1+1=100, for the 100th Birthday (2012) of John Cage

1+1=100, for the 100th Birthday (2012) of John Cage is a vigorous sculpture constructed entirely out of monitors, turntables, and other pieces of both analogue and digital technology. The anthropomorphic appearance of this work suggests the humanization of technology, which was an important theme in Nam June Paik’s body of work, as he viewed technology as an important extension of humanity, at a time where it was facing newfound suspicion.

1+1=100, for the 100th Birthday (2012) of John Cage is not only an extraordinary example of early new media art, but a symbol of the everlasting impact of both Nam June Paik and avant-garde composer John Cage, both visionaries who predicted a future fueled by the potential of innovation. Nam June Paik is best known for being one of the leading members of the Neo-Dada group Fluxus, which was largely inspired by John Cage, and created an extensive body of work with technology and utopianism as its focus.
The profoundly impactful philosophical viewpoints of both John Cage and Nam June Paik carried themselves throughout Paik’s body of work and continued to influence a new generation of artists. Paik has stated “…like McLuhan says, we are antenna for changing society. But not only antenna–we also have output capacity, capacity to humanize technology. My job is to see how establishment is working and to look for little holes where I can get my fingers in and tear away the walls” (N. J. Paik, quoted by G. Berghaus, Avante-Garde Performance, New York, 2005, p. 2004).