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ASTROArts Blog from Liz Sanders

THE SOUNDS OF SPACE

Hello, is anybody there? I have many hats and one is of a musician. During my early 20’s I got obsessed with learning how to play every instrument that fell onto my hands. My initial idea was to understand one of the most precious things I know: music. I wanted to go beyond passive listening and venture myself into the fabric of music – a place of harmonies, melodies, colours and conversations. Eventually this became a solid obsession of mine and I started jamming in basements with friends and eventually composing my own pieces (successful music stories always start in basements, right?). In London I joined more experimental ensembles where I was performing Theremin, electronics and laptop. I participated in rather obscure noise and improvisation festivals for a couple of years. I started to appreciate sound in its most natural and raw form. I used to walk with a portable recorder, registering sounds from the London tube, my journey to Goldsmiths and things I prefer not to mention. If an astronaut screams in space, does he make any sound at all? When I got immersed in space activities I didn’t think much about its sonic qualities. I was satisfied with Vangelis and his spacey synths in the Cosmos intro. Of course there were interesting critiques to space expeditions like Mr. Bowie ‘s Major Tom. Also I knew that sound wasn’t possible in the void of space (as we know it needs a medium to travel). However I started to wonder about the way we cannot... Read More..