In Brief
A Ceremonial Chord Change for John Cage's 639-year-long Concert
An organ recital of a piece by the composer began in 2001 and will run until 2640. This weekend, listeners gathered to hear its 14th chord change.
John Cage
Books
John Cage, Forager of Music and Mushrooms
No matter how much one knows about the artist or mycology, John Cage: A Mycological Foray surprises with its ode to continuous wonder.
Art
See Glorious, Unusual Pianos Made by Carolee Schneemann, Nam June Paik, and Other Artists
At the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, performers will activate remarkable pianos inspired by John Cage and commissioned by Italian collector Francesco Conz.
Books
The Artists Who Wrote Poetry at Black Mountain, From Josef Albers to John Cage
Including poems from well known writers and less expected artists, Black Mountain Poems produces a keener vision of the interdisciplinary culture of the famed college.
Film
A 3D Experience Recreates Merce Cunningham’s Most Famous Dances
On the centennial of the legendary dancer and choreographer's birth, the documentary Cunningham pays tribute to his work and philosophy.
History
50 Years Ago Today, Marcel Duchamp and John Cage Played Chess
Spoiler alert: Cage lost … twice.
Performance
A Play Composed of John Cage Interviews and the Sounds of Daily Life
Chess Match No. 5, a play composed from excerpts of John Cage interviews, reprises canonical questions about the nature of music and art but adds no new insights.
Art
When Experimental Music Resonated with Abstract Art
The exhibition includes scores by John Cage and Morton Feldman, paintings by Philip Guston, sculpture and works on paper by Louise Bourgeois and David Smith, and oil paintings by Joan Mitchell.
Opinion
Why Composers Make Music to Drive Us Insane
That artists have a tendency to be strange is not surprising. However, Erik Satie, who was a groundbreaking composer that lay the foundation for minimalism in 20th-century classical music, really waved his freak flag high.
Books
Learning Little from John Cage's Letters
Some of us didn’t need letters from him, because he trusted us to do what we did without requiring his instruction or encouragement.
Books
Taking His Chance: John Cage's Diary
One of the minor ironies of the postwar avant-garde is that an artist so resolutely against personal expression and the myth of the inspired genius should become the focus of a cult of personality.
Art
The 1,000-Year GIF
Titled "AS Long As Possible," the GIF work features 48,140,288 frames, and each will last for about 10 minutes. The file will reach its end only in the year 3017 — until it loops back to frame number one.