Barry Whittaker

Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (2022)

Humans have a history of hurling objects into space. Rockets, satellites, animals, humans, plants, and insects have all graced the skies above the earth. Beyond the occasional launch event where objects are lobbed into the air, signals are constantly beamed into space. Messages, images, and sounds are spread across the electromagnetic spectrum, radiating outward to infinity. A gold-plated record and a Tesla with David Bowie’s “A Space Oddity” also float through the void, waiting for an audience. Who, or what, will be first to listen to our noises, and what will they hear?  This project imagines the interstellar journey of the sonic time capsules carried by objects and waves as they float across the vastness of space.    

Credits:

Barry Whittaker — field recordings, synthesizers, electric guitar, bass guitar, drum machines, percussion, text

Yuka Ueda — voice

Public domain recordings sampled:

Laughing Song (Especialidad de Risas) (Especialidade de Risos) – Henry Klausen

My South Polar Expedition – Spoken by: Lt. Ernest H. Shackleton

I am the Edison Phonograph – Spoken by: Thomas A. Edison

The Serenade – Herbert, Victor

Nasa Apollo 11 Recordings

Produced April 2022 while in residence at WORM/Klangendum Studio.

Bio:

Barry Whittaker is a multi-media artist, designer, musician, and Associate Professor of Art at the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio, USA.

Website:

http://barrywhittaker.com