Claes Oldenburg, the sculptor who set new terms for sculpture in the 60’s, is best known as the creator of ‘soft’ sculpture and ‘giant’ objects as well as the author of projects for colossal monuments. His theoretical happening and performance activities since the late 50’s have not been adequately integrated into the understanding and appreciation of his sculptural work. Therefore, Raw Notes presents the previously unpublished complete texts of the performances Claes Oldenburg conceived: Stars, in Washington, D.C., 1963; Moveyhouse, at the now defunct Filmmakers Cinematheque on 42nd Street in New York, 1975; Massage, during his retrospective exhibition at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, 1966; The Typewriter, his “last happening” which was never produced and exists solely as a script, 1968.
Oldenburg scrupulously collected all the material relating to the performances, and according to his specifications, the text in the book is typed rather than set and it appears only on one side of the page. Examples of the original manuscript pages are reproduced in sixty-three plates, including stage plans, scores, sketches for programs and posters. More than two hundred annotations by the author expand the texts. Oldenburg’s Raw Notes will be read themselves as literature, as well as for documentary purposes.