What's playing tonight ? Nothing !

[Twilightseer]

http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai...1/nfring11.xml

[hgnis]

I was wondering how long it would be before something this artistic would be done. I have written quite a few scripts like this. Unfortunately, most people thought it was bs. Jeez the things you can get with a name huh?

[Merlin]

I can think of better ways to spend £1.50...

[mark]

Yeah, it should refund at least $2.50

[Xerxes]

It has to be done once in each genre to establish the last extreme of that medium's version of conceptual art. The art world in other areas has produced at one time or another White Canvases, blank books, a symphony of 12 minutes of silence (John Cage wrote it), and so on.

As an experience, its rather boring- unless the idea was to turn it into a zen meditation session. Then maybe you could get some relaxation out of it, while concentrating on the concept of true emptiness that is neither something nor nothing.

As a symbolic act, it is again useful in defining the minimalist end in a certain genre.

Once produced however, it only needs to be preserved as a note in a textbook, as these sorts of minimalist excercises rarely need to be viewed a second time.

[mark]

Originally posted by Xerxes
....a symphony of 12 minutes of silence (John Cage wrote it)....

wrote?!?!?!?

[Xerxes]

He wrote the score for it (all empty) and did all the normal things one would do for a song- special instructions, notations etc. When it was performed, the orchestra sat for the whole time still, with their instruments at the ready position like they normally would when they are playing music but not involved in the current section.

Again, its functionally useless, obviously he didn't sell a CD.

[anubis2003]

wtf? I coulda done that. Damn, that guys making a lot of money for doing absolutely no work.

[Xerxes]

Originally posted by anubis2003
wtf? I coulda done that. Damn.

People always say that about minimalist modern art... my response would be "Why didn't you"

I was wrong about the 12 minutes- I looked it up and the duration was a third of that - "4'33" was the title of the song and its duration. Where did I pull 12 from? aheh.

He also wrote music that changed every performance by performing coin flips before the performance that depending on the outcome changed different notes in the score.

Also, he developed piano music for a piano where random objects had been placed inside the piano, resulting in a ... "Drum Set" of sorts when the hammers struck.

And also, he is not making money any more because he is dead.

[oNaMiSsIo]

that's the point. he didnt make any money.

[Twilightseer]

I'd love to see what "special instructions" are when nothing is to be played. Do "Flat" or "Sharp" really matter when it comes to silence ?

[griffinn]

Those instructions probably read, "Appear constipated", "Wince", "Distend nostril" etc.

In the spirit of Gounod basing "Ave Maria" on Bach's Prelude in C, I have recently composed my tribute to John Cage's 4'33" -- The 24 Variations of 4'33" in All Major and Minor Keys, but there's no mp3 available because I've yet to find a skilful pianist with 1h49m12s to spare.

Question for the mods: What if a suspected post-pumper claims he's merely performing 4'33"?

[ÇhäötïÇLüñätïÇ]

LMAO.. A show about nothing.... I'm sure the younger generation would have no problem relating to this..

[Twilightseer]

Griff : since it's a tribute to non-existent music, a non-existent mp3 will do just fine.
Problem solved. Ah, the dream, music that takes up no space

[Xerxes]

Part of the concept of 4'33" was that the "Music" was the ambient noise of where you were- during the performance, from what I understand there was giggles and shuffles as an orchestra stayed in "stasis" for the duration of the song.

I would also like to point out that I would easily take 4'33" over gangsta rap. I'm sure several of you would agree.

[Bizznatch]

I would take 4:33 of getting the shit beat out of me than listen to gangsta rap

[. - .... .- -. ....]

Originally posted by Twilightseer
Griff : since it's a tribute to non-existent music, a non-existent mp3 will do just fine.

I'll settle for nothing less than 192kbps VBR, LAME encoded, thank you very much...

[Merlin]

Originally posted by Xerxes
People always say that about minimalist modern art... my response would be "Why didn't you"

Probably because I thought it was too audacious, and no-one would take me seriously for doing it...

[Twilightseer]

Dunno if I'm alone but usually, the concept of art evokes the idea of creation, which itself implies the idea of something coming to existence. I fail to see how a blank book, a silent piece of music or a show where nothing happens meet these requirements since in those cases, nothing becomes nothing.

[hgnis]

Originally posted by Xerxes
my response would be "Why didn't you"

uhh...I did. The drunk puking next to me did not appear too amused though.

[gt55x]

If there is nothing to look at there is no art.

u might as well put up a picture frame on the wall and ask someone how do yopu like my art?

[Avalon]

if I wanted to waste a buck fifty on nothing I'll waste it on food, because it just passes through you in the end.

[ryan]

I agree with bizz.

[J. Burnaway]

I'd pay $1.50 to sit in a movie theater that was silent before the movie started. The gigaplex near me has started playing annoying music videos, commercials, and crappy short product placement films with pretentious forewards by Dennis Hopper.

[Rocky Raccoon]

.

[Rocky Raccoon]

Seriously though...

Originally posted by Xerxes
I was wrong about the 12 minutes- I looked it up and the duration was a third of that - "4'33" was the title of the song and its duration. Where did I pull 12 from? aheh.

4'33 was not the silence, but the sounds that naturally you'll hear in a silent hall full of people... see what I mean?

John Lennon & Yoko Ono did in their "Life with the lions" album a track called "2 minute silence", based on "4'33"; they did it to show John Cage "what true silence is". And they DID record it (first on LP, now on CD) and sell it. (I'm the happy owner of the 3 experimental music albums they released together )

[Mattress]

if I did a project like that for any of my art classes, I'd get an F.

[J. Burnaway]

I doubt it. When I was in college there was someones final project that consisted entirely of 50 feet of bubble wrap taped to the main walkway on campus.

[Twilightseer]

Originally posted by J. Burnaway
I doubt it. When I was in college there was someones final project that consisted entirely of 50 feet of bubble wrap taped to the main walkway on campus.

Did the guy get the explain the concept behind that ? Like "I did this to show we could all be imprisoned in bubble wrap someday" ?

[J. Burnaway]

No idea 'seer. I was a simple engineering student. My only job was to walk on the stuff.

(Though there were many people who walked around it - most people in fact)

[Mattress]

yeah but bubblewrap is more than nothing.
Still pretty dumb though, there are a lot of really retarded art projects.

[zootm]

it doesn't say what venue it's on at, bummer

aha - crowne plaza hotel, it does. may check it out. NOT!

(wow, how cultured am i?)

[Xerxes]

Originally posted by Twilightseer
Dunno if I'm alone but usually, the concept of art evokes the idea of creation, which itself implies the idea of something coming to existence.

The history of art in the last century has been a regresssion- it has been artists saying "If I take away this is it still art? What about depth? shadow? shape? line? form? sound? Composition? Order?"

Eventually when you take away everything you have this sort of conceptual art. Which as I have said, is not very enjoyable but is done for the most part to show the limit of regression- minimalism.

The fact that we are talking and debating it has made this performance of nothing meaningful.

Is nothingness any less a miracle than substance?

[griffinn]

If complete emptiness is not your idea of art, try extreme dilution.

Music that lasts 639 years:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...1/s1542569.htm

[Twilightseer]

Originally posted by griffinn
If complete emptiness is not your idea of art, try extreme dilution.

Music that lasts 639 years:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...1/s1542569.htm

Brian Eno actually designed systems that could create neverending pieces of music, based on virtually unlimited combinations of sound elements.
Glad to see his ideas are now put into practice

[ElChevelle]

LURKERS!!!

[Widdykats]

*snicker*
Cool article.....

[Twilightseer]

Symphonic orchestra performing John Cage's "4'33""

[Widdykats]

^ Once a year?

[Rellik]

hey, maybe "The Thread of MYSTERY" could be considered art.

Of course, I would want any royalties since I participated in that thread.