ARECIBO (2013)

In 1974, the Arecibo message was sent into outer space from Puerto Rico to establish contact with alien life. The message with frequency modulated radio waves was sent during the reopening of the Arecibo radio telescope. With ARECIBO, David Thomas Smith pays a visual homage to this message and simultaneously reflects on the birth of humanity, our growth and our evolution. Each photograph is an image composed out of thousands of shots from Google Maps. They have been created with the most advanced techniques: satellites, airplanes and internet. The landscapes, which become distorted by natural as well as manmade light patterns, explore important moments and places in human history since our birth in Africa. Through the large format and huge amount of detail, the viewer can wander through the landscapes in awe, just as our ancestors did many years ago.