@rt-outsiders 2003

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Le sacrifice de soi :
Une composition interstellaire

Inaudible and invisible to humans, transmissible to distant stars at radio frequencies, interstellar messages can be understood as conceptual art [1]. Because of the intangible nature of interstellar messages, the concepts communicated are more important than the physical translations used to convey these ideas to human viewers. And yet, broad-based, international discussion is a prerequisite to actual transmission from Earth, at least if we follow current policies advocated by the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) community. In this exhibition, we describe the sorts of messages that may some day be sent, emphasizing examples that may be understood by extraterrestrials as well as humans.

Some of this artistís earlier compositions have focused on making concrete the physical vulnerabilities of the human body by showing the dangers of living in an Earthly environment [2]. Human finitude is also portrayed through an exploration of our temporal nature. The notion of short-lived intelligence may seem quite alien to artificial or enhanced extraterrestrial intelligence, who may have life spans of thousands or millions of years [3]. In the current exhibition, our vulnerabilities as embodied beings living in time are used to introduce notions of altruismóof risking oneís own welfare to benefit others.

We begin by describing physical objects likely to be known on other worlds as well as on Earth: chemical elements and molecules, the latter communicated both through the atoms comprising them and through their three-dimensional structures. The Periodic Table orders chemical elements through their atomic numbers, which indicate the number of protons in the nucleus of each element, encoded here as binary digits. [a]
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Rather than relying solely on structural or numerical descriptions of elements and molecules, they are also signaled through icons that physically resemble the radiation patterns associated with these chemical constituents, providing a more phenomenologically direct representation of these possibly universal concepts [4]. The combining of chemicals is similarly shown.

Through analogy, sexual reproduction is illustrated by combining half of the genetic material from each of two parents to form a new individual. Complex family relationships are explained by showing the degree of shared genetic material, describing relationships within and between generations of beings with finite lives.

The biological basis of some acts of altruism can also be illustrated. For example, as a predator approaches, the altruist might give a warning call, alerting its relatives but making itself a more likely target for predation. Though the altruistís likelihood of surviving to reproduce is reduced, its inclusive fitness is improved by protecting relatives that share some of the altruistís genes. Individuals in these scenarios can be represented in various ways in interstellar messages: as sets of signals that start and cease over time, suggesting the birth and death of the individual; or as moving objects in a three-dimensional space. [b] More complete descriptions of individuals can detail their three-dimensional structure, movements, and interactions over time. [c]

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d Variants of such scenarios would be transmitted thousands of times, emphasizing the probabilistic nature of animal behavior. Though an individual is more likely to be self-sacrificing when many of its kin are nearby, altruism not strictly determined by biology or context. At least in humans, the possibility of foreseeing danger can introduce the notion of choice: to preserve oneself, or to help another, even with dire consequences.[d]

1 Vakoch, D. A., Ed. (2004). Between worlds: The art and science of interstellar message composition. Cambridge: The MIT Press.

2 Vakoch, D. A. (2001). Der Schwerkraft ausgeliefert: Eine interstellare Komposition. In All Design - Leben im schwerelosen Raum. Exhibition held at the Museum für Gestaltung, Zürich, Switzerland.

3 Vakoch, D. A. (2002). Communicating existential accounts of human finitude and being-with-others in interstellar messages. Paper presented at the Workshop on the Art and Science of Interstellar Message Composition, Paris, France.

4 Vakoch, D. A. (1998). Signs of life beyond Earth: A semiotic analysis of interstellar messages. Leonardo, 31, 313-319.

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a	Le sacrifice de soi : Une composition interstellaire Inaudible and invisible to humans, transmissible to distant stars at radio frequencies, interstellar messages can be understood as conceptual art [1]. Because of the intangible nature of interstellar messages, the concepts communicated are more important than the physical translations used to convey these ideas to human viewers. And yet, broad-based, international discussion is a prerequisite to actual transmission from Earth, at least if we follow current policies advocated by the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) community. In this exhibition, we describe the sorts of messages that may some day be sent, emphasizing examples that may be understood by extraterrestrials as well as humans. Some of this artistís earlier compositions have focused on making concrete the physical vulnerabilities of the human body by showing the dangers of living in an Earthly environment [2]. Human finitude is also portrayed through an exploration of our temporal nature. The notion of short-lived intelligence may seem quite alien to artificial or enhanced extraterrestrial intelligence, who may have life spans of thousands or millions of years [3]. In the current exhibition, our vulnerabilities as embodied beings living in time are used to introduce notions of altruismóof risking oneís own welfare to benefit others. We begin by describing physical objects likely to be known on other worlds as well as on Earth: chemical elements and molecules, the latter communicated both through the atoms comprising them and through their three-dimensional structures. The Periodic Table orders chemical elements through their atomic numbers, which indicate the number of protons in the nucleus of each element, encoded here as binary digits. [a] _
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b	Rather than relying solely on structural or numerical descriptions of elements and molecules, they are also signaled through icons that physically resemble the radiation patterns associated with these chemical constituents, providing a more phenomenologically direct representation of these possibly universal concepts [4]. The combining of chemicals is similarly shown. Through analogy, sexual reproduction is illustrated by combining half of the genetic material from each of two parents to form a new individual. Complex family relationships are explained by showing the degree of shared genetic material, describing relationships within and between generations of beings with finite lives. The biological basis of some acts of altruism can also be illustrated. For example, as a predator approaches, the altruist might give a warning call, alerting its relatives but making itself a more likely target for predation. Though the altruistís likelihood of surviving to reproduce is reduced, its inclusive fitness is improved by protecting relatives that share some of the altruistís genes. Individuals in these scenarios can be represented in various ways in interstellar messages: as sets of signals that start and cease over time, suggesting the birth and death of the individual; or as moving objects in a three-dimensional space. [b] More complete descriptions of individuals can detail their three-dimensional structure, movements, and interactions over time. [c]
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d	Variants of such scenarios would be transmitted thousands of times, emphasizing the probabilistic nature of animal behavior. Though an individual is more likely to be self-sacrificing when many of its kin are nearby, altruism not strictly determined by biology or context. At least in humans, the possibility of foreseeing danger can introduce the notion of choice: to preserve oneself, or to help another, even with dire consequences.[d] 1 Vakoch, D. A., Ed. (2004). Between worlds: The art and science of interstellar message composition. Cambridge: The MIT Press. 2 Vakoch, D. A. (2001). Der Schwerkraft ausgeliefert: Eine interstellare Komposition. In All Design - Leben im schwerelosen Raum. Exhibition held at the Museum für Gestaltung, Zürich, Switzerland. 3 Vakoch, D. A. (2002). Communicating existential accounts of human finitude and being-with-others in interstellar messages. Paper presented at the Workshop on the Art and Science of Interstellar Message Composition, Paris, France. 4 Vakoch, D. A. (1998). Signs of life beyond Earth: A semiotic analysis of interstellar messages. Leonardo, 31, 313-319.
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