Section 4: Diary: How to Improve the World (You Will Only Make Matters Worse)

Section 4: Diary: How to Improve the World (You Will Only Make Matters Worse)

Experimental literature; Chance operations; Avant-garde writing; Social commentary; Philosophy; 1960s counterculture; McLuhan, Marshall, 1911-1980; Fuller, R. Buckminster, 1895-1983; Contemporary art; I Ching; Typography as art

A fold-out literary work by composer John Cage featuring fragmented observations, philosophical reflections, and cultural commentary arranged through chance operations. The text consists of brief, seemingly disconnected statements and thoughts that range from personal anecdotes to broader social and political observations. Cage employed an IBM Selectric typewriter and used chance methods derived from the I Ching to determine formatting elements including typeface variations, indentation patterns, and text placement on the page. This creates an unconventional visual and textual experience where typography becomes part of the artistic expression.

Cage, John, 1912-1992 (Author/Composer)

Roaring Fork Press, New York City (as part of Aspen Magazine No. 4)

Spring 1967

Fiore, Quentin, 1920-2019 (Designer); Johnson, Phyllis (Editor/Publisher)
Date: Spring 1967

Is part of Aspen Magazine No. 4 (Spring 1967); Later appears in SMS Portfolio; Published as Great Bear Pamphlet by Something Else Press; References Marshall McLuhan, Buckminster Fuller, Jasper Johns, and others

Fold-out poster/sheet; Typography in various fonts; Black ink on white paper

English

Experimental literature; Text-based artwork; Fold-out; Prose poem; Artist's book component

Temporal: 1965-1971 Spatial: New York, N.Y. Aspen, CO.