ann1120 — Announcement
From the Distant Past to the New World
Laser art installation featuring Hubble observations travels to the United States
23 September 2011
A public art installation featuring Hubble observations of distant galaxies, quasars and stars is going to the USA. From the Distant Past features a laser projecting spectra from distant celestial objects onto the facades of buildings. While the green lines might appear abstract at first, they represent light, split into its constituent colours, that has travelled across space for billions of years from some of the most distant galaxies ever observed.
The idea for the installation was generated by German concept artist Tim Otto Roth, in collaboration with astronomer Bob Fosbury, the former head of the Space Telescope European Coordinating Facility.
Following the amazing success of the first public exhibition of the installation in Venice, in 2010 (ann1011), the Space Telescope Science Institute — the organisation that operates Hubble — has invited Tim to bring his exhibit to the US.
Tim Otto Roth says: “I’ve learned that it’s spectra that really make the heart of an astronomer beat faster. These are spectra from very distant objects that don’t have such great resolution — so it’s a walk on the limits, on the borderline of contemporary vision. What I’m interested in is what happens between the pixels.”
Roth’s work specialises in the boundaries between art and science. He has previously been an artist-in-residence at the European Southern Observatory and CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
From the Distant Past will be exhibited in:
Baltimore:
29 September – 2 October 2011
Maryland Science Center
Links
Contacts
Tim Otto Roth
Bahnhofstr.1 D-77728 Oppenau i. Schw.
Tel: +49-7804-574
Fax +49-321-21250438
E-mail: tor@imachination.net
Oli Usher
ESA/Hubble Public Information Officer
Tel: +49-89-3200-6855
E-mail: ousher@eso.org
