Part 4 of the TED Radio Hour episode Leaving a Mark. Check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Artist Katie Paterson is captivated by what humanity is leaving for future generations. So she created the Future Library, a collection of unread literature to be published a century from now.

About Katie Paterson

Katie Paterson is a Scottish conceptual artist. In her work, she collaborates with scientists and researchers to consider our place on Earth in the context of geological time.

Her current project is the Future Library. Her previous work includes broadcasting the sounds of a melting glacier live, mapping all the dead stars, compiling a slide archive of darkness within the universe, creating a light bulb to simulate the experience of moonlight and sending a recast meteorite back into space.

Paterson has exhibited her works at major galleries including the Hayward Gallery, Tate Britain, MCA Sydney, Guggenheim Museum and The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.


This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Andrea Gutierrez and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour and Rachel Faulkner White. You can follow us on Twitter @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadio@npr.org.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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