“Lecture on Nothing”

John Cage‘s “Lecture on Nothing” is a verbal score that is one of the central texts of 20th century experimental musical notation, but also a deeply thoughtful artistic manifesto. In an age of unbridled economicism such as ours, Cage’s text highlights non-possession as the highest value of art and life, and the present unrepeatable moment as our only possession.

Katerina Iliopoulou, Alexis Porfyriadis and Anna Tzakou transform Cage’s work into a figurative event and invite the viewer to a practice of deep listening. Using Cage’s humour, wit and iconoclastic mood as a vehicle, they remain open to chance and change and grapple with language and its endless internal commentary. The three artists explore word and silence as ephemeral elements of space, time (or as sound, body and environment) and perform a framework of reflective contemplation of the present.

This is the first presentation of the work in Greek.

The team would like to thank the John Cage Trust and Wesleyan University Press for granting the rights.

Organisation & production: ArtForm Culture Platform.

With the financial support of the Ministry of Culture.

Bios:

Katerina Iliopoulou is a poet and translator. She has published five books of poetry, a collection of short stories and her first novel is currently being published. She has translated into Greek the works of Sylvia Plath and Walt Whitman in collaboration with Eleni Iliopoulou. Since 2013, she has been editing the bi-annual journal FPMK (FarmaKo) on poetry, poetics and visual arts.

The composer and pianist/improviser Alexis Porfyriadis studied composition in England and Austria. Since 2005, he has been working on improvisation and the relationship between improvisation and composition. He is a founding member of the improvisation ensembles 6daEXIt and WHI ensemble. He teaches non-conventional performing arts for ensembles and improvisation at the PAMAK’s TMET.

Anna Tzakou is a performer, director and theorist. Her work integrates epistemologies of space and place with contemporary performance practices. With the group Geopoetics, she devises toposcopic and peripatetic performances in natural and urban landscapes. Since 2019, she teaches directing, acting and performance at the Department of Performing and Digital Arts of the University of Peloponnese.

*The performance is in the greek language.