Project Adrift is an arts project by artists Cath Le Couteur and Nick Ryan. The project explores the hidden world of space junk, making it personal, visible and audible. The project takes the form of an interactive experience (Adopt), a documentary film (Adrift), and a sound installation (Listen).
My role was to provide Audio Post Production for the Adopt and Adrift arms of the project. This included recording the voices of SuitSat, Vanguard & Fengyun (the 3 pieces of Space Junk being brought to life over the 3 films), producing the 5.1 & stereo mixes for the ‘Adrift’ documentary, and providing sound design, music editing and mixing for the Adopt animation films ‘SuitSat’ & ‘Vanguard Fengyun’.
ADRIFT (DOCUMENTARY)
Adrift is a short documentary that explores the hidden world of space junk. The film reveals an issue that is troubling and beautiful, dangerous and fascinating. It begins with the tale of astronaut Piers Sellers, who dropped his spatula in space in 2006, which became the most deadly kitchen instrument soon after, travelling at 27,000 km/h. The film then journeys across the remote deserts of Chile with astronomers of Collowara Observatory, into the skies, where threats to the International Space Station take place, and through to Thailand, where a man watches space debris burn. The film includes a narration by Vanguard, the oldest piece of space junk, voiced by Sally Potter (Dir Orlando).
Credits
Director Cath Le Couteur
Film Edit & Sound Design Florence Kennard
Film Edit & Sound Design Michele Chiappa
Cinematographer, Chile Constanza García Ulibarri
Cinematographer, Washington Richard Numerous
Vanguard Voice Sally Potter
Vanguard Screenwriter Heidi Julavits
Vanguard Animation Daffy London
Re-Recording Mixer Jason Peacock
Film Music Tim J Matthews
Chile Production Jorge Castillo-Sepúlveda
Chile Production Monica Greco
Chile Production María Isabel Reyes
Chile Production Marsha Rosengarten
Graphic Design Patrick Fry
Titles Damn Fine
Translator Alejandro Torres
Colourist Susumu Asano
Features
BBC Arts Online
BBC Radio 4 Today Programme
Evening Standard
Exhibitions
The Moon Exhibition, Henie Onstad Museum, Norway, 2019
Mona Foma Festival, Australia, 2019
The Moon, Louisiana Gallery of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, 2019
Other Worlds Austin, SciFi Film Festival, US, 2018
documentART, European Festival for Documentaries, Germany, 2018
Womad, The Worlds Festival, UK, 2018
Port Eliot Festival, UK, 2018
DOCFEST, San Francisco Documentary Film Festival, US, 2018
National Space Centre, Space Lates, UK, 2018
DOCfeed, Documentarys Festival, The Netherlands, 2018
International Film Festival Rotterdam, 2018
Scinema, International Science Film Festival, Australia, 2017
ShortsShorts, Film Festival & Asia, Tokyo, 2017
National Geographic, Short Film Showcase, 2017
Science Museum, London, 2017
The Royal Institution, London, 2017
European Space Agency, The Netherlands, 2016
Royal Astronomical Society, London, 2016
Meta.Morf, Nice to be in Orbit, The Netherlands, 2016
ADOPT: SUITSAT (INTERACTIVE)
The story of SuitSat, a ghostly piece of space junk.
SuitSat was a Russian astronaut suit that was pushed out of the International Space Station in 2006. Fitted with a radio transmitter, it was meant to communicate with Earth as a satellite. But it failed, after a few days and burnt up in Earths atmosphere as a piece of space junk.
You can also follow @SuitSat's thoughts and feelings on twitter, as its ghost orbits the exact journey it took in space, before it burnt up.
Credits
SuitSat Voice Gruff Rhys (Lead Singer: Super Furry Animals)
Director Cath Le Couteur
Funding The Space
Animation Daffy London
Sound Design Jason Peacock
ADOPT: VANGUARD & FENGYUN (INTERACTIVE)
The story of Vanguard and Fengyun, pieces of space junk.
Vanguard is the worlds oldest piece of space junk. In 1958 there was no junk. Now millions of pieces orbit above, threatening Earth and the future pf space exploration. Vanguard is due to continue orbiting above us for the next 240 years. Fengyun, was born out of the worst space junk event of all time, when the Chinese sent a missile into an old weather station causing thousands of bits of debris which may result in future collisions.
You can also follow @Vanguard and @Fengyun's thoughts and feelings on twitter, as they orbit above Earth in real time.
Credits
Vanguard Voice Sally Potter (Director:Orlando)
Fengyun Voice Delilah Holiday (Lead Singer: Skinny Girl Diet)
Director Cath Le Couteur
Funding The Space
Animation Daffy Lundon
Sound Design Jason Peacock