Voyager Record
This project, developed in collaboration with Strachan, is a conceptual and visual response to the Voyager Golden Record—an extraordinary artifact launched into space in 1977 aboard the Voyager spacecraft as a message to potential extraterrestrial life. The record, which contains a curated selection of sounds, images, and scientific data representing life and culture on Earth, served as a profound source of inspiration for our creative exploration.
Our response delves into the themes of interstellar communication, collective identity, and the enduring legacy of humanity. Drawing from the record’s symbolic language and its rich audio-visual content, we created an abstract animation that reinterprets its essence through a contemporary digital lens. As part of our visual exploration, we incorporated a curated selection of images originally included on the Voyager Golden Record, using them as symbolic anchors within the animation. These images—chosen to represent the diversity of life and culture on Earth—provided a rich visual language through which we could reinterpret the record’s intent. Additionally, we integrated the 14-pulsar point map, a key astronomical diagram etched onto the record’s cover, which serves as a cosmic locator for Earth’s position in the galaxy. This element added a layer of scientific and conceptual depth to the piece, reinforcing the project’s connection to space, time, and the universal desire for connection.
Technically, the project provided an opportunity to expand our skills in a range of digital tools and creative technologies, including Adobe After Effects for motion design, P5.js for generative coding, and Blender for 3D modeling and animation. These tools enabled us to craft a layered, immersive experience that blends traditional storytelling with experimental media.
The final animation was projection mapped onto a custom-built sculptural plinth, transforming it into a dynamic storytelling surface. This installation invited viewers to engage with the Voyager Record in a tactile and spatially immersive way—bridging the cosmic and the human through light, motion, and form. The result is a poetic reinterpretation of one of humanity’s most ambitious messages to the unknown.
