THE BIG PICTURE – Symposium – Mapping the World

The afternoon session is entitled Mapping the World. Getting things started is philosopher Thomas Macho (AT) with a fundamental cultural-historical survey of the images of the world that humankind has brought forth. Totally new pictures of the world—here meaning the whole universe—will be the topic of Lisa Kaltenegger (AT), an astronomer whose field is the discovery and measurement of planets beyond our solar system. The Tsunagari Project then shifts attention back to Planet Earth. Mahoro Uchida (JP) of Japan’s big Miraikan Science Center heads this spectacular and educational visualization project, and will present it together with architect Hajime Narukawa (JP), who has taken Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion idea and developed it further. The first day of the symposium concludes with a film: One Day on Earth doesn’t depict the world in one big integral overview but rather as a mosaic of countless subjective glimpses. This global project, which now convenes on an annual basis, will be presented by its initiators, Brandon Litman (US) and Kyle Ruddick (US).

Fr/Fri 31. 8. 15:00 – 17:30
Brucknerhaus, Mittlerer Saal

15:00 – 15:30 Thomas Macho (AT/DE)
15:30 – 15:50 Lisa Kaltenegger (AT)
15:50 – 16:30 Hajime Narukawa, Maholo Uchida (JP)
16:30 – 16:45 Break
16:45 – 17:15 Brandon Litman, Kyle Ruddick (US)
17:15 – 17:30 Discussion
Moderated by Ariane Koek (UK/CH)

Thomas Macho (AT/DE) studied philosophy, music and pedagogy. He has held a chair in cultural history at Humboldt-Universität Berlin since 1993. He is currently guest professor at Linz Art University and a member of numerous research groups and societies.

Lisa Kaltenegger (AT) is an astrophysicist and astronomer. She conducts research on extra-solar planets—especially their atmosphere—whereby she seeks indicators for extraterrestrial life forms. Kaltenegger works at MPIA Heidelberg and teaches in the Harvard Astrophysics Department.

Hajime Narukawa (JP) is an architect whose honors include the Salon de Printemps Prize. Since the mid-1990s, he has been working on geometric theory. He worked for the Arnhem Academy of Architecture and Sasaki Structural Consultants before founding AuthaGraph in 2009.

Maholo Uchida (JP) is a curator and exhibition developer at Miraikan, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. The mission of this new type of science museum is to enrich human culture by presenting and imparting ground-breaking scientific work and pioneering technologies.

Brandon Litman and Kyle Ruddick (US) are the initiators, director (Ruddick) and producer (Litman) of “One Day on Earth,” a film that is both a global media movement and a global community. Made together with 70 NGO partners including the UN, “One Day on Earth” is the first film in history to be shot collaboratively with approximately 19,000 cast & crew members from all countries worldwide.

Ariane Koek (UK/CH) was a multiple award-winning producer at BBC TV and BBC Radio for over 20 years, as well as director of the Arvon Foundation for Creative Writing. Since 2010, she has headed the International Arts Development Program at CERN.