“Exit VAR!” is included in the exhibit by Sarah Rosalena. (photo by Ian Byars-Gamber, © Museum Associates/LACMA)

Mount Wilson Observatory and Carnegies Observatories are collaborating with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Art+Technology Lab to present “Standard Candle” by Sarah Rosalena.

Join “Arts @ The Observatory: Cosmic Night-Standard Candle,” a special event limited to 40 people in celebration of the exhibit on Friday, May 12, from 7:30-11:30 p.m. at the Mount Wilson Observatory. The evening begins with a tour of the exhibit guided by LACMA Art +Technology director Joel Ferree. After a presentation on “Standard Candle,” guests will observe the night skies through the observatory’s 100-inch telescope with interpretations by guides.

“Standard Candle” features a series of woven and beaded textiles made using computer code and based on images captured by the observatory’s 100-inch telescope. The exhibition is organized around a body of work developed by the artist in response to the labor of female “computers” – women who worked at observatories in the early 20th century undertaking the painstaking tasks of graphing data and performing calculations and predictions using glass plate photographic images. The exhibition is mounted in the Museum of Photon Technology on the ground floor of the 100-inch telescope dome.

An opening reception with Rosalena will be held on Friday, May 19, from 7:30-11:30 p.m. The artist will discuss the exhibition and explore connections to computing shown through textiles and beadwork. Telescope viewing will follow the presentation.

Admission is free, reservations are required.

The Mount Wilson Observatory is located in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Pasadena, and is accessible via Angeles Crest Highway. For information, visit mtwilson.edu/arts-the-observatory.