MORE FROM DAY SEVEN

By Patrycja Kujswska

Quotes from the book “John Cage – SILENCE”

“Wherever we are, what we hear is mostly noise. When we ignore it, it disturbs us. When we listen to it we find it fascinating. The sound of a truck at fifty miles per hour. Rain.

“We can compose and perform a quartet for explosive motor, wind, heartbeat,…”

“If you had to put on ten fingers the music you would take with you if you were going to North Pole, what would you put?”

COMUNICATION
32 questions
What if I ask thirty two questions?
What if I stop asking now and then?
Will it make things clear?
Is communication something clear?
What is communication?
Music, what does it communicate?
It’s what’s clear to me clear to you?
Is music just sounds?
Are sounds just sounds, or are they Beethoven?
People aren’t sounds are they?
Is there such a thing as silence?
(…)
Is this the twenty eight question?
Are there any important questions?
And now, do I have none?

(P.S. I quite like the idea of asking the actual 28th question if it’s 28th question…It’s like ;is step a step, or note a note etc.:)- PK

Q.1
It was a conscious decision to choose that book, as my initial aim was to try to translate some of the questions we’ve raised past week into music/sound world. I was aware that book itself is full of questions (not only restricted to the music language). I knew as well that the book has got philosophical approach to the construction of sound structures. (Few ideas I came across I found almost annoyingly conceptual )

Q.2
1.I’ve opened the book on random page
2.Have found an intriguing sentence.
3.Realised that I don’t understand the context ,what’s so ever .
4.Found the title of the chapter in which I’ve found the “intriguing sentence”
5. Realised that knowing the name of the chapter doesn’t make the whole prosess any clearer.
6.Finally I did what I should have done on the very beginning- I’ve opened the (bloody) book on the opening page of contents to know WHAT’S MY CHOICE.

Q.3
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends on the idea, or rather rules; if I try to find something without any particular staring point, like going on the trip without a map or a guide where I don’t know where or what destination point is (which has a potential of very surprising and dangerous journey, where the destination point may be less interesting reward than journey to find it its self.) It’s different when I restrict myself with certain “instruction of a ride” before I start dancing/playing violin. (sometimes instructions can happen to be liberating)

Q.4
The process of choosing THE RIGHT paragraphs was quite long, each minute more and more indecisive and impatient, although I decided to force myself to STICK WITH ONE IDEA throughout the task. I don’t think I benefited for this decision particularly…neither I lost anything…but I guess that’s not the point.
I consciously made decision of not writing any personal comments for 2 reasons. First I thought that the page will be passed to other people (and there will be more instructions added to the task), second I just thought the paragraphs are what they are, and let the people read them as they want.