Humanity's longest lasting remnants are found among the stars. Over the last fifty years, hundreds of satellites have been launched into
geosynchronous orbits, forming a ring of machines 36,000 kilometers from
earth. Thousands of times further away than most other satellites,
geostationary spacecraft remain locked as man-made moons in perpetual
orbit long after their operational lifetimes. Geosynchronous spacecraft
will be among civilization’s most enduring remnants, quietly circling
earth until the earth is no more.
Commissioned by public art organization Creative Time, The Last Pictures
marks a distant satellite with a record from the historical moment from
whence it came. Artist Trevor Paglen collaborated with materials
scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop a
micro-etched disc with one hundred photographs, encased in a gold-plated
shell, designed withstand the rigors of space and to last for billions
of years. Inspired by years of conversations and interviews with
scientists, artists, anthropologists, and philosophers, the images
chosen for The Last Pictures tell an impressionistic story of
uncertainty, paradox, and anxiety about the future.
In November 2012 the communications satellite EchoStar XVI
reached geostationary orbit with The Last Pictures mounted to its
anti-earth deck. The satellite will spend fifteen years broadcasting
television and high-bandwidth internet signals before maneuvering into a
"graveyard" orbit where it will become a ghost-ship, carrying The Last
Pictures towards the depths of time.
EchoStar XVI and the Last Pictures successfully launched in Baikonur, Kazakhstan and arrives in geosynchronous orbit
The Last Pictures featured in Frieze Magazine
ArtInfo names The Last Pictures 'Best Art in 2012'
The Last Pictures featured in Wired Magazine
Book reviewed in SF Chronicle