. . : : STORY : : . .

Pele’s Fire — A Volcanic Symphony for Peace

One of the most active volcanoes on Earth, the Kīlauea on the island of Hawai‘i, has been a deep inspiration for my sound art ever since I first set foot on the island back in 2015. In Hawaiian mythology, goddess Pele is believed to dwell in the Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of Kīlauea. Her presence explains volcanic activity — eruptions are seen not just as geological events, but as expressions of her will, power, and emotion: creation, destruction, and migration. These same currents flow through my creative work, portraying an alien in a human spacesuit, reflecting on a fluid Earthian experience.

When Kīlauea started erupting again in early 2025, I was already living on Oʻahu but continued to study philosophy at the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo. One of my professors, Tim Freeman, presented video footage and photos from the eruptions during an Environmental Ethics class. He suggested composing the soundtrack to one of his videos, which fired up my creative flow by presenting an opportunity to reconnect with the volcanic vibes of my beloved Big Island.

At the time, I was invited to play some concerts on the Big Island and combined my travels with a visit to Volcano. Tim invited me to stay at his house, which was built without power tools by beat poet Albert Saijo and is nestled within a native ʻōhiʻa lehua and hāpuʻu fern forest near the summit of Kīlauea. Saijo's proximity to Kīlauea had a profound influence on his poetry. In his collection Outspeaks: A Rhapsody, he reflects on living on the edge of an active volcano, using the setting as a metaphor for existential and ecological awareness. His work often intertwines Zen Buddhist philosophy with a deep reverence for nature, emphasizing humanity's need to harmonize with the natural world.

Despite millennia of accumulated wisdom, we live in geopolitically turbulent times, once again. And the pain of our natural world seems to fade from our awareness as we focus on distracting ourselves with ego-pleasing echo chambers. A me-first ideology fueled by reshaping our brains into TikTok algorithm response devices is on the rise, overshadowing the dangers of an outdated anthropocentric worldview. Armament with weapons of mass destruction, the continuous rape of planet Earth, warring states, and a battle for land gain seem to be the main focus to force a decade-long rotting money-based economy back on its crooked feet, so we can send our exhausted soldiers back onto the battlefields in the illusion of being temporarily saved — once again. Will, power, and emotion: creation, destruction, and migration — letʻs face it: capitalism and a money-based economy are dead, and so is our humanness, as long as we cling to both.

Inspired by the sheer power of an ego-eliminating, untamable volcano, the poetic set and setting, and some wonderful conversations with my friend Tim, I composed Pele’s Fire — A Volcanic Symphony for Peace at the edge of Kīlauea, accompanied by native Hawaiian birds, surrounded by jungle and lava rocks — here and there gently reanimated by a fresh breeze of hope.

. . : : ALBUM CREDITS : : . .

Pele's Fire — A Volcanic Symphony for Peace, 2025
Live Composition on 5-string Electric Violin
3 Pieces | 1 Hour 39 Minutes
Recorded near Kīlauea at Volcano National Park, Volcano, Hawai'i
UPC 199199789398
℗ & © 2025 Markus Mars

. . : : VIDEO : : . .

https://youtu.be/yYYUBlN3DME

. . : : BONUS CONTENT : : . .

1. Album Cover by Markus Mars (markusmars.com)
2. Photos from the 2025 Eruptions by Tim Freeman (tfreeman.net)
3. Mosaic Photo Art by Tim Freeman (tfreeman.net)
4. Story by Markus Mars (markusmars.com)