Arts & Fashion
Cosmic Rhapsody
An orchestral work to solve Earth’s climate crisis through the exploration of space.
28 April 2025
This article first appeared in our World Environment Day 2025 issue of My Green Pod Magazine. Click here to subscribe to our digital edition and get each issue delivered straight to your inbox
Main image: Yogis join the ALAN team at the entrance to Abbey Road Studios, before entering to record ALAN III
On her return from a transformative 200-hour yoga teacher training course in Bali in January 2024, Susan Lim felt deeply inspired by her learnings.
The experience had enriched her practice and also ignited a passion for environmental advocacy that she carried with her to Abbey Road Studios.
‘During my training in Ubud, Bali, surrounded by lush tropical rainforests and the simple lives of locals working the paddy fields, I developed a deep appreciation for the beauty around us’, shares Susan, a creator, storyteller and songwriter behind the ALAN Trilogy. ‘This experience heightened my awareness of environmental issues – particularly the devastating wildfires in California in 2020, which inspired the narrative for ‘Cosmic Rhapsody’, the second instalment of the ALAN Trilogy.’
The ALAN Trilogy is an artistic exploration of the partnership between a human and ALAN, an AI-enabled inanimate.
The project uses music and film to address the big issues of our time: loneliness and companionship (ALAN I), the environment and our place in the cosmos (ALAN II) and the health of our planet and its oceans (ALAN III).
‘The project evolved organically from a desire to use storytelling to address these pressing global themes’, Susan tells us. ‘Our primary goal is to spark conversation and raise awareness about our planet’s fragility and the urgent environmental challenges confronting humanity’.
While conversations and awareness are key, the team behind the ALAN Trilogy also wants to inspire collective action and encourage innovative solutions – even those that might extend beyond Earth – to address the critical issues we face today.
This faith in the power of unity is why a group of yogis ended up gathering in Abbey Road Studios for the recording of ALAN III.
During Susan’s yoga training, her ‘Air Shala’ – a diverse group of 20 individuals – forged a deep spiritual bond, strengthened by gruelling 12-hour days under their teachers’ strict and passionate guidance.
When it was time to record ALAN III at Abbey Road, Susan extended the invitation to her Air Shala yogis.
‘For the session in the iconic Studio 3, I arranged garlands for us’, Susan reveals. ‘We opened by chanting Om, barefoot in a circle on the studio floor, guided via Zoom by our Ubud teacher.’
‘Chanting Om draws me into a state of oneness, connecting me with the immediate community and people far beyond’, Susan continues. ‘It reinforces my place as a global citizen and highlights how each individual is strengthened within a community bound by spirituality, inspired by this universal sound. It is a reminder of our shared breath and interconnectedness.’
As musicians and yogis gathered together, the chanting resonated through the studio, connecting each individual.
‘It was a truly special, grounding experience that infused the recording session with shared intention’, Susan tells us. ‘We were united by a vision of using music to raise awareness about the environmental challenges relating to space debris on Earth and its oceans.’
The team created an atmosphere filled with love and friendship, where music and mindfulness intertwined.
‘This moment didn’t just mark the birth of ALAN III’, Susan tells us; ‘it also highlighted the strength that community can bring in addressing the urgent challenges facing our planet.’
For Susan, community is fundamental. The ALAN project thrives on collaboration; its core creative team comprises 12 individuals from three continents, expanding to 16 with its US-based actors.
From co-creator Christina Teenz Tan to the composers, band, orchestra and finally the audience, every member is part of the community.
The ALAN team sees itself as part of a larger global community of environmental artists, using music and film to communicate its advocacy.
‘We believe music transcends boundaries’, says Susan, ‘reaching across geographies and into every corner of the planet to inspire awareness and action.’
Susan has always felt a strong connection to the power of sound and sees it as a powerful catalyst for environmental stewardship.
‘I am acutely sensitive to both sound and smell’, Susan tells us. ‘Natural sounds, like the rustling of leaves, the crashing of waves on the shoreline or the chorus of birds at dawn, awaken my senses and fill me with a vibrant energy.’
When the sheer scale of challenges like climate change feels overwhelming or distant, music cuts through, speaking directly to the heart.
‘As a universal language, music transcends data; it fosters empathy, unites communities and inspires a profound reverence for our planet that compels us to protect it’, Susan shares.
The orchestral album, Lim Cosmic Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra, has recently been released on Decca Classics, and a more pop-accessible album of 17 songs is planned for release after summer 2025.
An animated feature film offers another entry point for audiences to engage with the story and its environmental themes.
An orchestral work to solve Earth’s climate crisis through the exploration of space.
Jarvis Smith on the Times Square event to inspire gratitude for Mother Earth.
A solar broadcast to celebrate Climate Week NYC and the UN International Day of Peace.
Remake of Swedish House Mafia track will raise funds for marginalised communities tackling the climate crisis.
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