Celestial Mechanics

Scott Hessels 2005
Source: Scott Hessels 2005

Scott Hessels

Celestial Mechanics , ongoing
Co-workers & Funding
Gabriel Dunne, programming
Documents
  • Celestial Mechanics
    image/jpeg
    1400 × 1400
Description
Celestial Mechanics is an artwork intended to be viewed in a planetarium dome. Instead of stars and planets, the ‘night sky’ program reveals many of the aerial technologies hovering, flying, and drifting above us. The project mixes science, statistical display, and contemporary art by presenting these mechanical patterns and behaviors as a dynamic visual experience.
The sky is filled with aircraft that transport people from place to place, perform utilitarian duties, assist in communications, enact military missions, or wander above us as debris.With help from government agencies and the science community, the artists worked with accurate tracking and protocol statistics to create 3-D models of the airborne systems. They then led a team of top animators to visualize those models in a style that reflects the chaos, force, and influence of these technologies.
Keywords
  • aesthetics
    • animated
  • genres
    • digital animation
    • installations
      • performative installations
    • performance art
      • multimedia performances
  • subjects
    • Art and Science
      • algorithms
      • mathematics
    • Arts and Visual Culture
      • expanded cinema
      • theory
        • complexity
    • Media and Communication
      • visualization
    • Nature and Environment
      • earth
      • globes
      • outer space
    • Power and Politics
      • surveillance
    • Technology and Innovation
      • simulation
  • technology
    • displays
      • electronic displays
        • projectors
      • non-electronic displays
        • globes (as non-electronic displays)
    • software
      • C++
Technology & Material
Exhibitions & Events
Bibliography