9.25.11. It's Sunday night and I just got home from Night School...Night School hosted by Seattle's historic Sorrento Hotel that is. I just got lectured on the science of Antarctica by a DJ...it was the best lesson I've ever had. Created by curator Michael Hebb and hotel co-owner Barbara Malone for the Sorrento's 100th birthday, Night School is a series of diverse events that engage the community in innovative cultural and intellectual discussions. Tonight's event was Penthouse Symposium No. 14. Being the huge science, design, and culture geek that I am, the event was MINDBLOWING! The guest was Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid...DJ, composer, producer, multimedia artist, author, professor, and philosopher. Miller was in Seattle promoting his latest creation, The Book of Ice, an information, packed, graphically stunning book on the environmental and political challenges facing Antarctica.
Below is a YouTube video of one of Miller's presentations (posted by acclaimed science writer Andrew Revkin):
Link: DJ Spooky's Antarctic Music
Taking inspiration from the vast landscapes of Antarctica to the tiny geometry of snowflakes, Miller's complete project (the book, audio tracks, video, etc.) is an interdisciplinary opus and magnum mashup that spans the best of past, present, and future science, design, and culture. A synthesis of sound and science, the work is sure to engage new demographics and a new generation of learners into the topic of climate change, as well as demonstrate new modalities for engaging the public in the pressing social and environmental challenges facing the world. Per Miller, "Imagination is the only renewable resource".
