John Cage Design Process #1

For this exercise start by looking at the linked works about John Cage to get an idea of who he was.

One of the symphonies that he created came from the remnants and fallen scraps of a torn up musical score for the .....  We are going to try this method of creating design ideas.

Supplies

  • Draw or copy new versions of your elevations, plans and sections for your original object
  • You will need 2 copies of each elevation, each plan, each section.
  •  trace paper role
  • tape
  • glue
  • pencil or ink
  • cutting mat

Part 1.

Start

  • Stack 1 each of  each of your elevations, plans and sections.
  • Straighten this stack out
  • Place a large sheet of trace on the table in front of you
  • Tear the pile of elevations plans and sections in half
  • Tear the halves in half again
  • Tear those halves in half again
  • One more time, tear the halves in half again

at this point you may need to separate the chunks to tear them that is fine

  • Tear them in half again until you have pieces that are about 3/4" to 1" square.  These do not have to be exact, I just want to give you an idea of size.

Next

  • Take you scraps and gather them in your hands
  • hold them up high above the trace paper 
  • let them fall to the table- some may land on the trace some may not, some may be upside down or covered by other pieces this is all fine.
  • Take a look, do you like it?  If not try again - scoop all of the pieces up and repeat the step where you let them fall.  You can do this a total of 3 times
  • One they have fallen you may not move them around or rearrange them.  
  • Glue or tape the pieces that have landed on your trace down to the trace.  You can use big strips of tape if this makes it easier

Next

  • Once you have glued/tapped everything into position, cover with an equal size of trace.
  • On this trace draw any or all of the shapes, edges, negative spaces or lines from your original drawings.  You can pick what ever you want from these elements to create a new composition.

Next

Add another piece of trace over the top of this and create a new composition.

 

Set aside and get ready for part 2!