Thursday, May 27, 2010

War of the Worlds inspired art on show in Buffalo.

A Buffalo arts exhibition has an unusual piece of work on display, a collapsed tower inspired by the Orson Welles War of the Worlds broadcast. Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center is hosting the installation by Sam Van Aken until June 4th. The tower is a reference to the water tower that legend says was fired upon by panicked residents of Grover's Mill. Believing Martian Tripod war machines were at large, they are said to have mistaken the water tower for a Tripod and opened fire. The tower can still be found at Grover's Mill. Aken's installation also includes a fake radio broadcast playing on a loop, rather neatly referencing the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland, and telling of panic stricken residents of Buffalo fleeing the effects. Buffalo of course is no stranger to this sort of thing, having been rocked before by a fake War of the Worlds radio broadcast. You can read more about the show at the Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center website, and there are some nice pictures to be found at the Art Voice website.

Saturday, May 01, 2010

James Cameron in 3D mission to Mars

Avatar director James Cameron is working with Pasadena's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to develop a 3D camera for NASA's forthcoming Mars Science Laboratory (known as Curiosity). NASA has planned a 3D camera for the mission but has scrapped it due to budget overruns. Cameron personally petitioned NASA administrator Charles Bolden for the restoration of the camera, arguing that a 3D camera would chime with the public. Bolden agreed and the camera is now back in place for 2011 mission, though it will be a race against time to have it ready in time. The camera could shoot up to 10 frames per second, raising the exciting possibility of seeing our first movies from Mars.