DAN GOODS

Dan Goods, the Visual Strategist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, sets out to translate the essence of scientific concepts into visual representations. Through his creation of artistic experiences, Goods allows people to understand concepts about the universe through a different light than usually presented. According to Goods, if he can create an opportunity for people to experience a moment of awe about the universe, then he has been successful.  Many of the scientists that work closely with him usually approach him about an issue if they are in need of viewing something from a different perspective.

Trained as a graphic designer, Goods has made many works that visualize the complex information provided by NASA scientists. For example, he created an installation called “The Hidden Light” (pictured below) which commented on the difficulty in locating planets around other stars in the universe.  He compared it to trying to locate a firefly in front of a spotlight in New York City, all the way from Los Angeles.  Scientists at NASA are attempting to discover earth like planets around other stars, yet it’s difficult because the stars are so much bigger and brighter than the planets, so the planets aren’t made visible. Commenting on this invisibility of things that exist yet aren’t able to be seen, Goods created a projection installation that allowed the viewers shadow to reveal a second set of moving images once they walked in front of the first projector.

Goods makes complex scientific concepts understandable to the everyday person.  He is also sure to ask a lot of questions until he is able to understand the concepts behind the science. Then he sets out to translate those concepts into a visual artistic production for the world to see.