Ken Friedman (born September 19, 1949 in New London, Connecticut) is an artist and designer. He was a member of Fluxus, an international laboratory for experimental art, architecture, design, and music. Friedman joined Fluxus in 1966 as the youngest member of the classic Fluxus group. He has worked closely with other Fluxus artists and composers such as George Maciunas, Dick Higgins, and Nam June Paik, as well as collaborating with John Cage and Joseph Beuys. He was the general manager of Dick Higgins's Something Else Press in the early 1970s. In the 1990s, Friedman's work as a management consultant and designer led him to an academic career, first as Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design at the Norwegian School of Management in Oslo, then as Dean of the Faculty of Design at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. Friedman is currently Professor Emeritus at Swinburne and Chair Professor of Design Innovation Studies at Tongji University.
Education
From 1965 to 1966, Friedman studied at Shimer College, a Great Books school then located in Mount Carroll, Illinois. It was at this time that he developed the programs at Radio WRSB that brought him into contact with Dick Higgins and the Something Else Press. While Friedman was at Shimer, he created the score for A Mandatory Happening. George Maciunas would produce this as one of Friedman’s first Fluxus boxes.
Friedman received his Master of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in education, psychology, and social science from San Francisco State University in 1971. He received his doctorate in 1976 from the United States International University. In 2007 Loughborough University in the UK honored Friedman with the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, for outstanding contributions to design research.
Fluxus and artistic work
Friedman became associated with Fluxus in the 1966, participating in its international network of artists, composers, and writers. His work includes event scores, conceptual projects, performance-based art, and critical writings on intermedia practice.
He edited The Fluxus Reader (1998), a major scholarly resource documenting the history, ideas, and participants of Fluxus. He has written extensively on key figures in the movement, including George Maciunas, Nam June Paik, and Dick Higgins, contributing to the historiography of experimental and intermedia art. His writings address the relationship between art, communication, and social systems.
Friedman’s early works, including Events and The Aesthetics, explored conceptual structures, language, and performative instruction-based formats. Among his best-known works from the 1960s and early 1970s are Garnisht Kigele (1966), Prototype for a Flux Corsage (1966), Flux Corsage (1969), Cleanliness Flux Kit (1969), Flux Clippings (1969), Open and Shut Case (c. 1966), Telephone Event (1967), Boxing Day (1968), and Water Table (1971). Instruction-based pieces such as Scrub Piece and The Light Bulb exemplify the concise, score-driven format characteristic of Fluxus practice.
He has also produced artist books and conceptual publications, including Events (1973; with subsequent translations and editions), The Aesthetics (1972/1973), and Five Events and One Sculpture (1976). His later projects, including 92 Events and 99 Events, function both as exhibitions and publication-based presentations of event scores spanning his career, and are discussed in detail in the exhibitions section. Iterations of 92 Events have been presented internationally at institutions such as the Adam Art Gallery in New Zealand, Museo Vostell Malpartida in Spain, the Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center in Lithuania, and the Kalmar Art Museum in Sweden, reflecting their broad international circulation.
Archives of Friedman’s work are held in major institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art (Silverman Fluxus Collection), Archiv Sohm (Staatsgalerie Stuttgart), and the University of Iowa’s Alternative Traditions in the Contemporary Art.
Exhibitions
Friedman has exhibited internationally since the early 1960s in connection with the Fluxus network and through subsequent solo and survey exhibitions dedicated to his work.
Friedman’s work has also been included in group exhibitions devoted to Fluxus and experimental art. The Museum of Modern Art has featured his work in survey exhibitions on Fluxus. Archival holdings at Archiv Sohm (Staatsgalerie Stuttgart) and the Alternative Traditions in the Contemporary Arts archive at the University of Iowa have further supported exhibitions and research-based presentations of his work.
In addition to museum exhibitions, Friedman’s performance scores, including recurring works such as In One Year and Out the Other, have been restaged and discussed in contemporary art contexts, reflecting the continuing relevance of his instruction-based practice.
Academic career and design research
Alongside his artistic practice, Friedman developed an influential academic career in design research and innovation studies. He has held leadership roles in several universities and has contributed significantly to the development of design as a research discipline.
He is Chair Professor of Design Innovation Studies at Tongji University College of Design and Innovation in Shanghai and Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology School of Design. He previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Design and University Distinguished Professor at Swinburne University of Technology, where he is now Professor Emeritus.
Friedman has written extensively on design theory, design science, research methodology, innovation management, knowledge management, and information society studies.
His publications include scholarly articles, edited volumes, conference proceedings, and reference works. He has contributed entries to major encyclopedias on topics such as intermedia, electronic publishing, typography, knowledge management, and new media. He has also been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), reflecting recognition of his impact across art, design, and social innovation.
Friedman has held distinguished chaired professorships, including appointment as Chair Professor of Design Innovation Studies at Tongji University and senior research professorships in Scandinavia.
- Friedman, K. (1998). Introduction: Intermedia, multimedia, and Fluxus. In K. Friedman (Ed.), The Fluxus reader (pp. xx–xx). Chichester, UK: Academy Editions.
- Friedman, K. (2007). Stayin’ alive: The short, simple manual on how to present your research. Oslo, Norway: Egmont.
- Friedman, K. (2016). Making design research researchable. In R. Curedale (Ed.), Design thinking process and methods. Topanga, CA: Design Community College.