I thought the New Yorker article, "Searching for Silence" was a great accompaniment to the project, and provided really nice context for John Cage's life and work. A big part of the article was the discourse surrounding whether or not his 4'33" piece was an artistic take on the nature of music and sound or if it was a big scam and a musical "Emperor's New Clothes." Personally, I'm on the side of all art is successful art as long as it gets people talking, and this piece certainly did that. As the article says, John Cage appeals to a younger, open-minded crowd and I could see why. It also talks about how any person manipulating sounds on their laptop has John Cage to thank, for reenvisioning how we listen to music and what separates music from other types of art. I also think the people who were so upset by his 4'33" piece should think about why they're so upset. Why do we feel the need to fill every space with sound and media? What makes them so uncomfortable about just sitting and listening to the world? I think 4'33" by John Cage is a wonderful work of art, and I find it very inspiring.
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