Document:Q9352

“Celestial Mechanics” is a planetarium artwork that reveals many of the aerial technologies hovering, flying, and drifting above us. The project mixes science, statistical display, and contemporary art by interpreting the mechanical patterns and behaviors of these systems.
With help from government agencies and the science community, the artists worked with accurate tracking data on what can be as many as 30,000 manmade objects in the sky—planes, helicopters, satellites, weather balloons, debris, etc. They then led a team of animators to envision the data in a style that reflects the chaos, force, and influence of these technologies.
We hope to show how our lives are closely tied to invisible networks in the sky—our media, communications, navigation, military, science, and safety—but that few people consider the actual machines. The huge number of manmade systems above us are creating a new artificial universe that is filled with social and political importance. These forces are shaping our world, it’s important to visualize them.