Inspired by the scientific adventure of Mars rover Curiosity playing out 140 million miles from earth, I’ve begun a project called EAR1 (Earth Aural Rover). As I think about Earth and Mars I think of it in terms of “here and there”. Although in the larger picture of the universe they are both “here”, it is difficult to really perceive this vast space/time environment and really where I am standing in it. I can read, do the math and look at the models of this environment, yet unless I experience it, I don’t think I’ll get it truly.
This sublime scientific expedition is a fascinating quest as our human civilization probes the Mars surface, collecting information for our better understanding of the Mars environment. The 10 plus testing instruments on board the Curiosity Rover are amazing technological achievements, but apparently we are not curious as to what Mars sounds like, because there are no devises listening. We didn’t put an ear on board. We sent back music i.e. “Reach for the Stars” by Will.i.am but this came from here not there.
So “there” remains silent, but “here” is another story. This planet is overflowing with sound. So “Here” seems like a good place to explore sound. I started thinking about how and why we explore sound on this planet. We listen with our ears. We record it and amplify it with technological devises. We also make sound to explore it. As a musician the latter seems like a logical way to me, as the experience is loaded from the inside out. The idea of exploring sound expression through music is a human way to perceive the time/space of ourselves. The distance between ourselves and the perceived potential of ourselves is infinitely farther than from Earth to Mars.
So the testing of listening devices that will be on board EAR1 begins. here is the first test.
EAR1 