How Do You Know I Like Mushrooms?

How Do You Know I Like Mushrooms?

A Curatorial Project Exploring John Cage's Interdisciplinary Legacy Date: May 4-5, 2012 Festival: ACHT BRÜCKEN Musik für Köln Venue: Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM)

Project Overview

"How Do You Know I Like Mushrooms?" is an ambitious curatorial undertaking that translates John Cage's revolutionary approach to interdisciplinary art into contemporary practice. This project bridges the gap between historical avant-garde and emerging artistic voices, presenting a vital dialogue between established artistic theories and their contemporary interpretations.

Curatorial Statement

John Cage stands as one of the most influential figures in contemporary music's avant-garde movement. However, his artistic impact extends far beyond musical boundaries, encompassing modern dance through pivotal collaborations with Merce Cunningham, visual arts alongside Robert Rauschenberg, and performance practices that fundamentally challenged conventional artistic categories. The Fluxus movement provides the most accurate framework for understanding his revolutionary artistic philosophy.

This curatorial project channels Cage's unconventional methodology through the fresh perspectives of emerging artists and musicians from the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. Through six dynamic performances and three immersive spatial installations, the participating artists navigate the territories between silence and intensity, chance and expectation, creating what Cage might recognize as "mushed rooms" between artistic disciplines.

Artistic Significance

The project serves as both homage and evolution, demonstrating how Cage's principles of chance operations, environmental awareness, and interdisciplinary collaboration continue to resonate with contemporary practitioners. Each work challenges traditional boundaries between music, visual art, performance, and installation, embodying Cage's belief in welcoming "whatever happens" as part of the artistic process.

Impact and Legacy

This project represents a significant contribution to contemporary curatorial practice, demonstrating how historical avant-garde principles can be meaningfully transmitted to new generations of artists. The collaborative framework established between faculty and students creates a dynamic learning environment while producing works of genuine artistic merit.

The project's integration within the prestigious ACHT BRÜCKEN festival positioned these emerging voices within a major cultural platform, validating the academy's approach to interdisciplinary education and its commitment to experimental practice.

"I welcome whatever happens" — John Cage

Project Framework

Academic Context: Installative Arbeiten, Aktionen + Performances inspiriert durch John Cage. Die Arbeiten entstanden im Rahmen des Seminars PUBLIC_ART / mediale Szenografie, an der Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln.

Curatorial Leadership: Prof. Heide Hagebölling, Luis Negrón van Grieken

Festival Contribution: Beitrag zum Festival: ACHT BRÜCKEN Musik für Köln

Project Components

• 6 Performances
• 3 Spatial Installations (raumgreifende Arbeiten)
• Interdisciplinary approach bridging music, dance, visual arts, and performance
• Student works from the Academy of Media Arts Cologne

Further Information: http://www.media-scenography.org/john-cage/