NASA to send new Jon Hopkins track to the moon
'Forever Held' was created in collaboration with Ólafur Arnalds and is inspired by “love letters from Earth to space”
NASA is set to send a track by Jon Hopkins to the moon.
‘Forever Held’ features string arrangements from Icelandic multi-instrumentalist Ólafur Arnalds, and arrives with a visualier, directed by NASA’s Creative Director Erica Bernhard.
It will be sent to the moon along with the video, as part of the space agency’s Lunar Codex time capsule, which contains work from over 35,000 writers, artists, musicians, and filmmakers launched over the course of seven missions.
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The track will also be the centrepiece to Space for Earth, an immersive exhibition at NASA's HQ in Washington DC, that allows viewers to "experience Earth as can only be seen from space – as an interconnected world, lacking boundaries or limits", according to its website.
The orchestral piece was inspired by letters written by Bernhard, and sent into space. The letters were signed off with the phrase “Forever enveloped in your gravity”, which provided the starting point for the song’s title, created by poet Rick Holland.
"I wanted to make something timeless that would transmit the feeling of being ‘held’ by the Earth,” explains Hopkins in a press release. “I was thinking about the fragility and power of our planet, and of the human race’s role in its own destiny.”
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Bernhard adds: "The view from space offers a profound shift in perspective - astronauts call this the overview effect. Hopkins’ compositions capture that shift - infusing sound with the expansiveness of space while grounding us in the essence and rhythms of life on Earth.”
“His soundscapes act as a bridge between these realms, translating the awe and wonder of space and Earth into a sonic and immersive journey that asks us to consider our place in the universe and our responsibility to the planet."
‘Forever Held’ also features in the introduction to Coldplay’s recent album ‘Moon Music’, released October 4.
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In July this year, Missy Elliott’s song 'The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)' became the first hip hop track broadcast into space.
In February, NASA held an after-hours “techno party” at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Named "Kennedy Under the Stars", the event saw DJs, astronauts and a neon mini-golf course.
Listen and watch the video to 'Forever Held' below.
Meena Sears is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Instagram.
