EXOPLANETS

Hannah Koegler:

 

In a celebration of storytelling across different languages, I am so honoured to be included as an interpreter through musical language. As a harpist and composer, I try to examine how far I can push the parameters around instrumentation. Interpreting the sounds of sci-fi texts made me not just consider norms of music and my instrument, but also norms of bodies and environments: perceptible frequencies and language, our tools and their use, the gravity of Earth on a musician’s body. While much of where the project went surprised me, working with my friend and frequent collaborator, Johnny Paradiso, made so much sense. He has shown me the musical textures that can be provided by things that would never be found in an orchestra, and in this project, we thought about what music and instruments could be found outside of a knowable Earth. Some of the sounds we used include car crashes, an iron lung, and techniques of harp playing I pioneered using chrome and glass guitar slides. Thank you for listening to, and entertaining the questions we have asked with these pieces. We are so humbled by this opportunity on this pale blue dot.