Mar 25
Sioux Falls State Theatre Sioux Falls, SD
TicketsDr. David O’Hara
Professor, Augustana University
The Arc of Oblivion— Lost and found: Preserving the past in a disappearing world
Program Description
Join us for a fascinating evening with Dr. David O’Hara as he shares insights from his recent expedition to Guatemala, where he worked alongside members of La Asociación Bio-Itzá who are working to preserve their Mayan language, culture, archaeology, and language before they are lost to time. Most of us think of the Mayans as a lost civilization or only know their stunning ruins. Dr. O'Hara will talk about his partnership with Mayan people who are working to preserve their heritage. Through stunning visuals and firsthand accounts, Dr. O’Hara will explore the challenges of preserving these ancient sites, the scientific and ethical questions surrounding conservation, and what these ruins reveal about a civilization that continues to shape our understanding of history.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to journey deep into the heart of Mayan civilization and discover why saving the past is essential for the future.
This event is part of our 2025 National Evening of Science on Screen.
Film Synopsis
Explore the strange world of archives, record-keeping, and memory through a filmmaker's quixotic quest to build an ark in Maine.
From executive producer Werner Herzog (Cave of Forgotten Dreams; Grizzly Man) and director Ian Cheney (King Corn), The Arc of Oblivion is an unexpectedly playful search for an answer to a deeply existential question. Set against the backdrop of the filmmaker’s quixotic quest to build an ark in a field in Maine, the film heads far afield — to salt mines in the Alps, fjords in the Arctic, and ancient libraries in the Sahara — to illuminate the strange world of archives, record-keeping, and memory.
Photo credit: Sandbox Films
About the Speaker
Dr. David O'Hara teaches a variety of courses at Augustana University, including Ancient Philosophy, American Philosophy, Environmental Ethics and Law, Classical Chinese Philosophy, and Philosophy of Religion. He teaches and conducts research in the forests of Guatemala, the reefs of Belize and the tundra of Alaska, and he teaches environmental humanities courses in Greece, Spain and Morocco. O'Hara earned a B.A. in Spanish from Middlebury College, M.A. in liberal arts from St. John's College, as well as an M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from Pennsylvania State University. O'Hara was the recipient of the 2018-19 Carole Bland Cultivating Faculty Excellence Endowment and the 2008-09 Jane and Charles Zaloudek Faculty Research Fellowship.