One of the things I really appreciate in the work of Robert Fripp is the structure that oversee’s his work while at the same time there are clearly areas that allow for the occasional “happy accident” or just enough looseness to allow for new things to be found and explored inside the work. I recently stumbled over this document that was included in the album of Frippertronics called “Let the Power Fall” I’ve included it here – as I find it pretty interesting.
A personal story: I worked at Crown Books in the early – through mid eighties in the DC suburbs and at one of the locations I worked at we would drink Schweppes ginger ale – which in an afternoon of store hijinks, we retitled “schweppetronics”. At the time, we considered ourselves to be pretty clever…
Let The Power Fall – By Robert Fripp
I
1. One can work within any structure.
2. One can work within any structure, some structures are more efficient than others.
3. There is no structure which is universally appropriate.
4. Commitment to an aim within inappropriate structure will give rise to the creation of an appropriate structure.
5. Apathy, i.e. passive commitment, within an appropriate structure will effect its collapse.
6. Dogmatic attachment to the supposed merits of a particular structure hinders the search for an appropriate structure.
7. There will be difficulty defining the appropriate structure because it will be always mobile, i.e. in process.
II
8. There should be no difficulty in defining aim.
9. The appropriate structure will recognize structures outside itself.
10. The appropriate structure can work within any large structure
11. Once the appropriate structure can work within any large structure, some larger structure are more efficient than others.
12. There is no larger structure which is universally appropriate.
13. Commitment to an aim by an appropriate structure within a larger, inappropriate structure will give rise to a large, appropriate structure.
14. The quantitive structure is affected by qualitative action
III
15. Qualitative action is not bound by number
16. Any small unit committed to qualitative action can affect radical change on a scale outside its quantitative measure.
17. Quantitative action works by violence and breeds reaction.
18. Qualitative action works works by example and invites reciprocation.
19. Reciprocation between independent structures is a framework of interacting units which is itself a structure.
20. Any appropriate structure of interacting units can work within any other structure of interacting units.
21. Once this is so, some structures of interacting units are efficient than others.
