Overview: An Immersive Meditation
In 2016, I discovered the powerful transformation of the Overview Effect — a term first coined by my now dear friend, Frank White, in 1987. In his book, and in the sister documentary short film, Overview, I learned that something powerful was happening to our space travelers. Many were returning to Earth with a vastly-transformed perspective. After witnessing the stunning beauty and reality of our “fragile oasis” hanging in the blackness of space, they often return to Earth as humanitarians, conservationists, and artists, compelled to share their new perspectives with the rest of us.
This learning has inspired all of my work ever since. I spent the last several years following in Frank’s footsteps, interviewing astronauts to learn about this powerful transformation first-hand, and translating their story through immersive experiences — music, films, live shows. And, finally, I was able to fulfill a several-year dream, when I was invited by Lacho Villanueva and his team at TKL Experience to produce a conceptual “Overview Effect” immersive art experience in Mexico City for Palacio de Hierro.
This intimate piece takes its audience on a sonic journey from Earth to space, instilling a sense of presence and awe that is so common to the astronaut’s experience. Prior to entering, all guests are treated to an explanation of the history of the Overview Effect in a variety of different languages. Upon entering, they find themselves traversing a dark room with a cushy, shifting floor that mimics the lunar surface. The disorienting entry is intentionally designed to offer them a taste of the astronaut’s experiences during their flight — shifts in gravity and perception seem key to inciting the kind of presence astronauts feel during transformational moments.
Groups of 6 people enter at a time, finding a very comfortable place to lay down. As they settle in, the visuals on the ceiling begin to softly shift and dance. The 7.1 Dolby Atmos system delivers a stunningly-mixed soundtrack that I composed and co-produced with Nick Jones and Pablo Todd. Soon, the visuals and audio begin to draw the audience up, up, and up on a launch to space. Upon arriving, the piece softens and carries us through an emotional and awe-inspiring journey of weightless beauty. Diffused dancing auroras, oceans, and forests of Earth seen from space grace the screen above. We are eventually carried out to the stellar nurseries where stars are born and end up in the twinkling lights of distant galaxies before returning back to our grounded position on that cushy surface of planet Earth.
After producing the piece from afar, fully entrusting the construction to the Mexico City team, I wasn’t able to experience the piece myself until well after its premiere. It was gaining national acclaim in Mexico and the public response was awe-inspiring. Finally having the chance to witness it myself was an emotional experience.
Having scored the underlying soundtrack with my MI.MU music gloves, I took the chance to experiment with the gloves inside the space. Panning the sound around the Dolby Atmos speaker system as I danced around the room was yet another dream fulfilled, and inspiration for the next iteration of such an experience.
I had always dreamed of sharing the Overview Effect in such an emotional and conceptual way, always firmly believing in the power of art and music to transfer emotion, feeling, and experience to another. Now that I’ve had the chance to test this theory, I am so inspired to continue pulling on this thread, focusing heavily on immersive experience design to communicate this powerful story.
CREDITS
- Annu (MaryLiz): Composer, Producer
- Lacho Villanueva: TKL Experience Art Curator and co-producer
- Pablo Todd: Sound Designer, Spatial Audio Engineer, and co-producer
- Nick Jones: Soundtrack co-producer
- Videoso: Visual Designer
- Frank White: Author of the “Overview Effect” — the human who gifted me and the world the philosophical framework, without which this piece would have no meaning.
