ABSTRACT
Through the examination of different documentary sources, this chapter documents Émilie Parendeau’s decision-making process in the replication of Robert Filliou’s The Futile Box (1977) as part of her Almost-Replicas project, initiated in 2010, which aims to reconstruct Fluxus objects as a means of exploring their conceptual and physical dimensions. The Futile Box consists of a wooden box containing a ball which, when one closes it, demonstrates its “futility” by allowing the ball to fall through, undermining its functional purpose as a container. Parendeau’s replica emphasizes the playful deception of the work, in keeping with the wit and humor characteristic of Fluxus. The term “almost replicas” acknowledges that, while a reconstruction may be materially different from the original, it retains the original’s conceptual integrity. Through this process of replication, Parendeau demonstrates how making becomes a form of understanding, prioritizing the conceptual significance of the object over the precision of an exact physical reproduction.
