Above the Plate and Receiver 2016

Directed by Rosa Barba

The 16mm film is connected to Barba’s ongoing White Museum series, in which projections of clear film are used to alter awareness of the landscape and built environment. This instance took place at the Hirsch Observatory at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York, in 2015. Set to electronic music, the film follows the smooth, graceful movements of the observatory’s telescope. The projection highlights the observatory’s machinery and architecture, eventually casting its beam of light through the open ceiling. A poetic reflection on space and time, Above the Plate and Receiver points towards the autonomy of technology (its ability to operate and learn independently), and the limits of human knowledge.