Space is the place
An interview with Kenya Wilkins for Jazz Australia.
It was Sun Ra who told us “space is the place” and that’s the dimension to where the Ephemera Trio aim to transport. Their music explores astronomical phenomena on a voyage through a universe of pulsars, craters, planetary atmospheres, stars, sun and void.
Using NASA recordings of electromagnetic waves, the show’s backdrop soundtrack was constructed by astrophysicist Professor Paul Francis and is highlighted by dazzling space projections. Curious about this inspiration we wanted to know more.
JK: This is a most unusual project – how did it come about and was there any particular inspiration?
KW: I have always had a fascination with astronomy ever since I saved up to buy a telescope aged thirteen. My skills lie in music though, not quantum physics. We are a very tiny niche in an infinite universe.
JK: Why does the sound of electromagnetic waves fascinate you?
KW: To me they sound similar to whale sounds. They have pitches, that are closely related to the harmonic series. They are beautiful and immediately take you to an alien ethereal place and away from mere human concerns.
JK: Tell us a little about your own musical background and your choice of instruments – flute and piano?
KW: I started piano at 7 years old and apparently had been asking for a while, then flute at age 10. I’ve had international classical training In Germany (Hildesheim Uni), UK (Bristol Uni, Bath Spa) and Sydney Conservatorium and have branched into jazz and word music and my own compositions over the last 10 years and love it!
JK: How did you go about composing this unusual suite of music?
KW: Without realising it, my compositions have been angled towards astronomy for a long time, so I already had a lot of material before the project was devised. About a quarter of the show is free improvisation to the space sounds, and that is the fun bit!
JK: Can you tell us about the other musicians who will join you – Elsen Price and Ellen Kirkwood?
KW: I have been working with Elsen Price for years and years – in free improvisation trio to live silent film, a jazz duo, a latin ensemble, and I wrote my solo double bass piece “Craters of Rhea” especially for him and as far as I’m concerned he is a genius in every genre and an amazing performer. I have recently started working with Ellen Kirkwood and can see she is a great player and composer.
JK: The backdrop soundtrack was constructed by astrophysicist Professor Paul Francis. How did he become involved?
KW: I have been looking for a way to combine my passions in music and astronomy for some time and came across his website in which he has constructed a series of space sound mp3’s from NASA electromagnetic data. I have been in email contact with him and as he is based in Melbourne, he won’t be at the show but is happy to have his material used and enjoyed.
JK: The backdrop soundtrack was constructed by astrophysicist Professor Paul Francis. How did he become involved?
KW: I have been looking for a way to combine my passions in music and astronomy for some time and came across his website in which he has constructed a series of space sound mp3’s from NASA electromagnetic data. I have been in email contact with him and as he is based in Melbourne, he won’t be at the show but is happy to have his material used and enjoyed.
JK: There is also a visual element to the show with galactic projections – tell us about these.
KW: I have always enjoyed watching astronomy documentaries, especially when they include actual probe footage. And I found that there is a lot of this freely available on NASA’s website (as long as you acknowledge it, of course). We are using images from the Grail mission in 2012 to map the moon in detail, Cassini’s Saturn exploration from 1997-present, Mars Rover Curiosity from 2012, and various comet flyby such as Rosetta in 2004.
JK: What can the audience expect at your Sound Lounge show?
KW: A unique journey through space, sound and time.