In partnership with the Visual Culture Program at Caltech, we produced programming examining the intersection of visual art, film, science, and engineering in depicting space exploration and the environmental impact of extraction industries. Emphasizing the crucial collaboration between scientists, artists, and creative technologists, the discussion addressed our understanding of the universe and humanity's role within it. 

The presentations followed by Q&A featured:

Katie Bouman, an Associate Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Caltech and formerly a postdoctoral fellow with the Event Horizon Telescope, who presented her collaborative work in computational imaging that resulted in visualizations of a black hole in 2019;

and Brian R. Jacobson, Caltech’s Professor of Visual Culture, who discussed the Huntington SoCal Edison photographs in the context of understanding the electric grid and the film industry’s place in it, as well as relationship to other industries, from oil and gas to Central Valley farming.

Participants explored pathways beyond the extraction economy and the climate crisis it has generated, examined the historical and future trajectories of energy infrastructure, and showcased cutting-edge technologies enabling artists to create artificial environments.

This programming was organized within the framework of the Oracle 2025 Pasadena: Photography Curators Conference, and took place at the Broad Center, Caltech on October 21.