| This thesis consists of over two hours of music compositions that I have written since September 1999, as well as a paper providing philosophical and artistic context. It explains my philosophical interest in the art of Marcel Duchamp, John Cage, and Fluxus. A case is made for the philosophical and experiential equivalence of much of these artists' work with key aspects of both nihilism and Zen Buddhism. A basic principle of antiteleology, manifest in non-rationality, chance, specific formal techniques, and, most importantly, in the destruction of the art/life dichotomy, is the basis for my comparison of these seemingly disparate studies. I believe Zen to be much more radical and drastic than is popularly held, and, in turn, that this lineage of experimental art is more profound and spiritual than is commonly believed. Finally, I discuss in some detail the materials of each of my own compositions, as well as their philosophical ramifications, which are related to and inspired by, though by no means the same as, those discussed in the earlier part of the paper. My main artistic interest is the undermining of absolute aesthetic values, and the baffling of human conceptual and perceptual systems themselves. |
