John Cage Performs His Avant-Garde Piano Piece 4’33" ... in 1’22" (Harvard Square, 1973) | Open Culture
▻http://www.openculture.com/2016/04/john-cage-performs-his-avant-garde-piano-piece-433.html
We’ve seen various performances of John Cage’s famous silent piece 4’33". But never during our decade digging up cultural curiosities have we encountered 4’33" performed by Cage himself. That is, until now. Above you can watch a video outtake from Nam June Paik’s Tribute to John Cage, filmed in 1973, in Harvard Square. Boston’s WBGH describes the scene:
In the video he is seated at a piano, with spectators surrounding him. He toys with his viewer’s expectations by not playing the piano, which is what the general populace would expect from a performance involving a piano. On the piano shelf there are a pocket watch and a slip of paper. He keeps touching and looking at the pocket watch which draws the audience’s attention to the idea of time, and that they are waiting for something to happen, and he also raises and lowers the piano fallboard. There is also text that appears in this particular video that says “This is Zen for TV. Open your window and count the stars. If rainy count the raindrops on the puddle. Do you hear a cricket? …or a mouse.”
Another unconventional item to add to the list: Cage performs 4’33" in 1’22"!
Il y a un chapitre entier consacré à John Cage dans « Le cercle démocratique » de Fred Turner.
