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On his 18th birthday, Ryan Knighton was told he would slowly go blind. It’s taken fifteen years, and as Ryan prepares to let go of his last sliver of sight, he sets out to Germany to hear one note give away to another in the notorious 639 year long organ performance of the John Cage composition, As Slow As Possible. Caning his way through the uncertainty-riddled experience of a road trip, Ryan navigates a series of ‘note changes‘ in the form of airports, train stations, the unfamiliar hubbub of foreign cities, and people - some of whom don’t believe he’s blind at all, and one who offers him something profound.
The experience unfolds like a Cage piece itself – a series of chance encounters through a labyrinth of questions, as Ryan contemplates letting go of his old identity, and waits for the new one to emerge.
Click HERE for a complete synopsis of the film.
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Click HERE for information about the composer. |
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Click HERE to learn about & contact the filmmakers |
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In 1985, John Cage wrote a composition called, As Slow As Possible. He intended it be performed, as slowly as possible. Originally written for piano, Cage later rewrote the piece for organ, so that notes could be sustained even longer.
After his death in 1992, a group of people in Halberstadt, a small town in the former East Germany, asked the question - “What would be as slow as possible?” They determined it would be to use the entire life of the instrument to play the song. They built a pipe organ in an old monastery, and stretched this four page composition over the life span of the organ – some 639 years. The organ plays continuously. Note are sustained for months or years, and on occasion, according to the score, and at the hands of humans, the notes are changed.
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Click HERE for a listing of venues and events. |
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Click HERE to read the thoughts of others. |
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