On Super Bowl Sunday, Universal Pictures unveiled the full-length trailer for Disclosure Day, the latest film by Steven Spielberg that delves into the realm of extraterrestrial life. The trailer features a recurring motif of cardinals, hinting at the presence of alien beings. This imagery has not gone unnoticed, especially by keen observers of contemporary art.
Artist Trevor Paglen recently shared his thoughts on Instagram regarding the striking resemblance between his upcoming exhibitions titled "Cardinals" at Altman Siegel and Pace, scheduled for 2024 and 2025. His work examines the evolution of UFO photography and draws connections to Spielberg's film. "It's kind of odd, but I'm not upset--maybe he should consider purchasing some art," Paglen humorously remarked.
In an interview, Paglen elaborated on the visual connection he noticed. "I watched the trailer and saw all these cardinals appearing in various scenes. I immediately thought I recognized the source of that imagery," he shared. He believes that the idea of associating cardinals with UFOs originated from his 2023 video installation Doty, which features Richard Doty, a former Air Force officer known for promoting UFO myths as part of a disinformation strategy.
Paglen pointed out that Doty claimed the Air Force used "Cardinals" as an unofficial code name for UFOs, a detail that was not widely known before Paglen's exhibition. "It's hard for me to believe that they would have derived that concept from any other source, as it hasn't been publicly available outside of my work," he added.
When approached for comments about any potential connection between Disclosure Day and Paglen's artistic endeavors, Amblin Entertainment, the production company behind the film, chose not to respond.
As for the authenticity of "Cardinals" as an Air Force code, Paglen cautioned that Doty's assertions should be taken with skepticism. In a press release for his upcoming exhibition, Paglen noted that Doty later rebranded himself as a UFO "whistleblower," claiming to expose the genuine UFO programs he once helped to obscure.