The Gift is an immersive installation that animates contemporary astrophysics research to open up metaphorical space for grief, care, and renewal.
In this rolling-entry experience, participants gather in a music-filled reading room, where they encounter an all-ages illustrated book—based on my astrophysics research of blue straggler stars—that invites responses both tactile and emotional. This book tells the story of two stars that are so close to one another yet so far from us that they appear as a single point of light in the sky. Their fates are intertwined; one star, at the end of its life, transfers its material to the companion, allowing the companion to burn brighter and to appear—for a moment—younger, brighter, bluer. This tender story and playful experience heeds the call of anthropologist Emily Martin, to “wake the sleeping metaphors of science.”
Visit thegift.space to learn more.
Credits
The Gift is created by
Janani Balasubramanian, Dr. Natalie Gosnell, and Dr. Andrew Kircher,
with Tina-Hanaé Miller & Amy Myers
and Katie Hodge & Solomon Hoffman
The Book:
Story by Janani Balasubramanian and Dr. Natalie Gosnell
with artwork by Amy Myers
and book design by Katie Hodge
Based on the research of Dr. Natalie Gosnell
The Music:
Original score by Tina-Hanaé Miller
with arrangement by Solomon Hoffman
featuring performances by Molly Aronson, Ellie Kirk, Aaron Kisslinger, Kevin Kuh, Bill Todd, and Cameron West
Mixed by Peter Geiser
Mastered by Greg Calbi & Steve Fallone
Produced by Dr. Andrew Kircher
Dates
April 14–17 2025: Yale University Schwarzman Center
February 27–March 1, 2025: ASU MIX Center
February 8, 2025: LA Music Center
September 27, 2024: Mt. Wilson Observatory (private event)
May 1–June 15, 2024: Stanford Memorial Church, small installation:
May 1, 2024: Stanford Memorial Church, large installation
July 2023: Djerassi Open Studios
March–June 2023: Fine Arts Center of Colorado Springs:
December 2022: New York Public Library:
December 2021: Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts:
Support
The Gift was created with the generous support of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Public Theater, New York Community Trust, the Sundance Institute, the Guild of Future Architects, MAP Fund, Stanford University, Brooklyn College, Creativity & Innovation at Colorado College, The University of Colorado, and The Tow Foundation.
The Gift was developed in part in the Collider, an R&D lab for the performing arts at Lincoln Center. The Collider is generously supported by founding partner Diana Chen. Major support for the Collider is provided by: The Ford Foundation and The Mellon Foundation.