Task 8: Golden Record Curation Assignment
I selected ten tracks from NASA’s Voyager Golden Record to represent the essence of humanity: Brandenburg Concerto (1), Johnny B. Goode (7), Tsuru No Sugomori (9), Gavotte en rondeaux (10), Tchakrulo (12), Melancholy Blues (14), Rite of Spring (16), Fifth Symphony (18), Wedding Song (23), and Dark Was the Night (26).
This week’s readings on digitization reminded me that preservation is never neutral. It reflects power, privilege, and what societies deem “worth remembering.” As Smith Rumsey (1999) explains, enthusiasm for technology often blinds us to the politics of what gets converted or forgotten. Her later reflection that we must ask “what can we afford to lose?” reframed my view of curation. Therefore, I wanted to balance canonical works (Bach, Beethoven, Stravinsky) with culturally rooted folk pieces (Tchakrulo, Wedding Song, Tsuru No Sugomori) to amplify underrepresented voices. Pieces such as Dark Was the Night and Melancholy Blues showcase emotion and faith beyond language, while Johnny B. Goode represents creativity and technological modernity. These ten selections form a digital time capsule of human expression, ensuring that our sounds, stories, and emotions continue to resonate beyond Earth.
References
Smith Rumsey, A. (1999, February). Why digitize? Council on Library and Information Resources. https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub80-smith/pub80-2/
NASA. (n.d.). Music from Earth (Voyager Golden Record). https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/whats-on-the-record/music/
Taylor, D. (Host). (2019, April). Voyager golden record [Audio podcast episode]. In Twenty Thousand Hertz. Defacto Sound. https://www.20k.org/episodes/voyagergoldenrecord