Join us tonight for the opening of 'The Closed World' by Julian Oliver.
23 May: Dominion Observatory Garden Battery, Wellington Botanic Gardens,
Kelburn
17:30 - 21:30
24-25 May and 30 May-1 June: Vogelmorn Green, 93 Mornington Road,
Brooklyn
17:30 - 21:30
In 2023 Astronomers warned that the light pollution created by the
soaring number of satellites orbiting Earth poses an "unprecedented
global threat to nature" and to their entire profession. As of January
2024 there are 8,377 active satellites orbiting earth, 84% of them in
low Earth orbit. Launched by companies like SpaceX and RocketLab to
create satellite based communications networks, the number is only
growing. As the number of satellites grows over the next decade it is
predicted that the darkest part of the night sky will become 7.5 percent
brighter. This means a reduction in celestial events that humanity will
get to observe, both by the naked eye and by telescopes.
In a Nature comment piece, astronomer Aparna Venkatesan warned that
"space is our shared heritage and ancestor--connecting us through
science, storytelling, art, origin stories and cultural traditions--and
it is now at risk."
Using technology embedded in a modified telescope, 'The Closed World',
presents a convincing yet entirely fabricated cosmos, created using
machine learning techniques. Pivoting on a tripod, the telescope can be
moved so as to scan the machine-generated cosmos as though it were the
real cosmos above. Developed by artist Julian Oliver, the interactive
artwork asks whether we could even tell a fabricated starscape from that
of the real, while also addressing the deepening reach 'AI' and
technologies of simulation have in the interpretation and production of
truth.
'The Closed World' was commissioned by Aotearoa Digital Arts Network for
the 2024 Symposium, 'Rising Algorithms: Navigate, Automate, Dream.'
supported by Creative New Zealand and Wellington City Council.
For more information see: https://ada.net.nz/events/rising-algorithms/
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