Silence is ambiguous. On the one hand, silence effectively "sounds"; or as Cage put it, "There is no such thing as silence." On the other hand, sound needs silence in order to be heard. Even if complete silence does not exist, every sound implicitly conveys the notion of silence: there is no presence without absence. The double meaning of 'sounds like silence' also touches upon the central issues at stake in this project: to what extent do we long for silence; and how much silence can it be? John Cage's 4'33" (four minutes, thirty-three seconds) premiered on August 29, 1952. This book presents new theoretical writings and works of art relating to this groundbreaking work, together with original scores and the composer's own variations, derivatives, and sequels of the "silent piece" in the years from 1962 to 1992. Published by Spector Books (Leipzig).
288 pages, 33 x 24 cm, softcover, Spector Books (Leipzig).