This article takes a deep dive into the interesting mind of John Cage, a brilliant artist to some and a disappointment to others. Cage’s artwork pushed, and continues to push the boundaries of what we consider artwork and music. In Cage’s live performances, he utilized sounds from found objects and live noises from his often impatient audience. While some viewers thought his provocative piece, “4’33” was a silent waste of time, Cage saw it as a blank canvas to appreciate the noises that we don’t acknowledge. As Cage stated, “there is no such thing as silence”. Whether it is the click of the computer keyboard or my classmate clearing their throat across the room, this basement lab is most definitely not silent. There are noises everywhere we go, in every second of life, but they often go unnoticed. Cage was one of the first forward thinkers to take these commonly unappreciated, organic sounds and translate them into an art form.
When I first watched “4’33” and various other performances by Cage, I was confused where I stood in the debate about his art form. Although I understood the concept, I was skeptical that a nearly silent room should be praised alongside composed pieces of music. It wasn’t until I started creating my own soundscape that I realized how powerful and beautiful the minute, unnoticed sounds from our everyday lives can be. So far, I have used the sounds like my blowing fan and roommates footsteps. These are like white noise to me as I live my life without paying them any attention, however, when put together with a little bit of Audition editing, they sound pretty great. I think Cage’s forward thinking art form changed the once rigid boundaries of artistic value and expression, and I am grateful that our class is encouraged to follow in his footsteps as we create art that pushes societal boundaries.
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