Arecibo
David Thomas Smith
PhotoIreland
English
Softcover
Edition of 200
32 pages
148 × 210 mm
2017
ISBN 9780995701885
“Touching from a distance, further all the time…” –Ian Curtis
Exploration is deeply ingrained in the make up of human kind. Our struggle is that of contact. The Arecibo message was broadcast into space with the aim of reaching out to extraterrestrial life. The message was broadcast into space via frequency modulated radio waves at a ceremony to mark the remodelling of the Arecibo radio telescope on 16 November 1974.
It was aimed at the globular star cluster M13some 25,000 light years away. The “ones” and “zeros” contained information about the fundamentals of life on Earth. The total broadcast was less than three minutes. By the time the message reaches M13 the star cluster will no longer be in that location, therefore, the real purpose of the message was not to make contact but to demonstrate the capabilities and advances of humanity.
Arecibo is visual homage to the original message and a reflection on the birth of humanity, our growth and evolution.
Each image in the series is a composite of thousands of Jpegs extracted from Google Maps. The landscapes distorted by patterns of light, both natural and man made, explore important punctuations in human history.
Designed by Ángel Luis González Fernández.
(Source: https://newirishworks.com/project/david-thomas-smith-arecibo/)
About David Thomas Smith
David Thomas Smith is a visual artist whose work interrogates the evolving relationship between technology, imagery, and the human experience. Engaging with Post-Photographic Processes, his practice explores how the digital realm reshapes our perception of reality, history, and memory. His work has been exhibited internationally, in venues from Gaîté Lyrique in Paris to Hyundai Motor Studio in Beijing, and he was nominated for the Prix Pictet in 2017. Smith’s work has appeared in Esquire, Wired, and other global publications.
david-thomas-smith.com
(Source: https://www.david-thomas-smith.com/about)
About The Series
Selected by an international panel of 23 professionals, New Irish Works brings you a selection of 20 projects and 20 photographers representing the diverse range of practices coming from Ireland. New Irish Works 2016 is a year long project of 10 presentations and 20 publications that aims to highlight the great moment Irish Photography is experiencing.
newirishworks.com
(Source: https://newirishworks.com/about/)
About the Publisher
PhotoIreland grows the reputation of Irish artists globally through a 360 degree support system and platform for contemporary photography, activated through a diversity of projects. These include events such as PhotoIreland Festival and Halftone print fair amongst others; resources such as the PhotoIreland Collection, a specialised research library of photobooks, and Ireland’s Art Bookshop, The Library Project; via publishing with projects such as OVER Journal and TLP Editions; professional development support through networking and consultancy opportunities; and empowering early and mid-career photographers via our international partnerships, most relevantly through Creative Europe co-funded platforms such as FUTURES and Parallel.
https://photoireland.org/
(Source: https://photoireland.org/about-photoireland/)
