One of the dazzling images of Kansas City photographed from near-space featured in "Ascent."
Ascent: Critically acclaimed performances reveal Kansas City from the edge of space on a huge, 60 foot screen accompanied by live music and narration.
May 18 at 7PM and 9PM, May 19 at 7PM and 9PM at Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium at Union Station
Ticket Price: $15
To Purchase Tickets: (816)460-2020, www.unionstation.org
Kansas City: See Yourself as Never Before
Dark Matter presents a limited engagement of the Rocket Grant winning performance Ascent at Union Station’s Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium. Float like an astronaut in near-space as you view Kansas City from 95,000 feet up. Witness the Kansas City community join together and build a high-altitude camera balloon system. Follow the road trip across the entire state of Missouri, from Kansas to Illinois, seeing cities and major landmarks from a vantage point higher than commercial airliners. Presented on a huge, 60 foot dome with surround projection and an original, live musical score, Ascent is an audio-visual treat audiences won’t soon forget. Hailed by KC Metropolis as a “successful, fun mix of art and science” and by the Kansas City Star as “interesting, relaxing, stimulating and refreshing,” Dark Matter is a collaboration of composers, performers, and scientists. It fuses cutting-edge technology with exceptional musical artistry. The result is an art form that blurs the boundaries among performance, education, and composition.
Dark Matter’s “Ascent” is supported in part by a Rocket Grant from the Charlotte Street Foundation (www.charlottestreet.org) and Spencer Museum of Art (www.spencerart.ku.edu). The Dark Matter Ascent balloon is made possible with donations and technical expertise from The Astronomical Society of Kansas City (www.askc.org), Blue Valley CAPS Aerospace Engineering (www.bvcaps.org), The HMS Beagle (hms-beagle.com), ICSTARS Astronomy (www.icstars.com), Longview College Engineering Department (mcckc.edu/explore/campuses/longview/Welcome.asp), MakeKC (www.makekc.org), Moonglow Technologies (www.moonglowtech.com), Sunex (www.superfisheye.com), and Union Station (www.unionstation.org). Ascent is suitable for all audiences.
Only four performances are scheduled at the Gottlieb Planetarium: Friday, May 18 at 7PM and 9PM and Saturday, May 19 at 7PM and 9PM. Seating is limited so tickets should be ordered in advance. For more information, please contact Daniel Eichenbaum, Curator of Dark Matter, at (816)753-4199 or email [email protected]. Additional information, video clips, and reviews can also be found on the Dark Matter website (www.darkmatterkc.com).
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