A Re-Enactment, or Re-Staging of, A Party to Honour the Absence of the Amazing Miss Rosie Cooper
The original show took place on Saturday 21st July 2007 at Magazin 4, Bregenz, Austria, as part of "4’33” (3 movements, no notes)", an exhibition curated by Peter Lewis and Wolfgang Fetz*.
There were, and will be, cakes, a banner, bunting (this time replaced with strings of coloured lights) sparklers and drinks.
In July, I was not there when the party took place. Somebody sent me a postcard from the party, on which they had drawn a coffin being slowly lowered into a hole in the ground. I suppose this meant that the first party might not have been much fun, although it could have meant other things as well.
Because the presentation of this show on the 13th January is a re-staging, rather than a re-enactment, (although the audience will at some point during the evening automatically become part of some kind of temporarily set-up re-enactment society), I am able in this instance to be present, rather like a ghost at its own funeral.
*“A Party to Honour the Absence of the Amazing Miss Rosie Cooper” was originally a commissioned response to John Cage’s 1952 “silent” musical composition, 4’33”. Although composed for any instrument, the most famous rendering of this piece takes place at the piano.
Links to the original press release, and further information:
