Yuri's Night World Party at NASA/Ames Research Center: April 13, 2007, Part 4
http://www.ynba.org/
KFJC Radio
Although the evening offered a unique musical experience, missing from this formula was a local radio station that would be a voice for the event. The first station that came to my mind was KFJC 89.7 FM at Foothill College. This non-profit, independent, college station broadcasts live to many countries through the Internet. KFJC also supports the music genre lined up for Yuri's Night. And the station is no stranger to promoting science and art through music.
I know so much about KFJC through personal experience, for they have played a major role in helping me build support for my 2001 campaign. I contacted Loretta Hidalgo, the Executive Director of Yuri's Night and President of SGF and asked her about getting the station involved. Hidalgo also mentioned "there will be wireless throughout the event and we'e encouraging people to be blogging and pod casting directly from it."
I explained to Hidalgo that I had passed on the media information to Terry Boblet (a.k.a. SAL9000) from KFJC, a supporter of my 2001 website and newsletter. Cowan-Sharp also contacted me and said she was setting up interview schedules with Anousheh Ansari, whom I wanted to speak to for my newsletter.
Delia Santiago from NASA CoLab contacted me about interviewing Anousheh. She was putting together a list of media attending Yuri's Night and wanted to confirm who would be attending the event, other than me. Boblet confirmed that she and Richard Hester (a.k.a. DJ Mr. Goodwrench) from KFJC would be attending.
I contacted Ed Handley from Plaid for an interview, which he enthusiastically accepted and I handed off the interview duties to Boblet/Goodwrench.
Overall, the event had potential for a good station relationship between NASA/Ames and KFJC.
In 2008 the station "officially" accepts an co-sponsor invitation for the next Yuri's Night Bay Area Space Party.
Celebrating The Cosmos
During the time leading up to Yuri's Night 2007, I heard some employees were concerned about what the Burning Man culture might bring to a Federal Facility. As strange as it sounds, there was some criticism with the SGF's event coming NASA - at least at first.
(In case you don't already know, Burning Man is a six-day-long annual event that takes place in Black Rock City, a temporary city on the playa of the Black Rock Desert Nevada. Although it's in Nevada, the event originated in the Bay Area. Its organizers describe burning Man as an experiment in community, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance. It takes its name from the ritual of burning a large wooden sculpture of a man on the sixth day.)
Another opinion raised the issue of federal money being spent on a party. And many of my friends, not associated with the Government, were skeptical about the event. One friend even said she couldn't support Yuri's Night because a tie to the Department of Defense doesn't fit well with her principles-an opinion shared by a lot of folks in the alternative culture. As I see both sides, I know that the center has always brought the best from Ames management, scientists and students from past public events and done very well to inspire and educate the public. I know that I personally enjoyed myself! What I found interesting is that curious patrons came up to anyone wearing a NASA badge and asked about the agency and how it was a great it was for them to host this grand party in the massive hangar.
However, as with any big public event, there will be logistical and security issues. The Director of Center Operations and Chief of Logistics & Documentation Services Manager masterfully direct support services needed for Yuri Night's 2007. The Yuri's Night organizers had successfully supported parties all over the world since 2001 and, as elegantly written on their website, their main goal is to, "...bridge national, cultural, generational and social barriers to ignite excitement about what is new on the horizon in space exploration and to remind us of the magnificent feats humanity is capable of."
My personal opinion for supporting this event is no different than past celebrations through the ages where Mankind connects with the stars and contemplates our place in the cosmos through art and music. And that type of celebration still exists today.
I highly encourage you to come out to Yuri's Night 2008 World Party on Saturday April 12, 2008 to become part of the space culture. To learn more, go to www.ynba.org/.
Yuri's Night 2008
Yes, it will be back! NASA Ames Research Center was the largest Yuri's Night ever and received national and international coverage. It also received positive local feedback from its attendees and employees of NASA Ames. Although I couldn't possibly include all Yuri's Night contributors and volunteers in this article, you can read more about them at www.worldspaceparty.com/2007/index.php.
2008 also marks NASA's 50th Anniversary, so NASA Ames will host the largest Yuri's Night event ever held - even bigger than last year. The theme this year is "Radical Technology for a Sustainable Future," about how humans may survive in the ultimate resource-starved environment - outer space. Also, learn about how space technology and research helps better prepare humans for a sustainable future on Earth.
The Yuri's Night team is aiming to double the attendance number to 8,000 people, with a 2 pm to 2 am event on April 12, 2008. During daylight hours, organizations from across the Bay Area will be invited to hold talks and demonstrations throughout parts of the NASA campus as a way to build cross-community awareness and support for both technical and artistic groups, and the many that overlap. At dusk, the true Yuri's Night World Space Party will begin, repeating and enhancing last year's unique integration of music and art installations with distinguished space speakers and technical demonstrations throughout the night, and linking up with parties across the nation, across the Earth, and beyond in a celebration of exploration. The complete 2008 speaker line-up has not yet been announced, but here are a few of this year's speakers, performers and artist:
Speakers:
- Saul Griffiths (President of Makani Power, one of the world's most innovative green power companies)
- NASA scientists including Dr. Jonathan Trent (leading the development of green tech within NASA)
- World-famous game designer Will Wright (talking about astrobiology and his newest game)
Live:
Instrumental and vocal music by -
Electronic music by -
Lusine Art:
A space art show curated by the IAAA Performance:
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