You’d think the production budget could stretch to a sheet draped over the back wall, onto which the “planetarium” of K Mak at the Planetarium is projected. But it requires a level of suspension of disbelief which this writer does not possess to ignore the water pipes, electricity conduit, smoke alarms, papered-over windows and hearing loop equipment to which attention is now so clearly drawn in the illuminated space where, well, space is meant to be.
You needn’t be expecting the Hayden Planetarium to feel underwhelmed by a sequence of moving images which feel at times slightly random (we move in and out of an educational 3D model of an eye) or give off the graphical sophistication of a Windows ‘98 screensaver. For a show which sets such high store by the sheen and polish of its live soundscapes, and the immersive atmosphere those electro-classical soundscapes are aiming for, the lack of equivalent ambition around the visuals serves only to diminish overall returns.
Once it’s clearer that the visuals are a distraction, the music comes a little more into focus. K Mak is a project by Australian cellist Kathryn McKee, who performs on keys and sequencer alongside drums and a pair of string players (cello and violin). Soundscapes are thick and dreamy, with a lot of interest provided by heavily processed vocals which, though not really comprehensible lyrically, work well as gestures. There’s no missing the influence of Björk in those expressive tics and yelps. There’s beautiful chemistry between violin and cello, whose players sometimes lay it on sumptuously with heavy vibrato, sometimes provide angular pizzicato contrast to the washy synths. Overall, though, it’s a bit too samey to sustain an hour.
K Mak at the Planetarium, Summerhall, 24 Aug (not 11, 18), various times