Please join us on Friday, March 3,* at 7 p.m. for the premiere of a new sound and light composition by composer Yvette Janine Jackson, RETURN.  The new work will be presented every evening through March 19, after the sunset light sequence, from the structure's embedded sound and light system. The duration of Jackson's work is approximately 20 minutes. The experience is free and open to the public, no reservations or tickets are required. Visitors can check here for sunset times in Houston. 

*This event was previously scheduled for Thursday, March 2, and has been moved to Friday due to inclement weather. 

Composers note



What is the meaning of RETURN? Return to what? From where? Under what circumstances?  The listener is invited to the James Turrell Twilight Epiphany Skyspace to experience a moment of contemplation, reflection, and gratitude.  Rather than prescribing how to interact with the soundscape, the composer allows listeners to contribute their own meanings to the composition by calling upon their own experiences, identities, and understandings. The sketches for RETURN were developed while in residence at the Hermitage Artist Retreat.  Initial 12-channel mixing of the composition was done at the Spiral Studio at the University of Huddersfield.

About the composer

Yvette Janine Jackson’s work brings attention to historical events and social issues through her electroacoustic radio operas. Her album Freedom, produced by the Fridman Gallery, debuted as Contemporary Album of the Month in The Guardian and its track “Destination Freedom” won the ZKM Giga-Hertz Production Award 2021 in Karlsruhe, Germany.  Her recent work for orchestra and electronics, Hello, Tomorrow! was co-commissioned by American Composers Orchestra and Carnegie Hall was premiered in 2022. Ms.  Jackson’s music has been presented across North America and Europe, including Carnegie Hall, the Venice Music Biennale, Stockholm Elektronmusikstudion, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and in collaboration with Vienna’s Museumsquartier Tonspur and the International Festival of Computer Arts in Maribor.  Yvette is an assistant professor in Creative Practice and Critical Inquiry in the Department of Music and teaches for the Theater, Dance & Media program at Harvard University.



This commission was made possible through a partnership with REMLABS and Rice University's Arts Initiative Fund.