Green Library Exhibit: ALERT 747 • February 3 - March 9, 2015 • Green Library, South Lobby

This exhibit features the "VELA 6911 by Victor Gama Collection (ARS.0149)"  

The VELA 6911 collection contains materials related to the creation of Victor Gama's multimedia performance piece, VELA 6911. The work is based on the signature nuclear explosion double-flash that the U.S. Vela Satellite registered in 1979 over Antarctica near South Africa.

Government documents that might shed light on the incident are highly redacted, further obscuring the actual confirmation data. This exhibit explores the research challenges and dialogues around nuclear non-proliferation, secrecy and national security issues.

The collection, located in the Archive of Recorded Sound (ARS), includes images, sound and video recordings, and material related to the research and context of VELA 6911. It features 507 videos, 3,093 high resolution photographs, 600 research documents, scanned original scores and performance information.  

Because of the hybrid nature, the size and the scope of this mostly born-digital collection, VELA 6911 by Victor Gama has been deemed a core case study by the Digital Library Systems and Services (DLSS). DLSS is the information technology production arm of the Stanford Libraries; it serves as the digitization, digital preservation and access systems provider for SUL; and it is the research and development unit for new technologies, standards and methodologies related to library systems.  

VELA 6911 is also going to be performed by the Stanford New Ensemble on March 6, 7:30 PM at Dinkelspiel Auditorium

[To maintain confidentiality, informant names have been anonymized.]