Museum of the Moon FAQs

Museum of the Moon

Museum of the Moon is a touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram.

Measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.

Over its lifetime, the Museum of the Moon will be presented in a number of different ways both indoors and outdoors, so altering the experience and interpretation of the artwork. As it travels from place to place, it will gather new musical compositions and an ongoing collection of personal responses, stories and mythologies, as well as highlighting the latest moon science.

The installation is a fusion of lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound composition created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award-winning composer Dan Jones. Each venue also programmes their own series lunar-inspired events beneath the moon.

Luke Jerram’s multidisciplinary practice involves the creation of sculptures, installations and live arts projects. Living in the UK but working internationally for 19 years, Jerram has created a number of extraordinary art projects which have excited and inspired people around the globe. Jerram has a set of different narratives that make up his practice which are developing in parallel with one another. He is known worldwide for his large scale public artworks.

http://my-moon.org/

FAQ – Frequency Asked Questions

1. Where did you get the idea to make an artwork such as Museum of the Moon?

Bristol has the highest tidal range in Europe. There’s a 13m gap between high tide and low tide. Cycling to work each day over the river to work, reminded me that it’s the gravitational pull of the Moon that’s making this happen. I had the idea to create the Museum of the Moon some 15 years ago, but it was only until very recently that the data for creating the Moon imagery was made available by NASA.

As a child I always wanted a telescope so I could study the Moon and the night’s sky. Now with my own Moon, I can fly there, study every detail and share this experience with the public. We can explore the far side of the Moon which is never visible from Earth.

2. The moon has always been an inspiration for artists. What was so inspiring for you about the moon?

From the beginning of human history, the moon has acted as a ‘cultural mirror’ to our beliefs, understanding and ways of seeing. Over the centuries, the moon has been interpreted as a god and as a planet. It has been used as a timekeeper, calendar and to aid night time navigation. Throughout history the moon has inspired artists, poets, scientists, writers and musicians the world over. The ethereal blue light cast by a full moon, the delicate crescent following the setting sun, or the mysterious dark side of the moon has evoked passion and exploration. Different cultures around the world have their own historical, cultural, scientific and religious relationships to the moon.
Museum of the Moon allows us to observe and contemplate cultural similarities and differences around the world, and consider the latest moon science. Depending on where the artwork is presented, its meaning and interpretation will shift. Through local research at each location of the artwork, new stories and meanings will be collected and compared from one presentation to the next.

3. During its tour, the Moon has always be shown in public spaces. Why is it important to you to show your artworks in public spaces?

Depending on where the artwork is presented, the meaning and interpretation of the Museum of the Moon, will shift. The interpretation of the Moon will be completely different if it is presented in a cathedral, warehouse, science museum or arts centre.

Whether the artwork is exhibited in China, USA, India or Europe the cultural context and audience, also effects the public’s interpretation. Every culture has its own relationship to the Moon which varies from one country to another.

4. Museum of the Moon is made of really precise lunar imagery from NASA. Can you explain this choice?

I wanted to make the artwork seem as authentic and realistic as possible. For most people, this will be their most intimate, personal and closest encounter they will ever have with the Moon.

5. What’s been the public’s response?

It’s been wonderful to witness the publics’ response to the artwork. Many people spend hours with the Moon exploring its every detail. Some visitors lie down and moon-bathe.

At our exhibition Natural History Museum a man in a suit came up to me in tears. He explained how he was a space scientist from the European Space Agency and had spent his career studying the surface of the moon. I gave him a hug and he left the exhibition, a very happy man!

In Leicester one young girl asked “will you put the moon back afterwards?” She thought I’d stolen the real moon! I reassured the young girl that I would definitely return the moon after the exhibition.

In Bristol, we had an unexpected group of visitors who arrived in slow motion to the exhibition, dressed as spacemen!

In Marseille I arranged an arc of deckchair beneath the Moon. Within minutes, many of the chairs had been groups into pairs and were occupied by couples holding hands!

6. Why has the artwork been so well received?

I think one of the reasons the artwork has been well received so far, is that it leaves space for the public to interact with one another and participate in a communal shared experience. The artwork can be accessed an enjoyed by different people at different levels. It can be enjoyed as much by a 4 year old child as much as a professional astronomer.

To date over 3million people have visited the artwork. We often draw massive crowds many of which will have never have visited the museum or gallery before.

The Museum of the Moon is both an installation artwork, as well as a venue for other people to be creative. Hosts programme their own lunar inspired events to take place beneath the Moon. This way the artwork can reflect the culture and community of a venue.

7. Each venue that hosted the Moon had its own architectural specificities. It also offered different performances beneath the Moon. Therefore it is always a new story. Why is it important to you to have several performances going on beneath your Moon?

Like many of my artworks like Play Me, I’m Yours and Withdrawn, this work provides opportunities for collaboration and the creative input of others.

The Museum of the Moon is an installation artwork that combines the architecture of the space, the sculpture of the Moon and a surround sound composition. Each venue and host, has the opportunity to curate their own moon-inspired events which reflect their local culture and creativity.

8. Music is also very important for your artwork. How relevant and important is Dan Jones’ composition to your work?

The Museum of the Moon installation is a fusion of lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound composition. I’ve worked with Dan over 15 years, commissioning him to create music for a number of my art installations. We both understand the power that music has to paint imagery in our imaginations.

For the Museum of the Moon, the surround sound composition helps connect the sculpture of the moon with the surrounding architecture. For me, the music in the spacel shapes the atmosphere of the experience guides the interpretation of the artwork.

9. How long did the artwork take to make?
The artwork took 6 months to make. There was a lot of prototyping, planning and fundraising. The artwork was commissioned by many partners coming together to support the initial creation.

I originally had the idea to make this accurate facsimile of the moon 15 years ago. But back then neither the data nor the printing technology were available.

More information about the artwork can be found at:

www.my-moon.org/about
www.my-moon.org/research

Vicissitude

Vicissitude

Monique Martin and Alexandra Hedberg

120sq metres of silkscreened canvas
Created in Gothenburg, Sweden 2022

Change occurs through deep time when life hangs like a question mark, fragile and always changing.
A moment in time can impact this planet, but it can also take years and decades to notice the change.
Transformation is a process within human existence and within the ecosystems on the earth that allows
us to live in the continuous present as we know we will not be the same person or planet tomorrow
that we were today. The arithmetic of life can be looked at as continuous subtraction or as continuous
transformation. When parts of our life and the earth run thin like the transparent chrysalis
of a butterfly there is room for transformation, change, growth and movement.

We thought the environment was frozen in time. It is now a slow emergency. Nature measures
time in epochs, eras, eons; it is not based on a human construct of days or years. Humans
trespass without notice on nature’s time scale but have altered deep time. Our trespassing
renders a lasting impact, stripping mother earth, leaving her vulnerable and weak. We
were complacent thinking we had the answers and believing that tomorrow is always promised.
Did we even really try? The eternal seconds of our nascent attempts to address climate
change may be too late. The regrets will be carried by the future generations
comparing what we could have done with what actually occurred.

Time is eternal and everything is gradually covered by the earth.

See how it was made on Monique Martin’s website http://moniqueart.com/vicissitude/vicissitude.html

Max Richter, composer

Max Richter stands as one of the most prodigious figures on the contemporary music scene, with ground-breaking work as a composer, pianist, producer, and collaborator. From synthesizers and computers to a full symphony orchestra, Richter’s innovative work encompasses solo albums, ballets, concert hall performances, film and television series, video art installations and theatre works. He is Classically trained, studying at Edinburgh University, the Royal Academy of Music, London, and completing his studies with composer Luciano Berio in Florence,

“Memoryhouse”, Richter’s 2002 debut, has been described by The Independent, and Pitchfork Magazine as a “landmark”, while his 2004 album “The Blue Notebooks” was chosen by The Guardian as one of the best Classical works of the century. “SLEEP”, his eight-and-a-half-hour concert work, has been broadcast and performed worldwide, including at the Sydney Opera House, Berlin’s Kraftwerk, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Philharmonie de Paris, and at the Barbican, London. In 2012 Richter “Recomposed” the infamous Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, winning him the prestigious ECHO Classic Award, and an established place in the classical charts.

In recent years Richter’s music has become a mainstay for many of the world’s leading ballet companies, including The Mariinski Ballet, La Scala Milan, The Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet, The Paris Opera Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Semper Oper, and NDT, while his collaborations with Wayne McGregor for The Royal Ballet have been widely acclaimed.

Richter has written prolifically for film and television, with recent projects including Hostiles, Black Mirror, Taboo – which gained him an Emmy nomination, HBO series The Leftovers and My Brilliant Friend and most recently White Boy Rick, Mary Queen of Scots and the sci-fi drama Ad Astra starring Brad Pitt. His music is also featured in Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island, Ari Folman’s Waltz With Bashir and in the Oscar-winning Arrival by Denis Villeneuve.

Richter’s most recent commissions are from the city of Bonn to mark the Beethoven 250th year anniversary, and a further collaboration between Richter, Margaret Attwood and Wayne McGregor, based on Atwood’s Maddaddam trilogy of novels, premiering in Toronto in September 2022.

His latest recorded project, The New Four Seasons, was released in 2022 marking ten years of his Vivaldi Recomposed project, re-recording the piece with period instruments.

maxrichtermusic.com

Kenneth Fuchs, composer

Kenneth Fuchs is the first living American composer recorded by the virtuoso Sinfonia of London and its brilliant conductor, John Wilson. In July 2023, Chandos Records released Cloud Slant, Orchestral Works, Volume 1, which includes two works for full orchestra, an exuberant composition for strings, and a concerto for C and alto flute, performed by the extraordinary Adam Walker.

Fuchs recorded for Naxos five albums with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta, the last of which won the 2018 GRAMMY^® Award for “Best Classical Compendium.” In August 2020, Naxos released Point of Tranquility (Seven Works for Symphonic Winds), recorded by the United States Coast Guard Band. Naxos also published an album of chamber music including Falling Canons, Falling Trio and String Quartet No. 5 “American.” Albany Records published String Quartets 2, 3, 4 in definitive performances by the American String Quartet.

Fuchs has composed music for orchestra, band, voice, chorus, soloists, and various chamber ensembles. With Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson, Fuchs created three chamber musicals. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum presented Fuchs’s operatic monodrama Falling Man (text by Don DeLillo, adapted by J. D. McClatchy) in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of 9/11. His music has achieved significant global recognition through performances, media exposure, and digital streaming and downloading.

Fuchs serves as Professor of Music Composition at the University of Connecticut. He is a graduate of the University of Miami and received master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees from The Juilliard School. His composition teachers include Milton Babbitt, David Diamond, and Vincent Persichetti. His music is published by Bill Holab Music, Hal Leonard LLC, Edward B. Marks Music Company, and Theodore Presser Company, and it has been recorded by Albany, Chandos, and Naxos.

http://www.kennethfuchs.com/

Eventide

Kenneth Fuchs’ Eventide is a one-movement concerto that highlights the exquisite lyricism of the English horn.

Composed especially for Thomas Stacy, solo English hornist in the New York Philharmonic, Fusch created a work with a highly unique character. A technically challenging piece, Eventide includes the use of multiphonic chords.

A multiphonic is an extended technique on a monophonic musical instrument (one that generally produces only one note at a time) in which several notes are produced at once. This includes wind, reed, and brass instruments, as well as the human voice. Multiphonic-like sounds on string instruments, both bowed and hammered, have also been called multiphonics, for lack of better terminology and scarcity of research. – Wikipedia

The piece is inspired by spiritual songs such as Mary Had a Baby and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. According to Fuchs, “Eventide is inspired by the mysterious quality of sunset glowing through stained-glass windows.”

The piece begins with mellow and delicate passages that create a sense of calm and anticipation, inviting listeners to embrace the tranquillity. Throughout the work, the soloist plays haunting multiphonic chords depicting the strange activity of the creeping darkness.

In the final moments of Eventide, Fuchs produces a declining motion that depicts the sun’s last rays giving way to the enveloping darkness of night. The music achieves a tremendous sense of completion, as though the natural world has reached a peaceful balance.

Véronique Mathieu, violin

Described as a violinist with ‘chops to burn, and rock solid musicianship’ (The Whole Note, TORONTO), Canadian violinist Véronique Mathieu enjoys an exciting career as a soloist, chamber musician, and music educator. Recent engagements have taken her throughout Europe and Asia, and she continues to work extensively with composers. Her CD ARGOT was recently featured on a BBC series dedicated to the music of Lutoslawski, and receives frequent airplay in the US. Recent highlights include the Canadian premiere of Marc-André Dalbavie’s violin concerto with Esprit Orchestra, a performance of John Corigliano’s Chaconne during the composer’s 80th birthday celebrations, the release of a second CD with pianist Stephanie Chua, and numerous recitals throughout North America.

Véronique has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Asia, Europe, South Africa, South America, and the United States. She is a prizewinner of the 2012 Eckhardt-Gramatté Contemporary Music Competition, the 2010 Krakow International Contemporary Music Competition, and a three-time winner of the Canada Council Bank of Instruments Competition. Ms. Mathieu holds the David L. Kaplan Chair in Music at the University of Saskatchewan where she serves as an Associate Professor of Violin. She previously served on the faculty at the University of Kansas and State University of New York, in Buffalo.

An avid contemporary music performer, she has commissioned and premiered numerous works by American, Brazilian, and Canadian composers, and has worked with composers such as Pierre Boulez, Heinz Holliger, and Krzysztof Penderecki. She recorded for the CD series New Music at Indiana University, the label of Radio-Canada, Centrediscs, PARMA, Naxos, and Pheromone. Current projects include the commission of a large-scale solo violin work by Odawa First Nations composer Barbara Croall and a set of 12 pedagogical pieces written in collaboration with 12 internationally renowned composers with the support of the SSHRC and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Véronique has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Shenyang Symphony Orchestra, Esprit Orchestra, Oakville Symphony Orchestra, the Filarmonica de Americana, Kokomo Symphony, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and the Montreal Contemporary Ensemble. She has given solo performances in China, Georgia, Italy, Vietnam, as well as world premieres of works by Brian Harman and Adam Scime. Her CD debut of solo works by Boulez, Donatoni, and Lutoslawski was praised as a recording of “outstanding violin playing” and “stunning [performance] with amazing technique”. Following the release of her 3rd solo CD (Cortège), she was a finalist in the Classical Artist/Ensemble of the Year category at the 2021 Western Canadian Music Awards.

In addition to her teaching and performing activities, Véronique is the co-founder and artistic director of NAVO (www.navoarts.com), a non-for-profit arts organization dedicated to bringing world-class performances to the Midwest.

Véronique won many prizes in Canada before completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Music at the Québec Conservatory. She obtained an Artist Diploma with outstanding achievement in violin performance from McGill University as a student of Denise Lupien, where was a recipient of the Ethel J. Ivey Award, and the Lloyd Carr Harris Scholarship. Mathieu completed a Performer Diploma and a Master’s Degree in music at Indiana University with professor Miriam Fried while working as an Associate Instructor in violin. She also completed a Doctor of music degree in violin performance at the same institution under the guidance of Mark Kaplan, and was a fellow at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto.

https://www.veroniquemathieu.net/

Erin Brophey, English horn

Erin Brophey is currently the Principal Oboe of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. Previously, Erin held the position of section oboe and English horn with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra for eight seasons. Erin is also an active freelance musician and has performed with many Canadian orchestras, including the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, the Regina Symphony Orchestra, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, the Charlottetown Festival Orchestra and the Elora Festival Orchestra.

In 2000, Erin received her Honours Bachelor of Music from Wilfrid Laurier University where she studied with James Mason. She completed her Master of Music degree at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania under the tutelage of Cynthia Koledo de Almeida in 2002.

As a chamber musician, Erin has performed in many summer festivals nation-wide including Festival of the Sound, West Ben Festival, Elora Festival, Stratford Music Festival, Tafelmusik Summer Baroque Institute, National Youth Orchestra of Canada, L’Orchestre de la Francophonie and the National Academy Orchestra. Recently, Erin performed at the Ritornello Festival with the Gryphon Trio.

Erin Brophey is a sessional lecturer at the University of Saskatchewan and is the Woodwind Coach for the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra. In Saskatoon, Erin co-directs a community double-reed band called Squawk, is active in new music programming and also teaches a private oboe studio. In addition, Erin is on faculty at the Inter-Provincial Music Camp in Parry Sound, Ontario.

Erin is the Director of a unique online oboe education program called the Oboe Path.

https://www.erinbrophey.com/

Strata Festival of New Music 2023

The Strata Festival of New Music is pleased to announce its return for 2023, featuring a lineup of innovative and boundary-pushing artists from across Saskatchewan and Canada. The festival will take place from June 1 – 4 at multiple venues, including Remai Modern, Zion Lutheran Church and PAVED Arts in Saskatoon.

Now in its 11th year, the Strata Festival remains dedicated to showcasing Saskatchewan-based composers and musicians creating cutting-edge new music. This year’s festival contains four days of concerts and masterclasses featuring a range of composers and performers, exploring a wide range of genres and styles.

Some of the highlights of the festival include performances by Véronique Mathieu and Stephanie Chua, playing a perfect pairing of an Amati violin and grand piano; the chance to explore the connection between taste and sound at Cinq Morceaux; the extraordinary Strata Ensemble playing the music of Carmen Braden, a celebrated sub-arctic Canadian composer; and the premiere concert of the newly formed Saskatoon Experimental Music Ensemble.

The Strata Festival of New Music is made possible with support from SK Arts, the City of Saskatoon, Sask Lotteries, CFCR 90.5FM, Becker Design & Media, Remai Modern, PAVED Arts, Zion Lutheran Church, the University of Saskatchewan, and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. For more information about the Strata Festival of New Music and its lineup, please visit www.stratafest.com, or follow the festival on Facebook and Instagram at @stratafestival.

BLACK ICE SOUND WITH CARMEN BRADEN

The Strata Ensemble featuring Guest Composer Carmen Braden

Concert

Thursday, June 1 2023, 7:30 PM

Remai Modern

Admission by donation

EMERGING COMPOSER MASTERCLASS WITH CARMEN BRADEN

For ages 18 to 118

Masterclass

Friday, June 2 2023, 1:00 PM

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

DUALITY

Featuring Stephanie Chua and Véronique Mathieu, plus Darren Miller with Amati Strings

Concert

Friday, June 2 2023, 6:30 PM

Remai Modern

Admission by donation

SOUND WORKSHOP WITH STEPHANIE CHUA

For ages 18 to 118

Masterclass

Saturday, June 3 2023, 1:00 PM

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

CINQ MORCEAUX

Explore the connection between taste and sound in a whole new way, as you indulge in the exquisite flavours of each appetizer, expertly paired with the perfect piece of music.

Concert

Saturday, June 3 2023, 7:30 PM

Zion Lutheran Church

$50

SASKATOON EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC ENSEMBLE

A community-oriented ensemble with a focus on collectively-created experimental music

Concert

Sunday, June 4 2023, 2:00 PM

PAVED Arts

Pay What You Can (Suggestion: $10)

Alexa Haynes-Pilon, cello

Canadian-born Alexa Haynes-Pilon has been described by Early Music America as “a special artist with a brilliant future,” Alexa Haynes-Pilon has quickly established herself in the early music scene, performing on baroque cello, viola da gamba, baroque bassoon and dulcian. She is the principal cellist of both Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra and Opera Neo, and co-director and cellist/gambist of Musica Pacifica. She has performed with numerous American ensembles, including the American Bach Soloists, The Washington Bach Consort, Pacific Chorale, Los Angeles Chamber Choir, Bach Collegium San Diego, Burning River Baroque, the Albany Consort, the American Contemporary Ballet, Handel Choir of Baltimore, Con Gioia, and more. In Toronto, she was a founding member of the early music ensemble, Rezonance, and performed with Accenti Vocali and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. She has concertized throughout the United States and Canada, as well as in Bogotà, Mexico City, and, most recently, Budapest, where she collaborated with the Hungarian State Opera. She has recorded for the TV show, Hannibal, and was the featured solo cellist on the soundtrack to the highly acclaimed 2017 documentary That Never Happened: Canada’s First National Internment Operations. Her recent album recordings include Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen Sings Gluck, Handel, & Vivaldi with the American Bach Soloists, Agostino Steffani: A son trés-humble service, Duets for Sophie Charlotte of Hanover under the direction of harpsichordist, Jory Vinikour on the Musica Omnia label, and François Couperin: Concert Royaux with Stephen Schultz, Mindy Rosenfeld, and Jory Vinikour on the Music and Arts label.

After completing her BMus and MMus in cello performance at Brandon University, Alexa Haynes-Pilon earned a performance certificate from the University of Toronto in connection with the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, studying cello with Christina Mahler and viola da gamba with Joëlle Morton. Alexa recently completed her doctoral studies at the University of Southern California, where she studied baroque cello and viola da gamba with William Skeen, and baroque bassoon and dulcian with Charlie Koster. She has participated in most of the major Early Music festivals and workshops in North America including the Tafelmusik Winter and Summer Institutes, the American Bach Soloists Academy in San Francisco, the Vancouver Early Music Festival, the Twin Cities Early Music Festival, and the Boston and Berkeley Early Music Festivals.

Alexa’s passion is to create music and connect with members of the community, and because of this, she co-founded and was the Artistic Director of Los Angeles Baroque (LAB), a community baroque orchestra based in South Pasadena, CA. In addition, she has introduced thousands of elementary and secondary school students to Renaissance and baroque winds and viols through her work with the Crumhorn Collective, in collaboration with Ars Lyrica Houston’s outreach program in Houston. Alexa has been a guest conductor for the Orange County Recorder Society, the Pacifica Viola da Gamba Society, The Central Coast Recorder Society, the Sacramento Recorder Society, the San Francisco Recorder Society, and the Southern California Recorder Society. She has been a faculty member at the San Francisco Early Music Society (SFEMS) Recorder workshop and Baroque workshop (cello and viola da gamba), as well as a faculty member at the Road Scholar Hidden Valley Workshop in Carmel Valley, CA (viola da gamba and dulcian), and at the Port Townsend Early Music Workshop near Seattle (viola da gamba). She has also taught at Claremont Graduate University, and she has given masterclasses at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.

She is directing a program for Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra in January 2023. She will be going home to conduct the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra in May 2023, and will join the Orchester Wiener Akademie in Austria for a few performances in August 2023.

www.alexahaynespilon.com