Sensory Mementos / Interstellar soundings

In two interconnected, collaborative experiences presented in the context of Blended Worlds: Experiments in Interplanetary Imagination, Shane Myrbeck and  Saskia Wilson-Brown invite visitors into a future where humans journey  into space in search of a new home.

Can we recreate the smells of a lost home when only stories and data remain?
Sensory Mementos imagines a future in which humans seek to  reestablish a connection by recreating what is now, for them, only a  generational memory. Their experiment recreates lost olfactory  landscapes, preserved through narratives and molecular signatures, to  evoke memories of their life on Earth and journey outward into the  stars. These reconstructed scentscapes prompt us to reflect on loss,  meaning, and the unreliability of memory.

Can sound help us feel the proximity of exoplanets?
Interstellar Soundings uses sound to convey the vast distances  of exoplanets in our galaxy. An algorithm selects exoplanets from the  NASA Exoplanet Archive in groups of 16, playing artistically composed  sounds for each planet, with delays based on their distance from Earth.  Shorter delays indicate closer planets, while longer delays signify  those farther away.

Advisors at JPL

Planetary Scientist: Julie Castillo-Rogez 

Astrobiologist & Planetary Scientist: Kevin Hand

Chief Scientist of the Interplanetary Network Directorate: Joseph Lazio

Program Manager for Planetary Science Research & Analysis: Karl Mitchell

Scientist, Planetary Ices Group: Michael J. Malaska

Program Manager, Exoplanet Exploration Program: Gary Blackwood

Chief Technologist, Exoplanet Program: Nick Siegler

About the Exhibition

 Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) - an operating division of Caltech and a Federally Funded Research and Development Center for NASA - and the City of Glendale’s Library, Arts & Culture Department are pleased to present a new exhibition titled Blended Worlds: Experiments in Interplanetary Imagination, at the Brand Library & Art Center in Glendale.

Through a series of art and science collaborations, Blended Worlds: Experiments In Interplanetary Imagination explores the landscape of human relationships with our ever-expanding environment. The exhibition includes artists collaborating with a team of JPL scientists and engineers to present a vision of the future that invites the viewer to consider the impact of greater connectedness with nature and its ability to foster a renewed sense of wonder and curiosity with our planet and the cosmos. Spanning a range of multimedia and cross-disciplinary works from 11 artists, Blended Worlds features contributions from David Bowen, Darel Carey, Ekene Ijeoma, Annette Lee, Ada Limón, Bruce Mau, Viktoria Modesta, Shane Myrbeck, Moon Ribas, Raffi Joe Wartanian and Saskia Wilson-Brown.

Blended Worlds is presented as part of Getty’s regional art event PST ART: Art & Science Collide which explores the intersections of art and science — past, present and in the imaginable future.