Mixed Media

Santa Fe Institute’s October InterPlanetary series

Although Earthlings can’t visit Mars quite yet, the Santa Fe Institute’s October InterPlanetary series may convince many to update their passports to infinity and beyond. Events are directed at those who would engage today’s problems by imagining tomorrow’s challenges, according to SFI.

The series, which runs from Friday, Oct. 13, to Tuesday, Oct. 17, is offered in anticipation of a June 2018 InterPlanetary Festival in the Railyard that will showcase innovation and technology and, it is hoped, attract space enthusiasts from around the world. Participants at that time will experience concerts, discussions around InterPlanetary topics, art installations, gaming, sci-fi film showcases, cosplay, food, drink, and more.

But for now, SFI collaborates with community partners to stage events that include a film festival, an invitation to the refurbished SITE Santa Fe’s exhibit, and presentations at the Lensic Performing Arts Center. Those who obtain an InterPlanetary Pass will get discounted access to SITE Santa Fe, the Center for Contemporary Arts, Jean Cocteau, and The Screen; free popcorn at Violet Crown; discounted beers at Second Street Brewery (Railyard); and entrance into a Stellar Raffle. InterPlanetary Passes are free, collectible, and may be reserved by calling 505-988-1234 or visiting www.ticketssantafe.org.

As a sample of happenings, on Friday at 7:30 p.m., instrumentalist and former creative director of Radio City Music Hall Productions Jeffrey Ernstoff leads a free talk and demonstration at the Lensic (211 W. San Francisco St.): “Interplanetary Film Scores: Art, Craft, and Science.” On Sunday, Oct. 15, at 11 a.m., SFI professor Geoffrey West delivers a talk at SITE (1606 Paseo de Peralta) about his recently published book, and relates it to themes of the exhibition. For this event, tickets are $10, available through SITE Santa Fe; admission for those holding an InterPlanetary Pass is $5. On the same day at 5 p.m., there’s a free InterPlanetary Ziggy Stardust Costume Party at Form & Concept (435 S. Guadalupe St.) promising cosmic cocktails, space snacks, a stellar raffle, and screenings of The Man Who Fell to Earth; reservations are required, visit www.formandconcept.center. For a complete listing of the October events, visit www.santafe.edu/OctoberInterplanetary.

— Patricia Lenihan