September 13, 2018 500 AM
MARFA – Ballroom Marfa is pleased to present a free screening of Patricio Guzmán’s documentary Nostalgia for the Light at the McDonald Observatory on Saturday, September 15, at 6pm, doors at 5:45pm. The fi lm will be complemented by free entry to the evening’s Star Party, starting at 8:45pm and a chance to learn more about the McDonald Observatory’s contributions to the Giant Magellan Telescope. Nostalgia for the Light documents the landscape of the Atacama Desert through the lens of Chilean political history and astrophysics. Ballroom presents this free screening as part of a series of programs related to the current exhibition Hyperobjects, where loans from the Observatory and the University of Texas at Austin are also on view.
Despite the vast distance, the Atacama is directly connected to our West Texas Chihuahuan Desert via the development of the Giant Magellan Telescope. The University of Texas at Austin and the McDonald Observatory are Founding Partners of this international and ground-breaking initiative, “that promises to revolutionize our view and understanding of the universe.”
At 10,000 feet above sea level between the Chilean coast and the Andes Mountain Range, the Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on earth with some of the darkest and clearest skies. These conditions attract astronomers from all over the world. Guzmán’s fi lm, set in the Atacama, simultaneously documents astronomers’ quest for distant galaxies and a group of womens’ poignant search for the remains of their relatives disappeared during Augusto Pinochet’s brutal dictatorship.
The screening will be paired with an opportunity to learn more about the Giant Magellan Telescope and the complimentary science being performed at the Observatory that will impact the deepest levels of discovery science in astronomy.
Once the indoor programming has concluded participants are free to enjoy a complimentary Star Party – a night sky constellation tour and viewing of celestial objects through telescopes in the Rebecca Gale Telescope Park at the McDonald Observatory Visitors Center.
For further information about the program or to schedule interviews, please contact Ballroom Marfa at press@ballroommarfa.org or (432) 729-3600.
