Ambitious Wigan space opera has lift off

Wigan film-makers are celebrating completing an ambitious sci-fi project involving some of the biggest names in global culture.
Al Taylor and Al Holmes, better known as film-makers Al and Al, at their base in Standishand below a still from Icarus at the Edge of TimeAl Taylor and Al Holmes, better known as film-makers Al and Al, at their base in Standishand below a still from Icarus at the Edge of Time
Al Taylor and Al Holmes, better known as film-makers Al and Al, at their base in Standishand below a still from Icarus at the Edge of Time

Standish-based Al Holmes and Al Taylor, who work under the name Al and Al, have spent several years collaborating with American scientist Prof Brian Greene and renowned composer Philip Glass on space opera Icarus at the Edge of Time.

The second act will be premiered later this year at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and is expected to travel around the world, following the success of he first part which came out in 2010.

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Al and Al have provided the elaborate visual element of the special multimedia project, which uses the ancient Greek myth of the boy who flies too close to the sun to explore physics and black holes.

The Edge of TimeThe Edge of Time
The Edge of Time

Al , whose Multiverse Pictures company is based on Devon Drive, said: “It has been an amazing experience. Prof Greene is basically the American Brian Cox and the story for Icarus is written extraordinarily well.

“We were also big fans of Philip Glass anyway, the film Koyaanisqatsi and his music for it were great masterpieces at art school. It was like working with one of our heroes.

“It’s an orchestra live on sage with our film in massive projections above and behind them and then a spoken-word story told in live narration. It’s quite a different project for us.

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“We worked predominantly with special effects but there are also live actors in it. It follows the story of the spaceship the boy makes himself and his journey to the black hole. It’s quite a demanding visual feast for us to produce.”

Icarus at The Edge of Time has attracted a whole host of A-listers to the project, with Prof Stephen Hawking introducing the first act at its world premiere on Broadway.

Working on the space opera has meant plenty of journeys to the Big Apple and some memorable experiences.

Al said: “The most memorable performance of the first act was in Harlem for 3,000 school children. They had never seen a live orchestra or had access to that kind of experience before and were absolutely buzzing from it. That was magical.”

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The end of two years working on the 35-minute act two brings to an end Al and Al’s work on Icarus but it is not the conclusion of their collaboration with Philip Glass, whose minimalist music is one of the most recognisable sounds created in recent decades.

The composer has agreed to do the score for Al and Al’s debut feature film based on their short work The Creator, which is currently in the middle of funding discussions with the British Film Institute (BFI). The work is based on the final days in the life of mathematician Alan Turing.

To find out more about their work visit www.alandal.co.uk