My imagination was wonderfully captured today by the story from NASA announcing that Voyager 1 has now left the solar system. Launched 36 years ago in September 1977, the space probe set out on its journey as part of NASA’s mission to collect and record scientific data. It also carried with it evidence of earth and it’s human endeavours, including the images, sounds, messages & technology from the 70’s. Moving at 11 miles per second it it will travel onward on its journey and is estimated to remain in contact with earth until 2025, still feeding back streams of data.
On board is a disc of music and sounds from earth from across different eras, and cultures.The assortment of music recordings seem to be dominated by classical music with Bach, Beethoven Mozart and Stravinsky as if reflecting some reverence to the form having higher cultural value at the time and perhaps in the minds of the selectors. However, there is a decent stab at global cultural representation, from Indian singing to a Peruvian wedding song and Navajo chanting to a few modern(ish) pieces such as Louis Armstrong, and a cursory nod to rock and roll through Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode. There is not much popular music of the 60’s and 70”s there, and damn, they could have included Elvis at least, given 1977 was dominated by his untimely death. Way Down was No 1 for weeks on end before Mull of Kintyre bored much of the population to tears. Punk was still largely hidden from mainstream by Abba and David Soul, and probably had little chance of catching a lift on that flight.
But hang on ( to self) , this could never have been some small island representation. It would have to be a truly global slice of the cultrual landscape. What a job & responsibility to try and encapsulate a sample of the music of humanity in one recording! Equipped back then with a computer that had a memory a fraction of an iphone, the sheer volume and breadth of choice we’re used to now, was not available. Opportunities for listening to and playing back a global selection of music would have been extremely limited. Such a compilation is always going to be filtered through the taste and perspective of a specific set of curatorial hands. Everyone would have a different story to tell and creating a disc that represents a collective snapshot must be fantastic fun, but inevitably a tricky task too.
Here in 2013, I wonder how these recordings would be shaped to represent today’s much more globally connected cultural and music world. I’m certain it wouldn’t have so much classical music on it. Gangnam Style might even be on there in its ubiquitous annoying ability to be heard in every corner of our planet; a Bollywood hit perhaps? A bit of death metal angst would be joyously perplexing, and could Daft Punk grooves sit snugly and irresistably amongst the old guard perhaps? It could be everything you love or loathe.
Alongside the music selection is a 12 minute recording of sounds – a kind of global field recording sample. These evocative sound snippets range from storms to rain, insects and birds, through to whirring machinery, sawing and morse code. It’s strangely satisfying to listen to.
The notion of this odd selection of music and sound winding it’s way through space on the off chance that some intercepting extra-terrestial and sentient being will know firstly how to work our now dated technology – and be able to make any sense of the content is highly entertaining, and slightly bonkers. But I still love the idea! It taps into some sense of universal mystery.
Ultimately, I think it all says more about our own need to record human endeavours and take a snapshot in time, leave a mark, and note a list of what we reckon to be good, than having any real inter universal connectivity. But then again you never know….! I might have to make my own playlist just in case .
For more information on the Voyager Interstellar Mission go to:
http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/goldenrec.html and for the list of music http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/music.html