Cage: A Filmic Circus on Metaphors on Vision

CAGE: A Filmic Circus On Metaphors on Vision is an ambitious multimedia installation that combines film, sound, and dynamic imagery into a cohesive, immersive experience. Drawing inspiration from avant-garde cinema and surrealist art, Brose presents a kaleidoscopic exploration of metaphors and their role in shaping human vision—both literal and figurative.

The installation unfolds like a visual poem, with layers of abstract images, symbolic gestures, and intricate filmic elements that evoke a sense of dreamlike wonder. This “circus” of visuals is not merely a spectacle but a profound exploration of how we construct and deconstruct meaning through symbols, cultural narratives, and personal experiences. With its blend of visual metaphors and sonic landscapes, the work pushes the boundaries of how art can interact with consciousness, challenging the viewer’s perceptions and inviting them to engage in a contemplative experience.

- First Mesostic by Lawrence Brose from writing through Stan Brakhage's text Metaphors On Vision

CAGE: A Filmic Circus On Metaphors on Vision is a threefold realization of John Cage's Circus On by composer Douglas Cohen and film artist Lawrence Brose. The score to Circus On is a set of directions for creating an audio performance piece based on a text. First, one is instructed to "write through" a book (using mesostic form) to distill a text for recitation (i.e., Cage's Writing for the Second Time through  Finnegans Wake).

This mesostic text is then used as a guide to make a "circus of relevant sounds." The recited text and "circus of sounds" are combined to create a stereo recording (i.e., Cage's Roaratorio). For the video component, the instructions were adapted to create a multiple video tape interpretation of the score based on Metaphors On Vision by Stan Brakhage. In this way, a "circus of images" is extrapolated from what originally was a score for a "circus of sounds." The entire project becomes a portrait of John Cage.

This project is about translation. It is about the translation of a score for music into a "score" for video and film. It is about translating Cage's ideas and aesthetics in the world of sound into the visual realm. The videos for this project were created at the Experimental Television Center. Brose explained the project, saying:

"After working with John Cage on the film project Ryoanji (from my series Film for Music for Film), I was intrigued by the idea of creating a film "portrait" of him. Having shot film of Cage over three years and working with him on new piano preparations for the live presentations of Ryoanji, it became apparent that the score Circus On would be an ideal choice as it consists of a series of instructions that could be interpreted filmically. Not being interested in subjecting the recording mechanism (the camera) and all of its variables to chance procedures, it occurred to me that I could create a film portrait within the parameters of Cage's ideas by subjecting the images to chance procedures, thereby creating a certain comfort level with the resultant possibilities and opening the image field to an "imageworld" of ideas.”

Composer Douglas Cohen created the sound for this installation, which is a distillation from the three primary performances at LACE (Los Angeles, CA), Experimental Intermedia Loft (NYC), and LACMA (LA). The Guggenheim Museum and LA MOCA commissioned the original performance work as a city circus event for the John Cage museum exhibition Rolyholyover A Circus. CAGE: A Filmic Circus On Metaphors on Vision at the Burchfield Penney Art Center is the world premiere of a museum installation of this project. 

About the Artist
Lawrence Brose is an innovative and thought-provoking artist whose work spans photography, film, and multimedia installation. He has consistently explored themes of identity, memory, perception, and human consciousness. Brose’s art often delves into abstract expressions of the personal and political, using the language of cinema and metaphor to engage the viewer’s mind on multiple levels. His work frequently blurs the boundaries between form and content, inviting the audience to contemplate complex issues through an interplay of visual, sound, and narrative fragments.

Lawrence Brose is an Experimental Filmartist and Image Maker based in Buffalo, New York. His work explores themes of sexuality, AIDS, and the relationship between sound, music, and film. Brose uses experimental techniques for photographic manipulation that alter images and transform the language of cinema. In his feature-length film, De Profundis, Brose hand-etched color into every black and white film frame, creating an immersive visual experience.

Since 1981, Brose has created over thirty films with screenings at over a hundred international film festivals, museums, art galleries, and cinematheques in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. He is best known for his critically acclaimed films Hyacinth Fire (1989), FILM for MUSIC for FILM series (1990), and De Profundis (1997). His film An Individual Desires Solution (1986), regarded as one of the earliest experimental and personal films to emerge from the AIDS epidemic, was included in the Art AIDS America exhibition curated by Johnathan D. Katz. 

In addition to filmmaking, Brose has several photographic series in solo exhibitions and group shows, both domestically and abroad. His prints are part of several private collections. His work has won numerous awards from the New York State Council on the Arts and a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship award.

Brose has retired from his role as the Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual Studies and head of the Photography Program at the University of Buffalo and the role of Executive Director and Chief Curator at CEPA Gallery in Buffalo. Brose's twenty-five year history with CEPA turned the gallery from a small presenting venue into a major arts center for photo-related arts. His work with CEPA won awards from many foundations, including The Andy Warhol Foundation, The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The NYS Council on the Arts, and the 2001 NYS Governor’s Arts Award.

Cage: A Filmic Circus on  Metaphors on Vision by Lawrence Brose with Sound composition by Douglas Cohen has been made possible through the Burchfield Penney’s Equity in Arts Fund, and generous gifts from Michael Pride, Scott Goldman and Nancy Brock, and two Anonymous donors. For their additional support, we gratefully acknowledge Deborah A. Abgott and Phillips Lytle.