Watch the Skies / Alien plus Magnetic Rose ft Oneohtrix Point Never — Reviewed

Watch the Skies / Alien plus Magnetic Rose ft Oneohtrix Point Never

In a special collaboration, Jodrell Bank Observatory and Abandon Normal Devices have, finds Dave Tate, created a “stunning”, transformative and ambitious marriage of technology, film, art and music…

Long before we had the technology explore it, the human race has regarded space with equal parts fear and wonder. To gaze into the abyss of the night sky is to be overwhelmed with thoughts of what, if anything, is out there. As technology has advanced, we have been afforded increasingly greater opportunities to probe and map the vast enormity of space; and yet all we have really found is that we still know next to nothing.

Jodrell Bank Observatory is the home of much of this discovery and serves as a spectacular setting for tonight’s event. A collaboration with Abandon Normal Devices Festival and the BFI, we are promised a screening of Ridley Scott’s chest-busting space horror Alien, plus Magnetic Rose, a rarely seen short film from Akira creator Kôji Morimoto with new original soundtrack by electronic polymath Oneohtrix Point Never, and also a documentary feature on Jodrell Bank itself by Greater Manchester’s Soup Collective.

An exceptionally unusual site for an evening of film, the observatory is built in the shadow of the iconic Lovell Telescope — at the time of building, the largest telescope in the world. Standing at nearly 90 metres high, the modernist structure is profound in its pastoral surroundings. Illuminated by the last lights of the sun, it makes for an awe-inspiring location, but not merely as a cinematic backdrop: the telescope has a history of landmark moments in space exploration.

“In preparation for filming his landmark 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick interviewed a selection of scientists, including the telescope’s namesake, Sir Bernard Lovell”

During his introduction to the site, associate director Tim O’Brien explains that it is 57 years to the day since the telescope was used to track Russian satellite Sputnik 1 following its launch: the worlds first artificial satellite. Alongside scientific endeavour, the team working at the site have long been involved in some of the key moments in science fiction history. In preparation for filming his landmark sic-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick interviewed a selection of scientists, including the telescope’s namesake, Sir Bernard Lovell. The transcripts of these conversations (the original recordings being sadly lost) — fascinating discussions on the possibilities of extra terrestrial cultures, intelligent computers and the origins of life — are used alongside footage of the site’s construction in the first short film shown this evening.

A unique commission from Salford-based filmmakers Soup Collective, the film is projected onto the dish itself, and serves as an excellent precursor to both Alien and Magnetic Rose. Highlighting not only the size of the universe but the plausibility of the existence of extra terrestrial life, Soup Collective’s creative documentary puts into perspective the naivety around believing that the human race is entirely alone. Understanding both the scale and age of the universe, it is impossible not to cast occasional glances skyward and wonder.

“I am completely absorbed by the piece, temporarily forgetting my surroundings. A truly stunning work of art”

Next up: a specially commissioned live soundtrack for Kôji Morimoto’s 1995 anime Magnetic Rose by Oneohtrix Point Never, easily the evening’s highlight. The first chapter in manga anthology Memories, the film focuses on the crew of salvage vessel the Corona who, much like the crew in Alien, respond to a distress signal in deep space. With the dialogue removed from it, the film serves as a narrative framework on which OPN’s nebulous synth pieces hang, carrying them forward. The film’s ethereal aesthetic is amplified by the new soundtrack, with snatches of the original dialogue and foley sounds warped and dissolved, gaseous and shimmering.The marriage of sound and image is hypnotic and, out in the cold and under the stars, the piece is profoundly compelling. I am completely absorbed by the piece, temporarily forgetting my surroundings. A truly stunning work of art.

“Alien very rarely breaks from a whisper or treads faster than a walk, but it is never less than completely riveting”

How would you follow that? Well, how about with a truly seminal piece of filmmaking presented exquisitely. Viewing Alien again, but this time on an enormous clear screen, coupled with magnificent sound — both testament to the organisers — showcases Ridley Scott’s exceptional skills as a filmmaker, and details of this much-imitated blockbuster is thrown into sharp relief. Every shot is meticulous in its planning and execution, and every frame is a work of art, something that is all too often lost in home viewings. The film’s mastery of tension puts to shame the legions of directors who feel it impossible to make blockbusters without over the top explosions, car chases or gun battles.

Alien very rarely breaks from a whisper or treads faster than a walk, but it is never less than completely riveting. Much like the event itself, Alien doesn’t ever need to rely on gimmicks to be special. Full plaudits must go to everyone involved for this evening. By picking a spectacular location and phenomenal films, alongside some wonderful commissions, there’s little more they could do. Just sit back and enjoy the stars.

Dave Tate, Music Editor

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Abandon Normal Devices’s next event is an online exhibition with Link Cabinet entitled This Connection is Untrusted / Addie Wagenknecht — 25 October until 22 November 2014, free

Posted on 16/10/2014 by thedoublenegative