Artist in Residence
Charles Lindsay - Artist in Residence (A.I.R.) at the SETI Institute, 2011-2013
The Mission of The SETI Institute’s Artist in Residence Program is to encourage cross disciplinary artistic expression in order to explore and illuminate the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe.
This program seeks to foster a cross pollination of ideas between artists and scientists, where these disciplines may influence each other through personal interaction and the shared adoption of new technologies.
The SETI Institute has the unique advantage of strong relationships with NASA Ames Research Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of Southern California, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the greater scientific community. We will be reaching out through exhibitions at major cultural institutions, the web, social networks, TV and radio. This initiative also aspires to encourage youth to explore the exciting possibilities emerging at the nexus of art, technology and the sciences.
The Project
It is an honor to be the first Artist in Residence at the SETI Institute, where top scientists are seeking answers to humanity’s most challenging questions. I look forward to the collaborations, friendships and opportunities for learning that this program provides.
Like a scientist, my work involves exploration, observation and imagination. But I hope to provoke questions as opposed to provide answers. My interests lead me to diverse and remote eco-systems. Back in the studio I process the field recordings, review the photographs and videos, and then make art that attempts to communicate abstract ideas related to exploring the unknown. I am interested in concepts of how complex life began and what it might look or sound like elsewhere in our universe. I am also considering our species’ rapid evolutionary arc from early primates to astronauts and then contemplating what's next.
As Artist in Residence I will create an immersive art installation merging video, sound and interactive sculpture. This will encompass the entire next phase of the CARBON project. The new CARBON-X video is being made in collaboration with Eric Hanson at xRez studios for digital dome presentations in 2012. New sculptures will be constructed from pieces of space program equipment which I’ll re-fashion with sensor technologies and audio visual components. For a coming live audio visual performance I will be collaborating with Planetary Astronomer Mark Showalter, who is fascinated by the rings that circle planets and moons. Electronic musicians Billy Gomberg and Dan Snazelle will be joining in as well.
The SETI Institute’s A.I.R. program is developing quickly. Please feel free to be in touch.
About Charles Lindsay
The SETI Institute’s first Artist in Residence is Charles Lindsay. Lindsay has had a diverse career, working first as an exploration geologist in the arctic, and then as a photojournalist in the jungles of southeast Asia. In the last decade he has blended photography, video and sound art in an installation project he calls CARBON. Lindsay received a 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship to further develop this work.
At the heart of CARBON is a camera-less photographic process Lindsay invented. The process begins with a unique carbon-based emulsion on a transparent base, which he then freezes, electrifies and manipulates. The resulting negatives are scanned, digitally layered and printed in large scale or animated for video projection. "CARBON combines my interest in the aesthetics of space exploration, scientific imaging and the evolution of symbols." Lindsay's CARBON installations offer an immersive alternate world, where all the senses are engaged to consider fundamental questions about our place in the universe.
Adding another dimension to the installations, Lindsay creates sculptures from re-purposed scientific devices, introducing motion and touch sensors, audio response circuitry, small video screens and custom led lights. His works include focused soundscapes created by processing a number of sources, including archival recordings from NASA's space research experiments along with audio he records in remote environments.
While continuing his own work, Lindsay will reach out on behalf of the SETI Institute to foster relationships with organizations and individuals interested in shaping the framework for the SETI A.I.R. program as it moves forward.
1 - CARBON Installation 2010/2011 from charles lindsay on Vimeo.
Check out Charles Lindsay's websites: www.charleslindsay.com and www.charliesexperiment.com
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