John Cage composed this piece as a way of celebrating the work of Jean Arp on the occasion of the centenary of his birth.
Jean Arp, an artist in which John Cage found much inspiration in the period the piece was composed in, created paintings and collages, circa 1915–1930, including maneuvers of chance, like dropping cutouts of paper or strings and cementing them where they fell.
John Cage attempted to recreate the spirit of simultaneity and subtlety of the works by Jean Arp.
[1] Even though Cage's inspiration came through the works by Arp, the composition is dedicated to Les Percussions de Strasbourg.
However, whereas the score includes parts for ten players, John Cage's indeterminate style makes clear that the ensemble could consist of any number of players between three and ten, and both the desired timelength and the amount of repetitions would vary depending on the will of the performers.