Greetings
“There’s something about expedition. It’s very beautiful but, at the same time, it’s a very lonely journey,” muses SETI AIR Xin Liu, “There is this inevitable death that happens along with the growth that we so desire.” Xin’s artworks imagine humanity’s future in space, striking a balance between science, technology, and the human condition. By foregrounding her personal experience, Xin takes the viewer on a journey into outer space that is both poetic and provocative. Xin was featured in the Art21 documentary Xin Liu’s Inward Expeditions, which premiered this month - find out more below.
This month’s issue also offers news about a SETI AIR project’s Moon landing, exhibitions news, and links to interviews and publications. Happy reading!
Wishing you clear skies (especially for the upcoming solar eclipse),
Bettina
Artist Spotlights
Xin Liu’s Inward Expeditions
Xin Liu is featured in an Art21 documentary that presents her impressive and diverse body of work. Part of Art21’s New York Close Up series, the video includes Xin’s frost-coated sculpture Cry:0, an installation of bubbling crude oil titled At the End of Everything, and Living Distance, Xin’s iconic performance in outer space. “It’s a marvel how she works in art and science not as two distinct, contradictory disciplines, but rather as two languages in which she is equally fluent and effective,” noted Andrea Chung, Director and Art21 Associate Producer.
We were delighted to team up with Art21 to premiere Inward Expeditions at a recent SETI Live, where we had the opportunity to talk with Xin about her inspirations, her creative process, and how she navigates the intersection of art, science, and technology.
Felipe Pérez Santiago’s Earthling Project Lands on the Moon
In 2019, Felipe Pérez Santiago launched the Earthling Project, which invited people from around the world to submit songs via the custom Earthling app. Felipe transformed this crowd-sourced global chorus into musical compositions intended to represent all humanity. On March 22, 2024, the Earthling Project landed on the Moon, on board of Intuitive Machine's Odysseus lander. “This collective effort sends a message of peace and unity from Earth to the cosmos,” says Santiago.
You can stream the Earthling Project album right here on Earth on Apple, Spotify, and other platforms.
For more information about the Odysseus landing, read our press release:
Watch SETI AIR
Brittany Nelson
SETI Live with Brittany Nelson: I Can’t Make You Love Me
Brittany Nelson’s thought-provoking, poetic works express the curiosity, solitude, and longing that are connected to the search for life beyond Earth. During her residency at the SETI AIR program, Brittany has shot photos and video at the Hat Creek Observatory’s Allen Telescope Array, visited the SETI Institute’s headquarters, and interviewed many of our scientists, including Jill Tarter. This research inspired a rich, enigmatic body of new work that interweaves with the narrative strands of her previous œuvre. In our most recent SETI Live, we chat about Brittany’s new exhibition, her experiences at the ATA, and screen excerpts of her video “I can’t make you love me.”
SETI AIR Artist News & Events
Daniela de Paulis
Decoding Intelligent Signals from Space
Article in the January/February issue of The Amsat Journal
Bettina Forget
The Problem of the Moon
Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba
Brandon, Canada
April 4 - June 8, 2024
Jonathon Keats
Mark Klett and Jonathon Keats on Time Machines, Millennium Cameras, and Other Philosophi-cal Instruments for Mental Time Travel
Podcast by The Future of Being Human
