I'm playing dark history. It's beyond black. I'm dealing with the dark things of the cosmos.

During concerts the OVC usually was positioned at center stage behind the Arkestra while Sebastian sat on stage with the musicians. A month later they performed at Philadelphia's Institute of Contemporary Art in conjunction with an exhibition that explored the intersection of the Arkestra's performing legacy and the practice of contemporary art. His equation was rarely (if ever) explained as a whole; instead it was related in bits and pieces over many years leading some to think his world view was naïve or composed of nonsensical new-age platitudes.

Sun Ra denied any connection with his birth name saying "That's an imaginary person never existed … Any name that I use other than Ra is a pseudonym. Sun Ra asserted that the ever-changing name of his ensemble reflected the ever-changing nature of his music. It was by turns called "The Solar Myth Arkestra" "His Cosmo Discipline Arkestra" the "Blue Universe Arkestra" "The Jet Set Omniverse Arkestra" and many other variations.