Softcover with wraps and slipcase, photographs by William Gedney, text by John Cage, design by Hans Seeger. Edition of 1,000 copies.

"My intention in putting the stories together in an unplanned way was to suggest that all things – stories, incidental sounds from the environment, and by extension, beings – are related, and that this complexity is more evident when it is not oversimplified by an idea of relationship in one person’s mind.” – John Cage

"In high school I was infatuated with John Cage. While my classmates were at the Jon Bon Jovi concert, I was in my room listening to Music for Prepared Piano. But my fascination was less with the music than the persona (I suspect the same is true with the Bon Jovi fans). It was through Cage’s writing that this persona came alive. His book Silence became a sort of bible. I became so obsessed with Cage that I started having a recurring dream about bumping into him at an art museum and becoming his acolyte.

I never did get to meet Cage (he died in 1992). But with our new book, Iris Garden, I feel a little bit like I got to work with him. The book is a collection of 22 of Cage’s stories with 44 of William Gedney’s photographs. For the record, I never got to meet Gedney either (he died in 1989). Nor do I know the extent of his relationship with Cage. All I know is that this great, underrated photographer took pictures of Cage on several different occasions." (Alec Soth)

Pages: 63
Place: St. Paul/Minnesota
Year: 2013
Publisher: Little Brown Mushroom
Size: 17 x 25 cm (approx.)

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