Sociologist and philosopher Peter Peters notes that historian of science Hans-Jörg Rheinberger compared experimental systems to spider webs, as they are arrangements that enable us to “catch something” (2013, p. 98). But, to function as such, there first has to be a spider, or, as in Halberstadt, a whole network of spiders. “Organ²/ASLSP is an absolutely normal performance, but it is difficult because it is not one interpreter, yeah, there are some”, says Karin Gastell (2015, Interview). Not only is there in this case not ‘one’ interpreter of the performance, there also is not ‘one’ group of people that brings the experiment to a good end due to the timeframe. This group of people might not consider themselves ‘researchers’, but I will label them as such because they are the ones building up the material conditions for the performance to take place, they are the people who ask questions. 

The first ‘spider’ in the web was composer John Cage. Through his music, Cage was always searching for relations within music: relations between body and sound, between sound and silence, and between speaking and non-speaking. Expressive music has been at the core of the Western tradition of music: since Renaissance time, Baroque, Romanticism, there is a focus on “speaking music” and according to composer Christoph Bossert, Cage tried to formulate “as sharp as he could to have an alternative, to have the opposite of speaking music”. (2015, Interview). Or like John Cage explained himself:

“When I hear what we call music, it seems to me that someone is talking: talking about his feelings or his ideas about relationships. But when I hear the traffic, for instance here on 5th Avenue, I do not have the feeling that anyone is talking. I have the feeling that sound is acting and I love the activity of sound. It gets longer and shorter, it gets higher and lower, it gets louder and softer, it does all those things and I am completely satisfied with that. I don’t need sound to talk to me.”

In many of his compositions, Cage questioned the borders of music and the differences between sound and silence, Organ²/ASLSP being a good example of such a composition. Cage’s turn away from speaking, expressive music does however make interpretation more difficult. Especially when there are several interpreters, some of which actually knew Cage personally. 

Currently in Halberstadt, the performance is being discussed regularly: the directory board organizes events and takes care of daily tasks, whilst the Kuratorium is oriented towards Halberstadt and the artistic advisory group towards the philosophical dimensions of the project. Getting all the people aligned is often difficult because of “personal likes and dislikes” (Gastell 2015, Interview). According to Karin Gastell, member of the directory board, there is a certain anxiety to make decisions that maybe could not fit to John Cage, or at least to people’s interpretation of John Cage (2015, Interview). The idea that they have to be “true to Cage” can work restricting, because there is not one correct answer to be found, all there is to be found are more questions.

Composer Hans-Ola Ericsson argues that it is a pity that people focus on making the ‘right’ decision and forget that they are talking about a project that will go on for 639 years (2015, Interview). Moreover, Cage states that at least one part should be repeated, but of course that means that also five parts could be repeated, or all of them. So, technically, the performance could be repeated for another 639 years. It can go on until the organ is made to ashes. Exactly this opaque idea of the future that is inherent in Organ²/ASLSP is often forgotten. Even though it is highly unlikely that the performance will reach its end, because “if we look back in history, what has happened 600 years ago? Wars and plagues and dukes and political revolutions and the First World War, the Second and the Communist era”, but perhaps people will think twice before they break the performance down (Ericsson 2015, Interview). It is exactly this uncertainty that is an important idea within the project. 

References

• Ericsson, H.O. (27-04-2015). Interview with the author.
   
• Gastell, K. (20-04-2015). Interview with the author.
   
• Peters, P. (2013). Research Organs as Experimental Systems. In: Schwab, M. (ed.). (2013). Experimental Systems: Future Knowledge in Artistic Research. Leuven: Leuven University Press. pp. 87-101.

A web of interpreters: from Cage to Halberstadt

• Want to read about the history of John Cage's Organ²ASLSP? 
   
• Or would you prefer to look into another type of relation, for instance between composer and instrument builder? 
   
• Or how an object can function as an actor?
  
  Go ahead and continue your journey!