TOM AMERICA: THAT TINY PEA (pretty and blue)

It was 47 years ago on July 16, 1969, that the Apollo 11 Mission to the moon with a Saturn-V rocket was launched. The astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong, the commander of this expedition, were those onboard. On July 24, eight days later, they landed safely in the Pacific. NASA chose Armstrong to be the first person on the moon, in part, because they believed Armstrong was a man lacking a large ego. Although he was actually a test pilot and a man of few words, he beautifully articulated several phrases regarding his experience on viewing planet Earth from the moon; some of which still impress today.

Given the current Zeitgeist, I consider his words crucial, while simultanuously retaining a poetic quality. To amplify this aspect of deep insight, as well as the emotions it invokes, I translated these words into French. The text is recited by Aurélie Camil. This work became the core of the musical composition, “That tiny pea”. Visual Artist Paul Bogaers added film images to the clip at a later stage.

“It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue,
was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye,
and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth.
I didn’t feel like a giant.
I felt very, very small.”
– Neil Armstrong –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n38Jks9v04

Tom America: NeilAmstrong and Apollo 11

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