During a concert on October 6, 1960, in Mary Bauermeister’s studio in Cologne, Germany, which included works by John Cage and La Monte Young, Paik performed his Étude for Piano Forte and, as part of the composition, shampooed Cage’s hair and cut off his necktie in an act of nihilistic affection. The relationship of Zen for Film to Cages 4’33” can be seen in its inviting the possibility of being aware of much within the limits of little. According to Cage, the film—devoid of images—opens itself up to the nuances of its surrounding environment, “and what you see is the dust that has collected on the film.”
Gallery label from There Will Never Be Silence: Scoring John Cage’s 4’33”, October 12, 2013–June 22, 2014.
