Space is the Place x Ayé A. Aton Co - Presented with March Gallery
Sci-Fi, Music | 1974 | 82MIN
Director
John Coney
Cast
Sun Ra
Raymond Johnson
Christopher Brooks
Barbara Deloney
These screenings are scheduled in conjunction with MARCH’s current exhibition, Atonment in Balance, which features paintings by Ayé Aton, the percussionist and drummer for Sun Ra & His Arkestra from 1972-1976.
Space is the Place is a wild, kaleidoscopic whirl of science fiction, sharp social commentary, goofy pseudo-blaxploitation stylistics, and thrilling concert performance, in which the pharaonic Ra and His Arkestra lead an intergalactic movement to resettle the Black race on their utopian space colony.
Beginning in 1960, Sun Ra and Ayé Aton maintained a close creative relationship for over a decade, with Ra serving as mentor to Aton in his ideological and artistic pursuits. Aton’s percussion can be heard in Space is the Place’s score and on the album of the same name, as well as on Discipline 27-II.
Though aligned with Ra in many ways, Aton rejected the notion of Afrofuturism and wholly embraced Afrocentrism as a guiding philosophy. Nonetheless, the outer-space and Egyptian motifs of Space in the Place are undeniably intertwined with the symbology of Aton’s paintings, reflecting a broader artistic movement emphasizing history, music, and an elevated consciousness.
Upcoming Shows
