Ming Smith, Sun Ra space I, New York City, NY, 1978

Ming Smith: Sun Ra was a visionary as well, a musician, he did some films. And he was an original.

Narrator: Sun Ra was also a kind of cosmic philosopher, always imagining his art in an intergalactic context. In this photograph, Ming Smith expresses his ideas as much as his music.

Ming Smith: And I just think this is pure energy, when we’re all energy. And moving constantly, the earth rotates around the sun at 67,000 miles per hour, nothing is staying the same. The world, constellations, everything is constantly moving even when we sleep. So, the shimmering light and movement in this photo represent “space is the place.”

You know there’s no flash when people are performing. That was a no-no then, and the cameras are a lot different now. I mean, it wasn’t digital. So you didn’t even know until you processed the film if your image was going to come out or not because it might have been too blurry, you can’t make out what it is. So in order to capture the image that you see, you use circular breathing. 

Narrator: Circular breathing is a technique used to sustain a single note on a brass or woodwind instrument.

Ming Smith: It’s like holding your breath without movement to keep the camera still. Sometimes it could be up to a minute.