
A Destruction in Art Symposium press release claimed that the main objective of DIAS was to focus attention on the element of destruction in Happenings and other art forms and to relate it to the actual destruction taking place within society.
Happenings took place in venues all over London, including Conway Hall.[2][1] At Africa Centre, co-owner of Indica Gallery, John Dunbar, saw Yoko Ono's performances of Cut Piece and invited her to make an exhibition for Indica.[3] John Latham constructed three large Skoob Towers out of books called The laws of England and set fire to them outside the British Museum. Raphael Montañez Ortiz destroyed a piano for his Duncan Terrace Piano Destruction Concert. Guy Pro-Diaz produced his work Painting with Explosion at the Freeschool Playground in London, on 12 September 1966.
Inspired by London's Destruction in Art Symposium, artists Geoffrey Hendricks and Ralph Ortiz organized a free Destruction in Art Symposium USA event on March 22, 1968, at the Judson Church Gallery in New York City. Performing participants were Hermann Nitsch, Nam June Paik, Al Hansen, Bici Hendricks, Charlotte Moorman, Ralph Ortiz, and Lil Picard.
The following artists were involved in DIAS:
The following artists are said to have participated in DIAS in absentia:[4]
Photographers:
5. 2022: Kristine Stiles, “Destruction in Art Symposium (DIAS),” annotated bibliography.In Oxford Bibliographies in Art History. Ed. Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann. New York: Oxford University Press: https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199920105/obo- 9780199920105- 0139.xml?rskey=sVbztN&result=1&q=Kristine+Stiles#firstMatch
6. 2019: Kristine Stiles, “Destruction in Art,” in Oxford Bibliographies in Art History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Monograph length annotated bibliography: https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199920105/obo-9780199920105-0139.xml?rskey=nsWqW4&result=2&q=Destruction+in+Art#firstMatch
7. 1987: Kristine Stiles' unpublished doctoral dissertation, "The Destruction in Art Symposium (DIAS): The Radical Social Project of Event-Structured Art."
