2001: A Space Odyssey

Considered by The Moving Arts Film Journal to be the greatest film of all time, and selected for preservation in the US Library of Congress’s National Film Registry due to its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, has remained deeply imprinted on our human story for the past half-century. It is hard to imagine that any other movie has been referenced more in the last 50 years of Western popular culture. Science blogger, Stephen Cass, summed it up perfectly when he wrote, "the balletic spacecraft scenes set to sweeping classical music, the tarantula-soft tones of HAL 9000, and the ultimate alien artifact, the monolith, have all become enduring cultural icons in their own right." 

We are still as enchanted by ancient monoliths today, even as our scientific understanding of their origin deepens. Almost 20 years after the past-future time-stamp of 2001, one of the biggest ethical dilemmas and haunting anxieties of the day is deciding how we program intelligent devices to prioritize moral imperatives. Does a self-driving car prioritize the life of its ‘owner’ or ‘client’ over other drivers on the road? Or does it prioritize the quantity of lives it could save, even at the possible expense of its owner or client? What is moral, what is logical, and what is human? What are the limits of human evolution? Are there some hobgoblins we can ace, and others that will enslave our species until the end of our days? 

As all living humans begin another rotation around our brightest star, please join us at Epsilon Spires for a screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey, mesmerizing monoliths that trip the light fantastic, and chalices of the primordial poisons for which humans have a Darwinistic fortitude and affinity. Yes, we’re talking about pairing the film experience with whimsical, futuristic sustenance & color-evolving libations.

Suggested donation of $10. includes thematic catering