Tracing for Changes and Disappearances #32 (7 of 11) 1982

John Cage made Tracing for Changes and Disappearances #32 with graphite on paper. It looks like a map, a diagram, or maybe some kind of architectural plan. I can imagine John Cage making this, maybe he's trying to map out an interior, following his intuition. What kind of place is he imagining? Maybe it's a stage for a performance, or a score. The light marks are tentative, searching, like the thought process of an artist, or musician, looking for some new territory. The title itself is an invitation to consider how things shift and vanish. It reminds me of the ephemeral nature of life, art, and music, how everything is in flux. It reminds me a little bit of the work of Dorothea Rockburne with her geometric drawings or notations. Ultimately, this piece speaks to how artists build upon one another's ideas, creating an evolving conversation across time. There are no fixed meanings, only the possibility of new interpretations as we bring our own experiences to the work.