Participants | Christo Squier, Charly Jolly, Fiona Fey, Jin Theriault, Laura Hussey, Laurie Taylor, Lily Rayner, Riccardo Castellani , Dr. Teppei Katori


Festival of New - Residency Film


Festival of New - Full Performance

Podcast with Des Oliver

Cosmic rays are produced deep in the universe.

Millions shower Earth every second, in a random way currently beyond human comprehension. Subatomic particles are passing through you at this very moment…blasted from supernovae and other astrophysical phenomena far beyond our galaxy.

This has happened throughout the history of the solar system.

By learning about them, we can learn about our origins.

Born out of a King's College London artist residency, composer Christo Squier and experimental particle physicist Dr. Teppei Katori are joined by a host of instrumentalists to explore this fascinating subatomic world via composition, sonification, projection and performance.

Some pieces are built using pre-recorded scientific data as inspiration, others embrace entropy and improvisation by using mobile cosmic ray detectors or a feed from Super-Kamiokande observatory in Japan.

Part experiment, part lecture, part suite of new music, Subatomic holds a curious musical lens over a hidden yet vital part of our world.

A duet, of sorts, between musicians and the cosmos.

“Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies…” - Alan Watts

Concept developed by Christo Squier, Chris Ball and Dr. Teppei Katori
Composed, produced and directed by Christo Squier

Ensemble
Charly Jolly
(bass clarinet, clarinet)
Christo Squier (guitar, tenor sax, flute, synths)
Fiona Fey (piano, voice)
Jin Theriault (baritone sax, alto sax, violin, alto flute)
Laura Hussey (viola)
Laurie Taylor (violin)
Lily Rayner (cello)
Riccardo Castellani (drums)
Dr. Teppei Katori (trombone)


Creative Team
Christo Squier
(creative direction and production)
Chris Ball
(creative coding, building and hacking devices)
Dr. Teppei Katori
(science advisor)
Daniel Ross
(visualisations)
Peter Story
(projections)
Alex Ferguson (production)

Developed in partnership with King's College London Cultural Programme
in the faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences.