We are excited to announce that three G.A.S. Foundation alumni, Ofem Ubi (Nigeria), Evan Ifekoya (UK), and Leo Robinson (UK), have been commissioned to produce new work for Earth Rising, a major new project by Artangel. Released across streaming platforms on 20th June 2025 and composed entirely of new audio works, Earth Rising, Volume I presents a cross-section of the human experience, expressing our enduring will to survive, our tangled relationship with love, and our drive to create.
The project takes inspiration from the Voyager Golden Record, an audio-visual time capsule launched into space in 1977 aboard the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft. This 12-inch, gold-plated copper phonograph record was created as a message from humanity to any extraterrestrial life it might encounter, containing carefully selected sounds and images representing life on Earth. While the Golden Record looked outward to the stars, Earth Rising keeps its intentions on the ground, exploring the complexity and depth of what it means to be human.
Ofem, Evan, and Leo feature alongside a dynamic roster of international contributors, including poets Nayomi Apsara and Porsha Olayiwola, musicians Max Cooper and Plumm, writer Michel Nieva, and visual artist Sebastián Riffo Valdebenito. International residency partners participating in Volume I are Green Papaya Art Projects (Philippines), Theertha (Sri Lanka), Organhaus (China), Guest Artists Space (G.A.S) Foundation / Yinka Shonibare Foundation (Nigeria/ UK), and URRA (Argentina).
This commission reflects the growing global presence of G.A.S. alumni and affirms the Foundation’s commitment to supporting the development of new work and ideas, fostering cultural exchange, and creating equitable access to opportunities across the arts.
Subscribers to the Artangel newsletter will hear the album first on release day. Sign up here: earth-rising.com
Earth Rising: Messages from the Pale Blue Dot is commissioned and produced by Artangel.
In partnership with Guest Artists Space (G.A.S) Foundation / Yinka Shonibare Foundation, Green Papaya Art Projects, Organhaus, Theertha & URRA.
Artangel is generously supported using public funding by Arts Council England, and by the private patronage of The Artangel International Circle, Special Angels and The Company of Angels.