Children-of-the-universe
2019

The Loft Cinema Tucson, AZ

with

Stéphanie Juneau

Associate astronomer, National Optical Astronomy Observatory; Subject, CHILDREN OF THE UNIVERSE

and

Bryan Nelson

Filmmaker, STREETLIGHTS OF THE UNIVERSE

and

Stephanie Cortes

Circus director/performer, Cirque Roots

Children of the Universe— Making sense of our connection to the universe

Science and art unite in this thought-provoking, family-friendly event featuring astronomy documentaries, live performance and an introduction and Q&A with astrophysicist Stéphanie Juneau, filmmaker Bryan Nelson, and circus director/performer Stephanie Cortes.

In Children of the Universe, a primary school class embarks on a cosmological journey in the snow-covered Swiss Alps, guided by Tucson-based astrophysicist Stéphanie Juneau, and in Streetlights of the Universe, a groundbreaking new experiment aims to create the largest-ever 3-D map of the universe, using telescopes located at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Southern Arizona. These two short documentaries are connected by Cirque Roots’ latest creation, Exist: Messengers of the Cosmos, an astronomy circus production that uses live spoken word, dazzling circus performance, and hypnotic dance to explore our connections to the cosmos.

Streetlights of the Universe from Mother Nature Network on Vimeo.

The Loft Cinema Tucson, AZ

Film Synopsis

A primary school class in the Swiss mountains embarks on an adventure to discover the mysteries of the universe, guided by the astrophysicist Stéphanie Juneau.

Children of the Universe / Grand et Petit follows the pupils of a primary school, who have set off to discover the immensity of the universe in a fun way—through role playing, poetic choreographies, and walks in pristine mountainous nature, where the trees can become a representation of the stars and the forest of a galaxy. And their questions send us back, casually, to our own adult metaphysical anxieties about our place in Life, the Universe, and Everything.

About the Speaker

Stéphanie Juneau is an associate astronomer at NOAO (National Optical Astronomy Observatory), headquartered in Tucson. She received her PhD in astronomy at the University of Arizona in 2011 under the supervision of NOAO’s Mark Dickinson. Her research interests are focused on the evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes across cosmic time.


Made possible in part by funding from Diamond Desert Casinos & Entertainment.