Juan Diego Marroquin: Outside Topic #1, entry 2: Creating a Place with a Space in John Cage's 4'33

In the pollen cloud outside we discussed the difference between a space and a place. The class seemed united in the idea that a place is defined as a space that carries with it some significance or meaning. This meaning could be brought about by an event that took place within this space, or perhaps it carries a certain beauty that enhances the space thus making it a place. When I think about spaces and how they might carry meaning, I think about John Cage's silent piece, 4'33. Experimental composer John Cage wrote many pieces, each stranger than the other, but 4'33 is perhaps is most notorious. Consisting solely of rest notes, 4'33 is a piece of music that consists entirely of silence. All the musicians sit in rest position and do not play a single note. While many view this exercise as pointless, it does provoke a very interesting experience. The result is that people begin to pick up on the subtleties of sound throughout an auditorium or chamber. You can hear an audience member cough, another sneeze, another clear her throat. You can hear the shuffling of feet, the clatter of a door opening, perhaps someone whispering. 4'33 provokes audiences to listen very closely to their surroundings to discover that in fact there is no such thing as silence. I think this exercise is very helpful when discovering the meaning of a place. 4'33 allows someone to really value the space they reside in. They realize that a space is not just a medium to do something in, but it retains an intrinsic value and beauty. In 4'33, John Cage exposes us to the subtleties of a space allowing us to come to the realization that this space is a place, filled with its own beautiful eccentricities and wonders.