Aura
Solo Piano
· Something More Than Meets The Eye ·
With open arms we gather here, together at this place we most belong.
• • •
Aura: a luminous quality or disturbance that surrounds a living thing, place, or object, and that appears to emanate from it. A pervasive yet mysterious quality that a living thing, place, or thing possesses: a person, the earth from space, the sun.
•
The following poem considers our sun from the distant viewpoint of my experience on earth.
Aura
You are as fire,
As free as flame,
As distant star,
Shine full from far domain,
Rest long upon this earthly rock,
This crust of planetary dust,
Of blue-green sea,
Of mystery,
Of touch,
Of taste,
Of scent and sound unknown,
You warm this world,
Our heartbeat, strong,
You kiss this land, this body,
Hand and foot,
With heat and solitary song,
With open arms,
We gather here,
Together at this place we most belong.
•
The music Aura begins shyly, quietly, before soon growing in confidence as the aura of someone or something casts its spell. The sounds express my feelings as I experience the aura of another using simple gestures: a single line of melody, the close uncluttered harmony. Towards the end of this short piece, the piano shapes itself with a contemplative dance of solitary notes, then fades from view.
The most powerful idea of aura for me is that an unseen quality can so potently move the spirit of another.
•
The art above reminds me of a Dyson Sphere, a vast hypothetical structure that encompasses a star and captures its power. I think of it here as a symbol of mystery, power, energy, and beauty.
The sphere shows figures, clearest when close to each outer edge of the central golden star, and along its central axis. These two slightly concealed explorers are dressed in space suits. You may be able to make out their helmets, bodies, hands and legs. Their space suits seem to have wing like appendages. Their arms are held aloft in a welcome gesture. Their journey is accompanied by the aura of a golden star and soft points of light that softly glow in the night. The blues and greens remind me of the colour of life: water and leaves... Perhaps each of the five and six sided shapes might also be viewed of as the helmets of other space explorers that make up this spherical world. Perhaps this sphere is an emblem of human cooperation and collaboration.
•
The first image below shows the image above turned 45 degrees counter-clockwise so that a space explorer can be more easily seen centrally in the lower third. This extract of the artwork is used as the music cover.
The second image 'Aura Grounded' presents a fine filigree of vibrant light with forms and colours that are seen in 'Aura', but in contrast it exists on a flat two dimensional plane. It is an image that is observed rather than inhabited.
The progenitor artwork 'Aura Outset' explores the idea of emanation (something that originates or flows out from a source). The lower right quarter circle shows star-like particles that reach out into its gold-green ringed atmosphere.
The final image in the series, 'Aura Ambience', is identical in form and structure to 'Aura Grounded', but has less visual information: its colours are subdued, it is darker in tone, and far less detailed. What is striking is how only with a strong dynamic contrast between its light and dark, only when much of the detail is removed from the image can the visual glowing aura of its form punch through the darkness.
The quality of aura is magnified when all is not seen...
