COLLECTIONS:
The Pioneer plaques are a pair of anodized aluminum plaques which were placed on board the 1972 Pioneer 10 and 1973 Pioneer 11 spacecraft, featuring a pictorial message from humanity, in case either Pioneer 10 or 11 are intercepted by extraterrestrial beings. The plaques show the nude figures of a human male and female along with several symbols that are designed to provide information about the origin of the spacecraft. The plagues were controversial at the time as they showed naked persons, and thus there were inaccuracies in the way the female was represented. Taking simple objects that categorize the type of society we live in and attempt to defocus their intended purpose.
