The Art of the Moment

Contemplation is a term which has been much discussed in the course of the history of philosophy, its meaning undergoing various changes over time. To Phythagoras, striving for fame, power and fortune seemed less desirable than gaining profound insight and ultimate truth. Later thinkers also preferred »contemplatio« to »actio«, valuing thought higher than busy-ness or business. To comprehend a phenomenon’s essence through unprejudiced observation, free of interests and perspectives that might predispose one’s judgment, is only limited to the facial senses by vocabulary. It is equally possible to sink into sound in meditation, divorced from all outer references, from attributions of meaning and goals, fashions and traditions. To experience music as the art of the moment, free of intention, as the art of every single moment – this is not an easy exercise in the era of self-optimizing, business plans and early-bird discounts. The Japanese composer Malika Kishino, who lives in Cologne, offers instructions.