Columbia University and NASA/JPL Present: The Voyager Golden Record Experience
The Department of Film at Columbia University’s School of the Arts invites you for an evening where art and science converge, centered around the Voyager Golden Record. This event brings together experts from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, artists, and scholars to explore humanity's cosmic narrative in three parts.
1) First incubated in Columbia University's Digital Storytelling Lab, Behrang Garakani and Natalia Espinoza will lead an interactive experience titled "Messages from Home." You will participate in helping to reimagine the Golden Record for our era. This collaborative session aims to create a message that reflects our current global perspective.
2) Jon Lomberg, the original Design Director of NASA's Voyager Golden Record, will offer reflections on the project's significance nearly five decades after its inception. His insights will provide context on this enduring artifact of human culture.
3) Our keynote speaker: Dr. Jonathan Jiang from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will be discussing two topics. First, our latest data in our search for extraterrestrial life in our galaxy. Then, “Humanity’s Message to the Stars,” a proposal for the future of interstellar communication.
This event offers a unique opportunity to engage with concepts that span art, science, and philosophy. Join us for an evening of discourse and creative exploration as we contemplate our place in the universe.
Host: Behrang Garakani
NOTE: You will need a QR to enter Columbia University directly from Public Safety, so please make sure you are receiving emails from Luma to ensure you receive instructions about the event.
Dr. Jonathan H. Jiang is a Senior Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. He is also serving as the Editor in Chief for Earth and Space Science Open Archive, Editor for the Journal of Earth and Space Science, and the American Geophysical Union's President of Global Environmental Change section. Dr. Jiang has over 280 publications in the field of Earth and Space sciences and astrophysics. He has been twice awarded the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medals for his leadership and innovation in scientific research using NASA satellite observations. Most recently, he received the Edward Stone Award and the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal for his outstanding scientific achievement and service to NASA missions.
Jon Lomberg was the Design Director for NASA's Voyager Golden Record, designing the image and sound sequences on that legendary project. His cover drawing for the Record will last one billion years. He is also one of the world's most distinguished artists inspired by astronomy and his artwork has appeared in many places and been exhibited around the world. He was Carl Sagan's long time collaborator on many projects and won an Emmy Award as Chief Artist of COSMOS. He has designed for NASA four message artifacts now on Mars. In 1998 an asteroid was named in his honor. He is currently working on a new generation Golden Record with an international group of high school students.
Natalia Espinoza, raised amidst a diverse cultural landscape in Ecuador, moved to the U.S. to study Psychology and Film at Barnard College, later earning an M.A. in Film and Media Studies from Columbia University. A polyglot and aspiring filmmaker with a focus on climate storytelling, she aims to leverage her cross-cultural background to bridge diverse cultures and unite people around shared social issues. Espinoza aims to blend fiction and documentary practices to promote climate justice and preserve the biodiversity and cultural heritage of Latin America. Currently part of the Marketing team at the Whitney Museum of American Art, she also serves as a board member of EcoMinga Foundation and a Youth Council member of Reserva: The Youth Land Trust.
Behrang Garakani is an media technologist and scholar who held engineering, creative, and leadership roles notably at Electronic Arts and The Walt Disney Company. He contributed to dozens of video game franchises including The Sims, Battlefield, Tiger Woods: PGA Tour, Lord of the Rings, and Disney Infinity. He currently works at the Whitney Museum of American Art's Technology group and teaches critical media practices at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. He is a patented inventor of developing interactive media, and his critical artworks were recognized by the National Gallery of Art and The New York Times.