The Voyager Golden Record – Reimagined for our Time

Location: Hotel Newport, Main Street Newport F28 YX89

With the 50th anniversary of the 1977 NASA Voyager launches just around the corner, musician and creative producer Karen Dervan reflects on the story and ambition of the Voyager Golden Record. Carl Sagan and his team curated the ultimate “message in a bottle” to embark on what has become the most famous of interstellar journeys. It was hoped that the Golden Record, a collection of music, imagery, greetings and natural sounds, may ultimately serve as a “this is who we are” kind of greeting to an extraterrestrial life-form that may find the probes (and figure out the playing instructions that were included).

But, for us on earth, the Golden Record has a deeper meaning and purpose- it’s a piece of cultural history, an attempt to represent our whole planet and civilisation through sound and imagery. How did Sagan and his team do it? What motivated their decision making at the time?

Karen Dervan will also be asking attendees to ponder the question- if a Golden Record were being curated now, what would you include? And have we lived up to the ideals that underpinned the project?

This event promises to be entertaining, informative and thought-provoking, suitable for young and old, a session that will set us up for the 50th anniversary Voyager celebrations next year!

This event comes as a prelude to a performance of The Pale Blue Dot, a musical reimagining of the Voyager Golden Record, that takes place on Nov 5th at The Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar. See more: https://www.thelinenhall.com/whats-on/events/the-pale-blue-dot