Fail Better

NASA flight director Gene Kranz is credited for saying "Failure is not an option", but in an interview, he shared that he never actually said those words. It was actor Ed Harris, portraying Kranz in the film Apollo 13, that said those very important, inspirational and memorable lines. While it is true at times that failure is not an option, failure is an important step in growth and innovation. So why is there so much stigma associated with failure?

If you watch enough rocket launches, you understand that there are always clearly established objectives with each mission. The bar should be set high with hope that all the mission objectives will be achieved. You should also allow room to stretch even further for the possibility of reaching goals to be established in subsequent missions. The reward for setting the bar seemingly just out of reach is that it may actually lead to success, but if not, there is extremely valuable data collected in the failed attempt. By analyzing the data extracted from the failure, we can focus on the areas to improve for next time and give birth to innovation.

I thought this quote by Samuel Beckett, with whom I share his namesake, seemed applicable.

Ever tried.

Ever failed.

No matter.

Try again.

Fail again.

Fail better.

-Samuel Beckett

No one ever enjoys failing, but it is only through this iterative process of trying, failing and failing better that allows us to grow and hopefully be successful to innovate in our endeavors. Let's try again!

#NASA #GeneKranz #SamuelBeckett

The Signal

Earlier this year, I had a chance to see The Signal by artist Dario Robleto.  This was my first time seeing Mr. Robleto’s work, which combines several of my interests including art and science and space.  Yes, it is a little redundant to say science and space, but I really like space.  Unfortunately, the exhibition has closed at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. So, what is the good news? You can now see this exhibition at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Photo Dario Robleto, “Ancient Beacons Long for Notice (film still),” 2023–24, UHD video (71:00), courtesy of the artist, © Dario Robleto

For me the highlight of the exhibition is the feature film Ancient Beacons Long for Notice which explores the NASA Voyager mission, the relationship of Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan, the Golden Record and the Sounds of Earth that made the final cut.  The film is a mesmerizing journey through the brilliant storytelling by Mr. Robleto of the Voyager expedition.

There are stories that I have never heard before such the inclusion of the sounds of Gas Shell Bombardment re-discovered by Ann Druyan at the National Archives in Washington DC.  If you are like me and not familiar with this recording, it was recorded just before the end of World War I on October 9, 1918, along the Western Front near Lille, France.  Sound engineer William Gaisberg recorded the sound of British artillery shelling German front lines with poison gas.  Although Gaisberg was wearing a protective gas mask, he unfortunately inhaled some of the toxic gas that damaged his lungs.  William Gaisberg passed away on November 5, 1918, never seeing the end of the war, which occurred six days later.  This is just one of the many amazing stories presented over the course of the film’s 70 minutes.

For my ninth birthday, I received the 40th Anniversary Box Set of the Voyager Golden Record from my incredible friends.  I have always treasured the Golden Record but have greater appreciation after seeing Ancient Beacons Long for Notice.  I am planning to see the film again at SBMA and encourage you to see it too before it closes on May 25, 2025.  Pssst – It’s a Signal.  Ad Astra.

#DarioRobleto #AmonCarterMuseum #SBMA #CarlSagan #AnnDruyan #JPL #NASA

Come to Good

In my last post, I discussed building construction beyond Earth using 3D printed technology.  Back on Earth, there is a newly completed building modeled after a Quaker meeting house that utilizes more traditional construction techniques but also hosts technology, including computer programs, algorithms and lighting arrays that support a special art installation by artist James Turrell. Raised as a semi-observant Quaker in southern California, James Turrell began working with light as an artistic medium in the late 1960s. This is arguably the best kept secret In Texas, and you may find yourself asking, Where can I enjoy this experience of light, time and space?

Sponsored by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and operated by Entrada of Texas, Keith House was designed by Michael Bennett at Bennett Partners with a retractable standing-seam metal roof and stone exterior walls repurposed stone from a Keith family home in Wichita Falls.

Photo courtesy of Keith House

Within the building, there is a square room of neutral color with a large square aperture in the ceiling, in which the sky is framed by a thin, knife edge of white ceiling, known as Skyspace. Many of Turrell’s works, including his Skyspaces, draw attention to light as a presence itself rather than as an incidental source of illumination of other objects. Time is also an important element to Turrell’s Skyspace installations, as the light sequence begins before sunrise and before sunset. As the light in the sky changes color, so does the light sequence in the room to accentuate the change in the sky. 

The light sequence is dynamic but meditative and allows the viewer to experience the sky as never before imagined.  It is a celebration to the sky to both welcome and bid farewell to the day.  The Keith House Skyspace titled Come to Good is the ninety-ninth Skyspace installation completed by James Turrell.  I invite you to Keith House to experience it for yourself.

Keith House is located at 4814 Edwards Ranch Rd, Fort Worth, TX 76109 at The Trailhead at Clearfork. Click here for availability and reservations.

Other James Turrell works in Texas include:

Austin: The Color Inside at the University of Texas Student Center

Houston: Twilight Epiphany at Rice University; The Light Inside and Caper, Salmon to White: Wedgework at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston; One Accord at the Live Oak Meeting House

Dallas: formerly Tending (Blue) at Nasher Sculpture Center was decommissioned due to neighboring building constructed within view of the Skyspace.

"For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it." - Amanda Gorman, Poet Laureate excerpt from The Hill We Climb

#KeithHouse #JamesTurrell #UTAustin #RiceUniversity #MFAH