Hartwick College will celebrate Earth Day, April 22, with stargazing and the world premiere of the film, The Search for Up, by Duo Extempore, a piano and bass duo that, in their latest collaboration, have weaved curated improvisations with storytelling, art, music and science.
The film, shot in Hartwick’s Ernest B. Wright Observatory in early November 2022, features a recording of a live performance by Duo Extempore overlaid with student and faculty interviews and a celebration of astrophotography.
“We are thrilled to be part of this one-of-a-kind event,” said Evan Jagels, Duo Extempore bassist and Hartwick Artist-in-Residence. “We believe it truly showcases how science and the arts can and do come together. And best of all, it all came together here, at Hartwick College – a place that embraces cross-disciplinary collaboration.”
Parker Troischt, professor of physics, astronomy and planetary sciences, facilitated the use of Hartwick’s observatory for the filming. “Several faculty and students contributed to the production,” said Troischt. “While I was operating the larger observatory telescope and providing explanations, my student, Nicholas Volk ’23, managed a smaller telescope mounted with an SLR camera and produced some fantastic images of deep sky objects.”
Among the visuals Volk captured that evening were the Hercules Globular Cluster, the Dumbbell Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy and the Orion Nebula. The film’s interviews and the reflections came courtesy of Troischt’s FlightPath: Search for Life students.
“They really got caught up in the experience, fully engaging in the process by making interesting observations and asking some great questions,” he said. “We all enjoyed the spontaneously created beautiful sounds inspired by the astronomical setting. And Evan and Nicole…
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