September 20, 2009

Opening today: "The Tunguska Event"

When: 1pm SLT, September 20th
Where: Cetus (209, 215, 22)

Oberon Onmura's new sim-wide installation recalls the Tunguska Event, a powerful explosion which occurred over the Siberia area of Russia on June 30, 1908. The explosion knocked over an estimated 80 million trees over 2,150 square kilometers (830 square miles).

"Although the cause of the explosion is the subject of debate, it is commonly believed to have been caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet fragment at an altitude of 5–10 kilometers (3–6 miles) above the Earth's surface." (source: Wikipedia)

I attended an early showing and found it to be quite an experience. Oberon has placed a number of special seats in the installation which give one a view from high in the air.




A quiet night......





....then suddenly the shockwave hits.
(watch for falling trees)


"This artwork was made possible by curator Zachh Cale, who also wrote a new piano piece just for this opening. He will perform that piece live at 1:30."