1990

Wild Edible Drawing #3

American, 1912 - 1992

At the end of his life, John Cage created a series of drawings composed from edible plants that were part of his macrobiotic diet. In theory this assemblage could be cooked and eaten. Cage foraged for the plants he used in this series throughout the East Coast, incorporating what was accessible to him and in season. He harvested the vegetation for this work in North Carolina, and the botanical elements incorporate a variety of plants including kudzu, an invasive species known as the "vine that ate the south." In selecting natural materials and processing them into a flat, paper-like sheet, Cage demonstrated how unusual materials can transform a base layer into a work of art itself.