Welcome to the Kenji Williams newsletter:

Kenji Williams presents:
BELLA GAIA - Live at NASA Ames (SF Bay Area, CA), Yuri's Night event Saturday April 12th, 2008

BELLA GAIA - An Experience by Kenji Williams
Inspired by astronauts who spoke of the life changing experience of
viewing the Earth from Space, creative director and music producer
Kenji Williams delivers a live audio visual performance that evolves
our perspective of and connection to our home planet. Utilizing
stunning HD projections of orbiting visualizations of Earth from Space
accompanied by a live performance of Williams's trademark
violin-electronica music, experience the beauty and miracle of planet
earth like never before in this audio visual space show.
Space navigation by AMNH Director of Astro-Visualization Dr. Carter
Emmart, Executive Producer Alex Bowles.
April 12th, 2pm-2am, NASA Ames, SF Bay Area - Get your tickets before sellout!

Detail:
Many of you have been asking what I've been up to ... well, 2008 will be the year where I finally begin rolling out a large project that I have been working for more than 2 years. What is it? a new album?... a new DVD? well, all of the above, and much much more. There have been small blips of info of my trips to see rocket launches in Kazakhstan, planetarium shows in Denver, and private presentations at NASA. This has all been pre-requisite preparation and testing for the launch of "BELLA GAIA", now about to become public, entering a new level of development thanks to a generous grant from the Foundation for Global Community, and working closely with project Executive Producer Alex Bowles. We now have a full team of script writers, software developers, animators, web designers, marketing groups, production companies, distributors, and institutions joining forces behind the mission and vision of BELLA GAIA. What is the mission?

To bring the life changing experience of viewing the Earth from Space to audiences around the world, expressed through a unique 'open-source' media structure that allows audiences to experience it through different ways - from live performances, an HD movie, to full dome shows, to online networking and other unique public outreach projects. What I feel is missing from the discourse of the state of the planet, and the state of our own existence on it, is an effective way of building a deeper relationship with our home planet and all life on it - create a personal connection that is beyond info-stats, news, philosophy, and politics. If we are to care for something, we need to get to know it on an integral, deep emotional level. The reason you have a natural caring instinct for a loved one, is not based on reading a book about them, or because of some published news, or someone has told you to care for him/her/it, or based on belief systems. It is because you have a connection beyond words and intellect, a one that integrates mind body and spirit. What if we could present planet earth, and all its people, culture, and natural systems in a way that establishes and strengthens a personal relationship with it? Caring and preserving it would be an innate instinct, like protecting one's child. So, how do you create such a relationship with this planet, when we live in cities, and can't connect the dots between human activity and nature? You begin by looking out a different window, change your perspective, get a bigger picture.... by using new ways of fusing art, music, science & technology into an experience that reminds us of the miracle of life on Earth - on a gut level.

For those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area, I will be performing a sample of what's to come: A 20minute live audio visual performance utilizing High Definition projections of near-real time satellite imagery of Earth from space, with myself providing a live musical score. Yuri's Night, at NASA Ames in the South Bay on Saturday April 12th. Please get your tickets now before they sell out!

For others, check back at the: BELLA GAIA Website launching soon, to be released in our next newsletter.