In a groundbreaking exhibition titled “Blended Worlds: Experiments in Interplanetary Imagination,” artists have teamed up with scientists and engineers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to create a unique blend of art and science. This exhibition, held at the Brand Library & Art Center in Glendale, California, aims to shrink the vast universe into something tangible and accessible.
From September 21, 2024, to January 4, 2025, visitors can explore cross-disciplinary works that illuminate the wonders of space. The exhibition is part of “PST ART: Art & Science Collide,” an event presented by the Getty, featuring over 70 exhibitions across Southern California.
Dr. Laurie Leshin, director of JPL, emphasizes the magic of art in enhancing our experiences and interactions with the universe. The collaboration brings together the creativity of artists and the precision of scientists to offer a grand journey of exploration and discovery.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is David Bowen’s installation “tele-present wind,” which features grass stalks attached to mechanical devices that move in response to Martian wind data collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover. This installation, made possible with the help of JPL data systems architect Rishi Verma and José Antonio Rodríguez-Manfredi, principal investigator of the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) system, brings the Martian environment to life.
Another fascinating piece is “Seismic Percussion” by artist Moon Ribas, who creates an interplanetary drum score by translating seismic data from Earth, the Moon, and Mars. JPL’s Verma collaborated with Nobuaki Fuji of the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris and Ceri Nunn, a JPL planetary scientist, to bring this project to fruition.
The exhibition also features a handwritten version of U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón’s “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa,” dedicated to NASA’s Europa Clipper mission. The poem, etched onto a metal plate on the spacecraft, will accompany the orbiter on its journey to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa.
“Blended Worlds” is a testament to the power of collaboration between art and science, offering a renewed sense of wonder and curiosity about our planet and the cosmos.
See the video here: NASA JPL Scientists, Engineers Collaborate With Artists for Exhibition | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
