Rimmer in Space

About

Rimmer in Space was constructed by Glenda Keam in honour of John Rimmer’s 80th birthday in 2019. Consisting largely of adapted pieces of Rimmer’s own The Ring of Fire (1976) which he wrote for the London Sinfonietta’s visit to New Zealand, the tribute reflects his interest in spatial distribution of sounds, circles and orbits, timbral experimentation and sound image. Music and nature, imagination and reality frequently come together in Rimmer’s oeuvre. This tribute’s title also refers to the honour bestowed on Rimmer during Lou Harrison’s visit to Auckland in 1982, when Harrison presented Rimmer with a certificate showing the registration of a star in Rimmer’s name. Furthermore, it references Patrick Keiller’s 1997 fiction/documentary film Robinson in Space, a wondrous and peculiar exploration of some of England’s quirkier corners. While The Ring of Fire places us at the tectonic centre, Rimmer in Space could place us in almost any kind of orbit.