John Cage Reads from 36 Mesostics Re and Not Re Duchamp

John Cage’s work has had an immeasurable influence on 20th Century music and art, and his formal and technological innovations were tied to his desire to push the boundaries of the art world. In 1951 he initiated the first recording on magnetic tape, and in 1952 he staged a theatrical event that is considered the first Happening. His invention of the prepared piano and his work with percussion instruments led him to imagine and explore many unique and fascinating ways of structuring the temporal dimension of music. Cage was involved in the Fluxus movement, asserting that that the importance of the artistic process outweighed the finished product. He is universally recognized as the originator and principal figure in the field of indeterminate composition by means of random operations. In this video he reads 36 of his mestostics.