A Monument to the Search for Life in the Universe.
A Monument to the Search for Life in the Universe is a proposal for a public art-gathering place inspired by the increased interest in the search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, and by technology like the James Webb telescope. The creation of a monument that celebrates the search for life in the universe is certainly an important endeavor in light of the ways in which that discovery would change our fundamental view of ourselves, and our place in the universe.
The large public art gathering place monument proposal would be made of steel and concrete. It would consist of a large antenna located at the center of a circular shaped plaza. The antenna would actually be continually searching for intelligent life in the universe as part of a much larger system of searching efforts. At its base, real-time video and audio displays would be presented on a circular screen that informs the visitors about a wide variety of related intelligent life searching issues.
A large circular shaped white and black tube structure is mounted on sixteen columns around the perimeter of the antenna. On top of the tube structure there is a ring of solar cells that are used to power the antenna, the display screen, and night lighting for the monument. Forty silver colored spheres will be attached symmetrically around on the circular plaza.
The aesthetics of the monument are based on various simplified symbolic references. The antenna of course refers directly to the act of searching for life in the universe. The perimeter tube structure and solar cells symbolically refer to our galaxy with the recently discovered black hole at its center. The circular plaza and silver spheres symbolically represent the rest of the known universe of stars and planets.
Status: Unbuilt
