heavenly body

The relentless motion of the heavenly bodies meant that the phenomenon did not last long, and it was Montreal that next got its chance to be plunged into temporary night.

Aristotle, for example, thought that heavenly bodies were made of a theoretical form of matter called aether and naturally moved in circles.

Yet the artist’s fascination with adolescence plays as both parody and critique: Imhof’s scratchy way of rendering figures, clouds, and heavenly bodies, especially compared with the precision of the paintings, seems faux, if not sarcastic.

As the planets and the sun orbit listeners’ and viewers’ “head,” each heavenly body emerges with a distinct pitch and instrument that corresponds with their motions—for example, Jupiter features a rumbling bass trombone.

Together, they frolic and jam and whirl, and before long they’re levitating, gyrating against an expanse of shimmery stars as they orbit each other like heavenly bodies.