Objects have a poetry of their own. In all their apparent dead materiality, they embody our fears and aspirations. Like a mirror, they give back to us what we intend to see in them, what we try to achieve through them. They somehow become these aspirations. And they are wrapped in this feeling of paradoxical melancholia: they are dead matter without conscience and yet they are symbols of human feelings, so purely and abstractly represented that, to a certain point, they make those feelings come alive.
Telescopes belong to the very special kind of objects that take their journey into becoming alive pretty seriously. They are our extended eyes into the vastness of the universe. But they are also a tool for self awareness. Have you ever had the feeling that, looking through the lenses of a telescope, a sense of inner introspection suddenly arises? You become amazed at the insignificance of your physical body, at the nothingness of your ego. By looking at the edges of our universe, we find ourselves there: small, lost, naked.
For over 30 years, the Hubble telescope has been scrutinizing distant galaxies, glimpses of black holes, cuasars and supernovae debris. Hubble has fulfilled the epic quest of being our big questioner to the secrets of the skies, but its systems are beginning to fail. Orbiting tirelessly for so many years, Hubble is becoming old, vision blurs, pulse trembles, assistance to continue walking is frequently required. Don’t you see him already as one of us.
This project took its first baby steps after a few beers with friends Titan, Alex the Cream and Turpin. The idea was to blend music, images and astrophysics. Beers help to make you think big, for fuck’s sake. Pablo (aka The Taxi Talk) set himself to write and play the tunes (some extra beers were required for that) and pretty soon the artifact was ready, thanks to the help of more friends: Malax brought in fresh ideas (plus very dynamic drums), Alcañiz his incredible mixing abilities. Filmmaker extraordinaire Javier Olivera took it from there and put together visuals and overall framework. This is then a collective effort, aiming to encapsulate music and art together with sparks of science. We would be delighted if you enjoy diving into it as much as we loved making it. And if, on top of it, it prompts your curiosity for what a Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Object is, the better.