John Cage’s score consists of 128 sets of addresses (or 430 addresses) in the larger Chicago area. The score provides no specific instructions on what to do with these addresses. To perform part of this score, we chose one of each of the Quicksteps, Waltzes, and Marches which connected in ways that seemed walkable or traversable by public transit. In the spirit of lines, we recorded sound on our phones as we moved between these places. We then used a set of random operations with a deck of cards to select from these hours of sound. The Quickstep, Waltz, and March each has two, three, or four sections. The random operation determined how long each section would be and where the section would start in the recording.
John Cage (1912–92)
Musical Score for A Dip in the Lake: Ten Quicksteps, Sixty-two Waltzes, and Fifty-six Marches for Chicago and Vicinity
New York: Henmar Press, 1978
Courtesy of The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
© Faber Music
Mapping Outside the Lines runs through February 14, 2026, in the Trienens Galleries.