EarthSeed by Nicole Mitchell & Lisa E. Harris

The work of award-winning African American science fiction author Octavia E. Butler becomes increasingly prophetic as we move through the challenges of the new century. Her novels Parable of the Sower (1993) and Parable of the Talents (1996) use fiction to illuminate a horrific unraveling of 21st-century America into a despotic chaos where its once-middle-class citizens struggle to survive in an incredibly violent and fragmented reality, void of normalcy, family, and resources. In the 1990s, Butler's Parables warned readers about a possible disintegration of American culture and infrastructure, among the many risks of tyrannical rule. Within Butler's storyline, the character Lauren Oya Olamina, a preacher's daughter of African heritage, helps to rebuild her community through offering Earthseed, an egalitarian philosophy and spiritual practice which honors inquiry, independent thinking, and realistic acceptance of constant change.

Inspired by and in tribute to Octavia E. Butler, composers Nicole M. Mitchell and Lisa E. Harris have created their own sonic EarthSeed, also in response to the real chaos and horrific nature of our times. EarthSeed is the third of Mitchell's projects inspired by the literature of Butler and marks a first compositional collaboration between Harris and Mitchell. Mitchell's two previous recorded Butler-inspired works are Xenogenesis Suite (Firehouse 12) and Intergalactic Beings (FPE). EarthSeed was commissioned by the Art Institute of Chicago and premiered on June 22, 2017. EarthSeed was presented in association with the exhibition of Cauleen Smith: Human_3.0 Reading List.

Notes from the composers:

I had been crafting my opera project Lilith for four years before a friend introduced me to the writings of Octavia E. Butler. I was moved on a very deep level as I resonated with Butler, whose stories I ingested and trusted. Another four years later I met Nicole Mitchell at a residency for composers. We decided to share our music with each other, and when I heard her Xenogenesis recordings, it immediately put me in the same space as my Lilith recordings. Sonically in tune before even knowing each other, we discovered a mutual spiritual and psychic connection to the works of Octavia Butler. I am honored to compose with a master like Nicole Mitchell and to explore our process of journeying, questioning, ase, and community healing centered around a legacy as rich as Butler's Earthseed spiritual doctrine.

--Lisa E. Harris

Lisa E. Harris and I met at the New Quorum Composers Residency in New Orleans, and immediately discovered an amazing synergy, with overlaps in aesthetics and artistic purpose. She is an incredible filmmaker, performance artist, vocalist, and composer with a special combination of fearlessness and exceptional creativity. When she shared her Lilith project with me, it was a revelatory moment - a deep and instant knowing and connection. We immediately decided that for our next Butler-inspired project, we would work together as a team. We are both honored to have had the opportunity, through the support of the Art Institute of Chicago, to premiere EarthSeed for the Chicago community, which is also the home of Black Earth Ensemble. We want to thank Gianna Cachere, the director of New Quorum, for her vision of bringing us together for the residency in New Orleans, along with our other fellow resident composers of that illuminating experience: Wadada Leo Smith and Damon Locks.

--Nicole M. Mitchell

Nicole Mitchell is a creative flutist, composer and educator. Having emerged from the Chicago avant-garde scene in the early 90’s, Mitchell formerly served as the first woman president of Chicago’s AACM. Her mission is to “celebrate the power of endless possibility by creating visionary worlds through music.”

nicolemitchell.com
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