Let sounds go

The Frac of Franche-Comté hosts the “Let sounds go wherever they would go”, an exhibition inspired by John Cage showcasing audio and visual compositions across the exhibition space.

Inspired by John Cage, the exhibition assembles works in echo of the American composer’s philosophy when he wittily affirmed to be “for birds and not for the cages in which men put them” and called for freedom for sounds.

The exhibition takes its title from Cage’s words in an interview series published in the 1976 book For the Birds. “Let sounds go wherever they would go” therefore goes through a few major themes recurrent in John Cage’s body of work: sound, silence, chance and disinclination. In the spirit of Henry David Thoreau, this exhibition proposes a sound background that lets the visitor to a mental and interior travel; through perception and interpretation of these surrounding sounds he might imagine his own path.

Indeed, Cage admired Thoreau greatly and dedicated some of his pieces to him. The presented works therefore rely on the evocative power of sounds, between hymn to Nature, found noises and the poetry of silence.

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Top: Silvia Bächli, Floréal XV, 2000, Collection Frac Franche-Comté © Silvia Bächli. Above: Davide Balula, Heartbeat Exciter (Stimulateur cardiaque), 2006, Centre national des arts plastiques, FNAC 07-356 © Davide Balula / CNAP / photo : Galerie Frank Elbaz

Basserode, Partition I, 1996, Collection Centre national des arts plastiques, FNAC 96693 © D.R. / CNAP

Dominique Blais, Les disques, 2008/2009, Collection Centre national des arts plastiques, FNAC 09-386 © D.R. / CNAP / Photo : Galerie Xippas

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, from here to ear, 1999-2009, Collection Centre national des arts plastiques, FNAC 10-1068 © Adagp, Paris / CNAP / Photo: Frédéric Lanternier

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, from here to ear, 1999-2009, Collection Centre national des arts plastiques, FNAC 10-1068 © Adagp, Paris / CNAP / Photo: Frédéric Lanternier

Pascal Broccolichi, Sans titre, 1999, Centre national des arts plastiques, FNAC 2000- 398 © Pascal Broccolichi / CNAP / photo : Bruno Scotti

Edith Dekyndt, L’ennemi du Peintre, 2010-2011, Collection Centre national des arts plastiques, FNAC 2012-260 © Edith Dekyndt / CNAP / photo : Galerie VidalCuglietta

Atsunobu Kohira, Ouverture de la Chauve-Souris / Orchestre de Besançon- Montbéliard Franche-Comté, 2010, Collection Frac Franche-Comté © Atsunobu Kohira

until September 21, 2014
Let sounds go wherever they would go
curated by Sébastien Faucon, head of the CNAP fine arts collections and Sylvie Zavatta, director of the Frac Franche-Comté
Fonds régional d’art contemporain de Franche-Comté
Cité des arts 2, Passage des arts
Besançon

Inspired by nature

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