During these challenging times from the pandemic to the climate emergency, we all need to refresh our perspective and to find hope. We just need a moment to reflect, a moment to find a spark of optimism.
Bjørn Vidø on the intention behind the Music in Space Project, 2022.
In recent months, our research team has been exploring the concept of peace in outer space. Following a recent conversation with some military and academic experts on peace and conflict in space, we realised discussion of peace in outer space raises important questions about our individual agencies. Specifically, we became interested in how we, as individuals, can influence developments in space, not just on earth. In researching this, we learned about The Music in Space Project. Created by Bjørn Vidø, a Danish artist, this project has hosted various benefit concerts devoted to spreading global awareness of environmental change by transmitting music into space via satellites and weather balloons.
In Bjørn’s concerts, ‘the overview effect’ plays a crucial role. The overview effect refers to how astronauts often change their habits and reconnect to the earth after seeing it from outer space. Bjørn tries to incorporate this effect in his music, and through it he invites us all to (re-)think our attitudes, behaviour, and sense of connection to earth. Bjørn’s work is inspirational both when talking about environmental change and starting a conversation about the connections between us individual earthers and outer space.
The background of Music in Space
The Music in Space Project follows on from Bjørn’s previous environmentally-focused work in Antarctica in 2018. This project culminated in a concert held for the penguins in Antarctica, which was transmitted globally, aiming to spark a conversation about our interconnectedness and mutual dependencies on earth. Since this project, Bjørn now tries to bring the perspective from outer space into a global conversation about environmental changes.
One aspect of Bjørn’s artwork which is important to highlight is his practice of harnessing or re-claiming the power of local communities. In every concert, Bjørn collaborates with local artists and offers them the microphone to voice their concerns. Recently, for instance, a Music in Space concert was held in South Africa. Local artists joined forces with Bjørn to address the challenges they face in their communities. They then sent the music they created into space via satellites, bringing the overview effect into their activist music. The illustration below helps captute their method:
What can we learn from Music in Space?
The Music in Space project shows that people from different places can work creatively with each other, through the arts, to rethink and reset conversations about environmental change, the fragility of our shared planet, human behaviours, collective action, our place in space, and our cosmic future(s). The inclusion of the overview effect is productive because it enables us to step beyond our local concerns and apply a cosmic perspective – which expands our sense of time as well as space. Down on earth, we try but often fail to generate positive, peaceful dialogue about environmental challenges and solutions; but when the conversation is sent to space (both literally and metaphorically), we can look more clearly at what we share, at what the stakes are, and find common purpose.
As a thought experiment, consider the overview effect for a moment. Imagine that you are looking at Earth from outer space and try to picture what you might see. Do you see any borders? Individual countries? Cultural divisions? Hostility or hatred? Certainly not. Most likely, you just see one blue marble orbiting in its sun in a great expanse of space.
As Bjørn phrases it, this overview effect inspires us to collaborate and commit to saving our home planet. Taking an all-encompassing view of earth helps us to feel care and compassion for it, for its current inhabitants and future generations – as can be seen in the words spoken to and for the world by various project contributors in their ‘messages to the world‘. These messages speak both to the earth as a planet and to humanity as a species, promoting peaceful problem-solving for the future.
‘It is time for us as human beings to look across the table at each other as human beings, and put our hearts and minds and skills together…’ (John King)
‘It is time for us to be less extractive and more regenerative… It is important that we start paying attention to the relationships that we have with each other as well as the enviornment around us.’ (Ian McNeel)
‘Be mindful, and take a holistic approach, taking small steps every day to be better and to do better.’ (Louise Sue)
The Messages – Films in Space
Space is a valuable viewpoint to take, as another artist featured in this museum – Kathryn Brimblecombe-Fox – understands. In her case, she uses painting to help us ‘fly’ in our imaginations, soaring above the earth as a way of better understanding its value and the threats facing the people who inhabit it. Similarly, the Music in Space project harnesses both music and space to shift our perspectives, remind us of common concerns and promote dialogue and co-operation. We also find inspiration in feminist writings on outer space (see Alice Gorman’s work and Cassandra Steer’s book chapter ). Like Bjørn’s artwork, they call for greater inclusiveness by levelling the playing field of outer space conversations. Notably, we find a connection between their respective commitments to empower the voices often excluded from political discussions ranging from environmental changes to outer space. Echoing their work, we wish to ‘join the party’ and start conversations about a peaceful outer space for all beings.
Our conversation with Bjørn Vidø
We reached out to Bjørn to feature his work in our museum, and he has generously shared thoughts on outer space, the Earth, and his artwork with us. In gratitude for this enlightening conversation, we will share parts of it with you here.[i]
I have found that a project like Music in Space is a good way to start a dialogue because people are moved to ask questions: ‘Why are you sending it out into space?’ ‘Why are you having a concert that you send away with weather balloons in 40 km height?‘
Those questions help starting the dialogue. From there, we can talk about the idea of the overview effect.
I see how the overview effect has caused astronauts to change their habits. Therefore, I use this mechanism in the concert to get people to change their habits by rethinking their connection to the Earth.
In a nutshell, my mission is to spread awareness in a different way, hoping to appeal to the emotions within people. We need to find compassion and care for the Earth.
It is not just spreading awareness. It is also giving people a voice. I think that this is a beautiful part of my project. I go around in these communities, and I talk. First and foremost, however, I listen. I offer the locals the microphone to tell whatever is on their minds, encouraging us all to listen.
In Joburg, this one guy was sharing how we must start with equality. He believes the conversation starts there. We are all inhabiting one Earth and therefore, we must find love between us. We must be able to see beyond our different cultures, different hierarchies, and different skin colors.
What can WE do?
If we all do what we can now, it will help us in the future…
We aim to think more about ‘the overview effect’ in our conversations and debates with friends and family, and we invite you to do as well. As the popular analogy of the butterfly effect hints, the first step is to simply talk about it, and then change will eventually emerge. We invite you to engage with Bjørn’s project as a more practical encouragement. He calls for everyone to join the Music in Space Project by sending a 1-minute video with a short message to the world. In our conversation with Bjørn, we ended with the idea that ‘if we all do what we can now, it will help us in the future’. When it comes to climate change, conflict prevention and peace-building, we believe that we must carry on with this notion in mind.
Reflections on the drawing featuring this entry
I drew this picture when trying to envision the Earth from space. The idea behind the darker purple colors surrounding the Earth and other planets in orbit is perhaps self-explanatory. However, when we think of outer space, we see it as a place of darkness and of unseen forces/energies flowing around us (for interesting words on the dark energy in the universe, you can see NASA’s explanation). I chose purple to convey a mix of darkness and light, mystery and understanding.
Why did I draw the other planets so that they look like the Earth in different colour schemes? The idea of similarity can be helpful in generated a sense of connectedness to the other planets in our solar system. In future, technology may allow us to drastically extract resources from other planets (for more information, you can look into mining in space); and that may lead to greater conflict in space, with inevitable repercussions on earth. When addressing the question of future space exploration, it is essential to think of not just the earth but the whole universe in a compassionate way.
All the white dots on the drawing represent the billions of stars (that we know of?) in our solar system. The bright lights surrounding and even coming from within the Earth are intended to depict the hope and enlightnement in our minds when visualising peace in outer space. While outer space seems like a place of darkness and mystery, we also aim to picture it as a bright – and hopeful – environment for all beings on earth and in space.
The white doves with the olive leaves are a classic symbol of peace. While we know that no doves actually fly around in orbit, I have placed them there because I find comfort in the idea of space as NOT merely confined to highly technological spacecraft. Space remains the final frontier that defies claims of ownership, domination, colonisation – that exists for all beings, while belonging to none. But for how long?
What do you think?
- How do you visualise the relationship between outer space and our lives on Earth?
- Have you thought about ‘the overview effect’ before? If yes, what impact has it had on you?
- In what ways does thinking about space help us re-imagine and work for peace?
- In what ways can music change how people debate and address conflict and climate change?
- Do you think that peace in space helps maintain peace on earth? And how can peace in space be promoted, improved and maintained?[ii]
If you enjoyed this item in our museum…
You might also enjoy ‘Star Wars: The Final Frontier’, ‘Cyber peace and artivism, with Kathryn Brimblecombe-Fox’, and items with the tag ‘Activism’ and ‘Artivism’.
Otilia Meden, December 2022
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Bjørn Vidø for letting us feature his work in our museum, and for the enriching conversation we shared. For more information, follow this link: https://www.musicinspace.dk. You can hear a longer podcast conversation with Bjørn Vidø on the Visualising Peace Youtube playlist.
[i]The conversation was between Bjørn and Otilia in Danish. Thus, the texts are translations summing up bits of the entire conversation that lasted over an hour and a half. We are working on turning this conversation into a podcast on care, compassion, and politics.
[ii]This question is also asked in the entry: ‘Star Wars: The Final Frontier’
Links to other sources:
- Gorman, Alice. 2021. “Moonwalking: When Other Worlds Belong to Women.” Griffith Review, no. 74 (October). https://www.griffithreview.com/articles/moonwalking/.
- Steer, Cassandra. 2021. “‘The Province of All Humankind’ – A Feminist Analysis of Space Law.” In Commercial and Military Uses of Outer Space, edited by Melissa de Zwart and Stacey Henderson, 169–88. Singapore: Springer Nature.
- For more information on the overview effect, you can explore this website: https://abeautiful.world/stories/the-overview-effect/