Festival combines Hawking lecture with 'Planets' concert at ASU Gammage


Stephen Hawking

ASU Origins Project Science and Culture festival opens, runs through April 11

A dazzling schedule of science, film and literary stars is scheduled this weekend at the Arizona State University Origins Project Science and Culture Festival.

On April 9, a special lecture by theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, titled “My Brief History,” will follow a stunning concert and symphonic film, Gustav Holst’s “The Planets,” with narration by Lawrence Krauss, director of the ASU Origins Project. The evening multi-media experience, with breathtaking images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, will begin at 7 at ASU Gammage. Tickets are available at ASU Gammage, 480-965-3434, http://www.asugammage.com or ticketmaster.com.

“This will be a magical evening for the whole family. Cosmic images and music performed by the ASU Symphony Orchestra and Women’s Chorus will elegantly intersect to illustrate the connections between science and culture,” said Krauss, an ASU Foundation Professor and theoretical physicist in the School of Earth and Space Exploration.

Sunday events at the Tempe Center for the Arts include a secular sermon with philosopher AC Grayling, a conversation with author Jean Auel, and a screening of the new 3-D film and discussion with German filmmaker Werner Herzog. The Tempe Center for the Arts is at 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway.

Monday features “The Matter of Origins,” an innovative program of movement, storytelling and thought provoking conversation. at ASU Gammage with MacArthur “genius” Fellowship recipient Liz Lerman.

A summary of events for the ASU Origins Project Science and Culture Festival is below. A complete schedule, with times, locations and ticketing information is at http://origins.asu.edu/events/festival.

Opening Panel
April 8, 3 p.m., Neeb Hall, ASU Tempe campus
Features Lawrence Krauss, ASU professor; Werner Herzog, German filmmaker; Liz Lerman, award-winning choreographer; Kimberly Marshall, director of ASU School of Music; and others.
Free and open to the public. More info at http://origins.asu.edu.

NPR Science Friday
April 8, TBD between noon and 2 p.m., radio broadcast on NPR local station KJZZ
Ira Flatow, host of the popular public radio show “Science Friday” will discuss the dynamic between science and culture with participants in the ASU Origin Project Science and Culture Festival including Lawrence Krauss, ASU professor; Werner Herzog, filmmaker; and Cormac McCarthy, novelist and playwright. More info at http://origins.asu.edu.

Origins: Causation and Boundaries Symposium
April 7-8, various times, West Hall, Room 135, ASU Tempe campus.
Sponsored by ASU’s Institute for Humanities Research, the symposium engages humanities scholars in addressing and analyzing the role of humanities in illuminating human origins.
Free and open to the public. More info at http://ihr.asu.edu/events/calendar/humanities-and-human-origins-workshop.

“Dear Aliens” Contest Award Ceremony with Lucy Hawking and Paul Davies
April 9, 1 p.m., Design Center North, Room 60 (CDN 60), ASU Tempe campus
This contest encourages K-12 students in Maricopa County to think how they would respond if aliens contacted us. Winning entries will be broadcast into space at the ceremony.
Free and open to the public. More info at http://origins.asu.edu/events/dear-aliens-contest.

Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” with special lecture by Stephen Hawking
April 9, 7 p.m., ASU Gammage
Gustav Holst’s masterpiece, “The Planets,” performed by the ASU Symphony Orchestra and Women’s Chorus. The performance is a spectacular, multi-media event with breathtaking images from NASA, narration by Lawrence Krauss and special lecture by eminent physicist Stephen Hawking.
Tickets are $25-120; $15 in the balcony with valid ASU SunCard or ASU Student ID. Tickets go on sale March 8 at ASU Gammage, 480-965-3434, http://www.asugammage.com or ticketmaster.com. More info at http://origins.asu.edu/events/planets.

Secular Sermon with AC Grayling and post-event book signing
April 10, 10:30 a.m., Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway
Noted British philosopher, AC Grayling, will discuss his book “The Good Book: A Humanist Bible.”
Free and open to the public. More info at http://origins.asu.edu/events/grayling.

A Conversation with Jean Auel and post-event book signing
April 10, 1 p.m. Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway
Jean Auel, author of the “Clan of the Cave Bear” and popular Earth’s Children series will speak with ASU journalism professor Ed Sylvester about how science informs and shapes her writing.
Free and open to the public. More info at http://origins.asu.edu/events/auel.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams
April 10, 3 p.m., Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway
Acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog screens and discusses his new 3-D film “Cave of Forgotten Dreams.” The film explores the earliest known images produced by humans. Access to the Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc caves of southern France where the images reside has been extremely restricted to protect the images from overexposure and damage.
Tickets are $30; $25 with valid ASU SunCard. Tickets are on sale at the Tempe Center for the Arts, 480-350-2822. www.tempe.gov/tca/about/boxoffice.htm. More info at http://origins.asu.edu/events/herzog.

The Matter of Origins
April 11, 7 p.m., ASU Gammage
MacArthur “genius” Fellowship recipient Liz Lerman follows her 2006 Gammage performance “Ferocious Beauty: The Genome” with a new work, “The Matter of Origins.” Sometimes we discover truth through science, imagine it through art or discern it by faith. With Lerman, we seem to touch all three. What was the beginning of the universe? What was the beginning of the paper clip, the pencil, the handshake, the kiss, the Pledge of Allegiance? Some questions are huge. Some are small. “The Matter of Origins” is a performance, a conversation, a floor show, a quiz show and a chance to meet big minds. It's a dance to watch and a dance to learn.
Tickets are $20; $10 for students with ID. Tickets are on sale at ASU Gammage, 480-965-3434, http://www.asu.gammage.com.