Eva Antonel
On October 18th I had the pleasure to
witness a groundbreaking event. Our beloved
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield made an
appearance with the Windsor Symphony
Orchestra. This event was unprecedented in
many ways. A man known for his
achievements in the field of science was
performing with musicians of the highest
calibre. He was playing a guitar that had
accompanied him into space as he performed
hundreds of experiments meant to enrich our
lives on earth. He played songs that he
composed while in orbit and was performing
them on Earth in a public concert for the first
time. The songs were written thousands of
kilometres above the Earth while
collaborating with co-writers back home.
Perhaps the most astonishing aspect,
and the one that compelled the audience the
most, is the ease with which he managed to
weave the two worlds together. Physically, by
crossing the boundaries between heaven and
Earth, and metaphorically, by seamlessly
intertwining the worlds of science and art.
Millions of Canadians watched him float
inside the International Space Station
attempting to perform mundane tasks such
as brushing his teeth or eating his dinner.
These activities of daily life we take for
granted were now seen from a different
perspective - not so ordinary after all. We
watched in awe as he stepped outside the
confines of the space craft and carried out
tests with mathematical precision to return
to the confines of his celestial home, pick up
his guitar and perform a new version of a
David Bowie classic, Space Oddity.
Chris Hadfield
performing in Windsor
(Photo by Angelica Haggert)
Click here to
see Chris
Hadfield
perform
Here was a man that exemplified the 21st
century experience like no one before him.
Thanks to advanced technology and the
prevalence of social media, we were able to
watch him, the astronaut and him, the man.
By allowing us to share in his daily experience
he managed to translate it into a language we
can all understand. And to make it hit even
closer to home, he took pictures like any
tourist and wrote in his journal.
I believe that the underlying message we
unconsciously understood is that life is a
melding of science and art. We know that
intellect is important to our survival but need
to be reminded that our soul needs to be
acknowledged too.
Like Chris Hadfield, we express our daily
interaction with the physical world. We paint,
we photograph, we sculpt, we write, we sing
and dance. We create. Maybe because his
experience was one of such extremes, it jolted
us into noticing things we normally overlook.
We are reminded to see the beauty in science
and to appreciate the scientific principles at
work in every art form. A particularly moving
moment occurred when we witnessed
Hadfield sharing a song from space with a
choir of more than 700,000 Canadian
students via satellite. Boundaries were broken
and possibilities unleashed.
Like the spark that ignited in Hadfield at
the age of nine, millions of children can
dream big dreams that have no boundaries.
They are no longer limited to choosing
between the sciences and the arts when
deciding on their lives’ work. And it's all due
to art reaching beyond self-imposed confines,
and because a guy who can carry a tune and
play guitar decided to take us along for the
ride as he commandeered the International
Space Station.
Got a favourite photo from Chris Hadfield’s space odyssey? Tell us what it is on
Facebook, or tweet us @thehubWE #artmatters
November 2014 - The HUB 9