Art + Tech Panel: Map and Territory

This panel will focus on the power of mapping and remote sensing technology historically and today. Robert Simmon, a remote sensing data visualization expert, created the iPhone's Earth image, "The Blue Marble," while serving as a data visualizer and designer at NASA's Earth Observatory. Maayan Amir and Ruti Sela, both artists and scholars, are internationally recognized for their Exterritory Project, an art exhibition held on a sailboat in extraterritorial waters between Israel and Gaza, and their book, Extraterritorialities in Occupied Worlds. Historian Nicolas Wey-Gomez is the author of The Tropics of Empire, which details the influence of mapping and navigation techniques in the Spanish Empire and Columbus' discovery. Each panelist will give a brief presentation on his or her work, followed by a moderated discussion.

For more information on the panelists, please visit their websites:

Maayan Amir, Artist and Lecturer, Department of Fine Arts, Haifa University
Ruti Sela, Artist and Lecturer, Department of Fine Arts, Haifa University
Robert Simmon, Senior Data Visualization Engineer, Planet
Nicolas Wey-Gomez, Professor of History, Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Caltech

This series is made possible through the support of the James Michelin Distinguished Visitors program established in 1992 to bring to Caltech "notable, innovative thinkers who will be able to spark the imagination of faculty and students alike and stimulate thought and discussion on a wide range issues," with special emphasis on the "creative interaction between science and the arts." Additional funding for Amir and Sela to participate in this panel is provided by the Artis Grant Program.