Spirit Journey
REDSKY Performance is an indigenous dance company in Toronto. We have been working with Artistic Director, Sandra Laronde, for several years and was asked to create a film around a track of music called Spirit Journey. Composed by indigenous musician David Laronde, the track features a solo guitar meditation based on an Ojibway Indian story of the stages the spirit passes through in the journey to death
Working with indigenous dancer Thomas Fonua, who choreographed the film, his understanding of the Spirit Journey involved four tableaus, the crossing, wide lakes, valley of souls and lights. In storyboarding the concept Thomas was very much interested in making the soundtrack more esoteric. We did a fair amount of experimenting with sound generation based on waveforms from the original track. What you’ll hear is a blend of both in an attempt to honour David’s original work but have it sonically align with the vision Thomas and I developed.
The audio track has been remixed and edited down to about 4 minutes. The VFX were created in After Effects and assembled in FCPX.
Here are a few words by David Laronde regarding Spirit Journey and his inspiration for the music:
THE AWAKENING of the spirit as it leaves behind the human body to transform into spiritual life. This marks the birth of the spirit freed from the body.
THE SPIRIT JOURNEY begins at 1:45.
THE ARRIVAL is when the Spirit Journey is over and has arrived at the destination. There could be an intense white light like when lightning strikes too close at this point. The destination is marked by the last hit of my original recording. What happens beyond this destination marker is another story or rather a continuing storyline.
The story is based around Ojibway culture and traditions. The medicine man who delivered the service spoke of the spirit being in our presence for 3 days while preparing for the spirit journey to a heavenly place. In that time a sacred fire burns for 3 days. To me the Spirit Journey is the birth of an energy field that is formless yet still retains fading ties to the mortal being. As it sheds these ties in order to be able to make the spirit journey it goes through turbulence much like when flying in a jet. After a period of turbulence…smooth travelling takes the spirit further and further toward peace and a better place.
My brother’s passing into the spirit world was the inspiration for the music. I wrote a companion song to Spirit Journey called Can’t Take You With Me as I was grieving the morning of his memorial service. I felt I was contacted by his spirit that morning. A coolness crossed my face and a sudden feeling of lightness. The weight of the moment was lifted and his presence was calming and reassuring. The instrumental Spirit Journey came out in the weeks that followed. It was meant to celebrate the event rather than feel sad about it. The song was called Travelling Song for the writing of it but I changed the name after the recording. It was recorded in one take lasting 6:23.
