PlanetScape: Immersive Multimedia Project Synthesizes Music, Science, Visual Art and Technology
“As we humans explore the universe and all of its wonders, we seek out and engage with the ever-changing environments that surround us,” says Winslow Burleson, professor in the University of Arizona School of Information.
Burleson is one of the creatives behind PlanetScape, a collaboration between the iSchool and University of Arizona School of Music, School of Dance, Department of Astronomy, Research Technologies Department, and Live and Immersive Art. Other project leads include Yuanyuan (Kay) He, assistant professor of music and iSchool affiliated faculty, Peter Torpey, director of the Live and Immersive Arts program, and Chris Impey, distinguished professor of astronomy and an astronomer at Steward Observatory.
PlanetScape immersive experience at the UArizona Holodeck/Sensor Lab.
PlanetScape is an immersive multimedia project synthesizing music, science, visual art and technology. The convergence research collaboration is catalyzed by the union of concepts at the confluence of astronomy, humanity, artistic expression through music and dance, and socio-technical experience.
“PlanetScape’s collaboration draws upon the rich array of resources at the university, from world-class astronomy to the Holodeck/Sensor Lab’s state-of-the-art technology, fusing these to create groundbreaking interactive arts and novel creative experiences that spark curiosity and foster discovery,” says Burleson, who directs the UArizona Holodeck, a National Science Foundation MRI Track 2 Development project.
Two PlanetScape events are happening at the university beginning on January 22:
- PlanetScape Immersive Installation: Held January 22-26, 2024 at the Holodeck/Sensor Lab, College of Medicine, Room 3141—a free, interactive installation
- Multimedia Performance: Held January 26, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. at the Fred Fox School of Music’s Crowder Hall—a multimedia, multi-genre performance; tickets are required and available for purchase through Ticketmaster
Fundamentally, the immersive installation and multimedia performance—a story about exoplanets and space exploration—ask a series of essential questions for humankind: Where is our next home after the Earth? What is it like to travel to alien worlds? What would we find when we get there, and who do we become when we know we can never go home?
Learn more about PlanetScape and purchase tickets to the multimedia performance.