John Cage on a Bus...

I was first introduced to John Cage's 4 minutes 33 seconds last year in Mr. Edward's N100 class. To be honest, I didn't know what to think. Obviously, my first reaction was amusement, since the very idea seemed like a mockery of music. I considered it, and am still struggling to come to any conclusions of what I really think of the work. The idea is clever and presents the nature of silence as music, including any ambient noise. The concept almost runs parallel to the act of taking a found object out of context and calling it art.

The video shown above features a man performing Cage's famous composition. It would have been interesting to be on that bus the moment he announced his performance. I'm sure the people who were unfamiliar with Cage's work were expecting to hear at least "something" conventional. Although you don't see facial reactions, you can almost see the puzzled expressions as the silence continues, only to be interrupted by sirens in the distance and new passengers coming aboard.