A few weeks ago, Jennifer Walshe found herself backstage at a concert hall in Essen, Germany, searching for the exit. As she paused near the green room, she noticed a double bass bow laid out, accompanied by several black-and-white balloons floating in the air. Intrigued, Walshe took out her phone to capture a photo of the unusual scene.
This peculiar musical setup was prepared for Walshe’s new composition, titled “Some Notes on Martian Sonic Aesthetics, 2034-51,” which was set to premiere that evening. The piece invites a chamber ensemble to portray a musically trained crew who have established a colony on Mars and are transmitting performances back to Earth.
During her research for the composition, Walshe, 49, reached out to NASA to inquire about sound wave transmission in carbon-dioxide rich atmospheres, as well as making specific requests for freeze-dried food packets to be placed on the percussionists’ tables to create the sound of astronauts eating, and cans of compressed air to mimic the hissing of airlocks opening and closing.
As for the balloons, they were there to make the double bassist’s bow feel lighter, simulating the gravity on Mars. Walshe explained, “I’m a hardcore science fiction fan. I want things to be as accurate as possible.”
While the Mars piece may seem otherworldly, it is not entirely outlandish within Walshe’s body of work. In 2003, she created a 35-minute opera called “XXX Live Nude Girls,” featuring Barbie dolls manipulated by puppeteers and voiced by female vocalists. In 2017, she composed “My Dog & I,” a piece for cello, dancer, film, electronics, and a pet dog accompanying the cellist on stage.
Walshe’s creative endeavors also include a project called “Ireland: A Dataset,” which pays tribute to her homeland by using artificial intelligence to generate compositions based on elements of Irish culture, such as “Riverdance,” Enya, James Joyce, and sean nos folk songs. The piece incorporates video mash-ups, skits, and satirical commentary on Irish American tourists.
While Walshe’s works may contain elements of humor and theatricality, they are not mere jokes. Her compositions reflect a deep curiosity about the contemporary world and a desire to engage with it. In addition to her prolific composition career, Walshe is a professor of composition at the University of Oxford.
Kate Molleson, a critic and broadcaster, describes Walshe as someone who is constantly inquisitive and interested in understanding how the world functions. Walshe sees her work as a way of paying attention and being present in the world.
Walshe’s artistic journey began in Dublin, where she grew up in a working-class family with artistic inclinations. She started playing the trumpet, eventually studying the instrument at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. However, Walshe’s interests extended beyond music to include visual art, literature, film, and various other subjects.
It was during her graduate studies at Northwestern University in Chicago that Walshe discovered avant-garde composers like La Monte Young and Laurie Anderson, as well as the city’s vibrant comedy and free jazz scenes. Despite having no formal vocal training, she began singing and improvising, expanding the boundaries of her creativity.
Walshe believes that almost anything can serve as material for her compositions, including text messages, memes, overheard conversations, and popular culture references. Her work often incorporates diverse influences and tackles big issues, such as artificial intelligence.
In her upcoming residency at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in northern England, Walshe will showcase her composition “Ireland: A Dataset” and present an exhibition titled “13 Ways of Looking at A.I.: Art and Music.” The festival will open with her recent work, “Personhood,” which explores the concept of selfhood in an era of technological surveillance.
Through her art, Walshe aims to process and understand the world around her. She approaches her role as an artist with a blend of seriousness and humor, serving as a keen observer and commentator on contemporary society.