Making Contact

Making Contact: SETI Artists in Residence, is a group exhibition featuring artists from the SETI Artist in Residence (AIR) program. The work in Making Contact expands upon the SETI Institute’s mission to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe. The artists bring fresh perspectives to help navigate difficult concepts and help build bridges to broaden awareness of the science carried out at the SETI institute.

The artist team of Danny Bazo, Marko Peljhan and Karl Yerkes has created Somnium, which examines both the micro and macro when considering planetary potential within a swath of the universe captured by the Kepler telescope. George Bolster’s film, The Moon, McMoons, and The Moon Museum, illuminates our human endeavors to preserve culture relating to our fascination with the Moon. The sculpture and mixed media works by Charles Lindsay manifest in the confluence of re-purposed technology and Apollo images to create imaginary machines and lunar landscapes. In exploring the origins of our universe, Rachel Sussman integrates intention into the quest to understand the nature of the cosmos and our role as its inhabitants. Artist and psychiatrist Martin Wilner renders his series of monthly conversations with SETI scientists using a calendar format, creating spectacular illustrated diaries of correspondence with his subjects.

A number of programs related to the exhibitions include: a VIP Member Preview, a Public Opening Celebration, and a Making Contact Artist/Scientist Panel Discussion. Making Contact was generously supported by The Robert Lehman Foundation, Applied Materials Foundation, Montalvo Arts Center/Lucas Artists Residency, and UBS.