Chance Conversations: An Interview with Merce Cunningham and John Cage

In the spring of 1981, during a residency at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, choreographer Merce Cunningham and composer John Cage sat down to discuss their work and artistic process. As frequent collaborators, Cage and Cunningham pioneered a new framework of performance. Their novel approach allowed for mediums to exist independently, or rather cohabitate, within a performance, thus abandoning the co-dependent model of dance and music. Cage and Cunningham go on to discuss the methodology and motivations behind chance operations, a term used to describe artistic decisions based on unpredictability. Wanting to free himself of his likes and dislikes, Cage describes how Zen Buddhism influenced his work, leading him to use tools of chance. These new methods, adopted by both Cunningham and Cage, overturned a whole foundation of thought around music, movement, and the process of creating art.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• mercecunningham
• johncage
• walkerartcenter
• dance
• music

[rlevanony]

I love John Cage.

[sleepytimejesse]

Who the fuck's idea was it to sit awkwardly in the center of a large gymnasium next to a busy road.

[bauersnarky]

I played violin for "Ocean" back in 2008 when it was performed down in a quarry in Waite Park, MN. I think I was the only one from the orchestra that actually met Merce Cunningham; I made a point to do it and I was totally in awe the whole time while I was talking to him. Truly a brilliant human being. I got a terrible cold from sitting in that cold and damp quarry for a week of September evenings, but I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.

[toborexperiment]

I would have gave an arm to meet them back then...

[IainEmslie]

@sleepytimejesse I think it was intentional.

[CaptainSpork7]

@sleepytimejesse Yeah, really. Plus the reporter seems either inexperienced or simply awkward.

[badazzpresidents23]

@SnapshotsMusic No. He wasn't. Although Zappa did say something along the lines of finding John Cage's work more interesting to read and how it was written rather than how it actually sounded.

[badazzpresidents23]

That woman is so lucky to have had the chance to talk with both of these men.