For technology gurus like Elon Musk, one thing is certain: the salvation of mankind lies in the colonization of Mars. But is Mars really our "Planet B"? Composer Jennifer Walshe has been fascinated by the red planet since childhood. In her new multimedia work MARS, she examines an inflammatory cocktail of topics through the lens of her own obsession: technology, Silicon Valley, capitalism, the climate catastrophe and our place in the universe. Welcome to the Walshe Space Center.
Jennifer Walshe has already hit the bull's eye with the philosophical opera TIME TIME TIME, which she developed for the Sonic Acts festival in the Muziekgebouw. For her, music is a way of exploring ideas in a critical and stimulating way. The lyrics for MARS were written by journalist Mark O'Connell, who wrote To Be a Machine, an award-winning book about 'transhumanism', the idea that humanity needs to 'upgrade' itself with new technologies in order to survive.
The composition MARS was commissioned by Muziekgebouw and supported by Ammodo.
Text: Muziekgebouw
Photo: Blackie Bouffant