John Cage: IMAGINARY LANDSCAPES, CONCERTS & MUSICIRCUS

John Cage was an unclassifiable musician and, beyond all doubt, one of the most influential figures in contemporary music and musical theory since Arnold Schoenberg. His unique way of understanding music and his singular personality made his irruption into the world of music a great event for some and a provocation for others.

In the exhibition project John Cage. Imaginary Landscapes, Concerts & Musicircus, organised by the EACC, the curator Joan Cerveró wanted to present this creator as a living figure, and for the exhibition to enable a total immersion in the artist’s way of thinking through his music.

The foundational idea of this exhibition is to pay a historical debt with one of the most important artists and musicians of our time, while at the same time disseminating and promoting his core body of work. To this end, the art centre is transformed into a concert hall, a stage and a meeting place for a plethora of events where the connection with John Cage is made not just as mere spectators but as active participants.

One of the main ideas of the project is to “stage” various scenarios, like his ‘Imaginary Landscapes’, where Cage’s works are performed. These spaces are designed specifically for the EACC as several little installations that transform the exhibition hall into one huge sound installation.

The exhibition area houses the elements providing the audience with a space to see, to listen and sometimes even to interact with the musical pieces by Cage. For this purpose, spaces are prepared to stage from the “Living Room Music” to the installation of his work “33½”, in which the public can intervene in the playing of the piece through the choice and manipulation of the sound sources. A re-enactment of the Ryoanji Garden and of the anechoic chamber, an echoless space where it is possible to experience the “sensation of silence”. All this will help explain some of Cage’s experiments with sound.

Over the various months the exhibition-concert remains open, around 100 works by John Cage will be performed, making it the most significant Cage event ever held in Spain. The repertoire ranges from his earliest ideas to his last composition.

Likewise, a season of activities has been programmed to explore the thinking of the composer. These embrace roundtables, conferences, courses, workshops, film cycles, operas and other events related with John Cage’s work and thinking, featuring experts from here in Spain and worldwide.

A project curated by Joan Cerveró

John Cage
IMAGINARY LANDSCAPES, CONCERTS & MUSICIRCUS
Kurator: Joan Cervero