PRELUDE TO KEO ‘S FLIGHT KEO, Photo : Jacques Lessard The human species first appeared on Earth five million years ago. Man harnessed fire 500,000 years ago and invented art 50,000 years ago. Who are we today and where will humankind be 50,000 years from now? The link between the present and the far distant future has been established through KEO, a universal project where art, technology, humanism, and dreams meet. Prelude to KEO's Flight is an exhibition that tells the story of this extraordinary odyssey in which everyone on the planet is invited to take part. Prelude to KEO's Flight will be at the Musée de la civilisation in Quebec City from September 11, 2001, to April 7, 2002, as part of France au Québec/la saison. The exhibition was designed by Jean-Marc Philippe, the man who engineered the KEO project and the commissioner of the exhibition. The project was produced by the French town of Les Ulis with the participation of Arianespace, Snecma Moteurs, and the Louvre Museum in Paris. A major collective effort KEO is one of the biggest collective projects in human history. Its ultimate goal is to invite people from all around the world to write testimonials concerning their way of life, their hopes, dreams, angers and their aspirations. These messages are destined for our descendants in the distant future. So far, KEO has received messages from over 130 countries in 60 languages. KEO is a winged satellite—an archeological bird of the future—created by artist and scientist Jean-Marc Philippe. It will take flight in 2003 as a secondary payload aboard a rocket launched by either Arianespace or Starsem. The satellite will carry symbolic gifts and individual messages that represent humanity today. It will bring them back to Earth in 50,000 years, delivering the core of human knowledge and cultural diversity from the 21st century to our descendants in the 521st century. Symbolic messages and gifts In addition to thousands of uncensored personal messages, the winged satellite KEO will also carry archeological gifts of considerable symbolic and informational significance when it is launched into space in 2003: a drop of human blood, a drop of seawater, a soil sample, and an air sample from our atmosphere, all inserted into a diamond. There will be a digest of human knowledge compiled on glass disks (a sort of modern-day "Library of Alexandria" complete with audiovisual documents); ethnically diverse portraits of men, women, and children; sequences from the DNA double helix engraved on a glass disk. Finally a sidereal clock (also engraved onto a glass disk) containing precise astronomical information for KEO's launch shall be included. Photo : Jacques Lessard The messages: a gift for people on Earth today too! The contents, meaning, and values of the messages received will be associated by continent, language, country, and age group to reveal an original and universal portrait of humankind today. Once KEO is launched, the results of this analysis and the messages, after being rendered anonymous, will be released publicly through an Internet-accessible database. Like a global festival of sharing, this cross-section of humanity as we know it will be distributed all over the world to individuals, universities, schools, media, and others. In an attempt to answer the questions of who we are, what we demand of ourselves, and what kind of future we want to build together, KEO seeks to spur active global awareness and give everyone a sense that they have a role to play. After KEO is launched, a foundation will be created to pursue and enrich further contemplation. A five-part exhibition The exhibition links the past, present, and future, showing how far we've come from the first traces of written language to the beginning of modern technology. Upon entering, visitors pass four pillars in succession lining the middle of a corridor. KEO is then shown 50,000 years into the future with a model of the satellite upon its return to earth. Space technology The second area showcases the cutting edge European space technology that has made KEO possible. A Vulcan motor from an Ariane 5 rocket is one of the major exhibits in this section. A projection room runs short audiovisual presentations on the conquest of space and on KEO's technical partners, who made the project possible. Photo : Jacques Lessard The KEO project is the focus of the third area. Here, in an atmosphere of calm and quiet, visitors will discover the KEO model in the center. Eight surrounding modules explain the project: our place in space and time, the genesis of the project, the technology involved, KEO's long odyssey, the end of the grand voyage, the archeological gifts (diamond with four inclusions, sidereal clock, our DNA signature, etc.), the durability of the storage media, and how to address messages to KEO. Scattered among the modules are eight technology display cases presenting the materials used to build KEO. Surrounding the modules are images of the earth in all its beauty, fragility, and ineffable mystery. A slide show features images representing some of the world's most beautiful places and the diversity of humankind today, while evoking the issues that face our contemporary societies. Finally, a four-minute film illustrates the epic of KEO, from the gathering of the messages to its return to Earth. Antiques from the Louvre Museum The fourth area reminds visitors that the KEO project is an integral part of our history. The exhibition is an opportunity to trace the beginnings of writing, which for a little over 5,000 years has been used to record the history of the people, to whom we are cultural heirs. Some fifty ancient oriental, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman works from the Louvre Museum of Paris provide eloquent testimony to this. They include the statue of Gudea (Mesopotamia, late 22nd century B.C.), the sarcophagus of Oudjahor (3rd century B.C.), a stele of Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra II (about 150 B.C.), and the votive head of a bull (Tunisia, 3rd century A.D.). Other equally impressive pieces add a historical perspective to the exhibition. Leave a message! The last area returns visitors to the modern world and invites them to write a personal message that will embark with KEO. Four computers with dedicated links to the www.keo.org site and four areas for writing messages by hand will be available to visitors who want to compose their messages right away. For those who prefer to give it some more thought, forms will be available for sending messages to KEO via the Website (www.keo.org) or by mail to 30 Quai des Célestins, 75004 Paris, France. Prelude to KEO's Flight will be at the Musée de la civilisation in Quebec City from September 8, 2001, to January 12, 2003. It was designed by Jean-Marc Philippe, the man behind the KEO project and the commissioner of the exhibition. It was produced by the French town of Les Ulis with the participation of Arianespace, Snecma Moteurs, and the Louvre Museum in Paris. Informations: Serge Poulin, [418] 643-2158 Relations publiques et communications Issued : September 10, 2001 © Musée de la civilisation