Date:

Friday 29 February

Venue:

BALTIC Gateshead

Time:

20:00 - 22.30

Cost:

£6

On BALTIC's Level 1, as part of AV Festival 08's opening gala, one of John Cage's most noted performances is to be recreated for the first time in the UK.

American composer John Cage (1912-92) was a celebrated pioneer of electronic and `chance’ music. The original Variations VII took place at 9 Evenings: Theatre & Engineering in the 69th Regiment Armory in New York, in October 1966. Cage intended the work to transform the building into a broadcast space.

Alongside, radios and televisions collecting sounds, there were 10 phone lines connected to city locations including a dog pound and the New York Times press room. Other microphones were attached to household appliances such as a juicer and a blender. There were also Geiger counters and short wave radios. Photoelectric cells triggered different sound sources off and on as the performers moved around. The aim, said Cage, was to “go fishing” for sounds.

AV Festival 08 are staging an entirely new version of the work, performed by an exceptional ensemble - Atau Tanaka, Matt Wand, and Newcastle duo :zoviet*france:

Produced by AV Festival 08 in collaboration with BALTIC, in association with the John Cage Trust, Julie Martin/Experiments in Art and Technology and the Daniel Langlois Foundation.

Images

Variations VII, performed by Atau Tanaka, Matt Wand and :zoviet*france:, at AV Festival 08 on Friday 29 February 08, BALTIC Gateshead

Read the press about Variations VII:

AV festival press release
BBC
Guardian
The Independent The Journal

Reviews:
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