One of the SETI AIR program’s missions is to introduce the research taking place at the SETI Institute to a wider audience. Our artists in residence do a phenomenal job of transforming abstract scientific data into embodied experiences which invite viewers to reflect on the philosophical implications associated with the Institute’s research. This fall, some of their projects are being presented at exhibitions worldwide: Zeinab Alhashemi’s kinetic sculpture Takween is part of EXPO 2020 Dubai, Interspecifics are showing a selection of their AI-based work in Shanghai, China, and I am participating in a media art festival in Saint Petersburg, Russia with my project Exoplanet Zoo. 

If international travel is not on your menu right now, you can opt for an online event: The conference Earth at the Crossroads united scholars, journalists, artists and activists in conversations that explored what the search for alien life may reveal about the future of life on Earth. The event featured performances by DXTR SPITS (Jordan Holmes), Felipe Perez Santiago, and Daedelus (Alfred Darlington). Details below. 

Wherever the autumn winds take you, stay healthy and safe,
Bettina