This poster presents a visual analysis of 36 minutes from John Cage's *Empty Words* performance. In this live performance, Cage's amplified voice becomes the vehicle for fragmented language. The texts undergo a process of *desemantization*, where words are literally shredded through random combinations determined by the ancient I Ching. The entire performance, lasting 10 hours, follows a progression of increasing abstraction: Part I omits sentences, Part II omits phrases, and Part III omits words. Part IV, which omits syllables, reduces the text to a virtual lullaby of letters and sounds. The texts are drawn from the journals of Henry David Thoreau, and the illustrations projected on the wall during the performance, serving as a backdrop, also come from Thoreau’s diary.
The third part was performed in Milan at the Teatro Lirico on December 2, 1977. The audience’s confusion created a masking sound effect, making it difficult to perceive the subtle relationships between time and auditory perception. Yet, silence is integral to the performance as a whole; without grasping this aspect, it is impossible to truly connect with the essence of Cage’s poetics.
2024 Empty words
This poster presents a visual analysis of 36 minutes from John Cage's *Empty Words* performance. In this live performance, Cage's amplified voice becomes the vehicle for fragmented language. The texts undergo a process of *desemantization*, where words are literally shredded through random combinations determined by the ancient I Ching. The entire performance, lasting 10 hours, follows a progression of increasing abstraction: Part I omits sentences, Part II omits phrases, and Part III omits words. Part IV, which omits syllables, reduces the text to a virtual lullaby of letters and sounds. The texts are drawn from the journals of Henry David Thoreau, and the illustrations projected on the wall during the performance, serving as a backdrop, also come from Thoreau’s diary.
The third part was performed in Milan at the Teatro Lirico on December 2, 1977. The audience’s confusion created a masking sound effect, making it difficult to perceive the subtle relationships between time and auditory perception. Yet, silence is integral to the performance as a whole; without grasping this aspect, it is impossible to truly connect with the essence of Cage’s poetics.