D.J. Spooky Wins National Geographic Society Emerging Explorer Award

Paul D. Miller (a.k.a. D.J. Spooky, That Subliminal Kid) is among 14 recipients of the National Geographic Society’s 2014 Emerging Explorer Awards. The only composer among this group of awardees (who will each receive a $10,000 award to aid further research and exploration), Miller was chosen because his work raises awareness about climate change, sustainability, global culture, and the role of technology in society.

Written By

NewMusicBox Staff

Photo of Paul D. Miller, a.k.a. D.J. Spooky

Paul D. Miller (a.k.a. D.J. Spooky). Photo by Thomas Fang

Composer Paul D. Miller (a.k.a. D.J. Spooky, That Subliminal Kid) is among 14 recipients of the National Geographic Society’s 2014 Emerging Explorer Awards. The Emerging Explorers Program recognizes and supports uniquely gifted and inspiring adventurers, scientists and innovators who are at the forefront of discovery, adventure, and global problem-solving while still early in their careers. The other 13 awardees besides Miller, who is the only composer in this group, are inventor Jack Andraka, educator Shabana Basij-Rasikh, conservation biologist Shivani Bhalla, ecologist and epidemiologist Christopher Golden, marine biologist David Gruber, paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim, creative conservationist Asher Jay, conservation biologist Juliana Machado Ferreira, environmentalist Maritza Morales Casanova, social entrepreneur Sanga Moses, author and campaigner Tristram Stuart, electrical engineer Robert Wood, and nanoscientist Xiaolin Zheng. Each Emerging Explorer receives a $10,000 award to aid further research and exploration. The new Emerging Explorers are introduced in the June 2014 issue of National Geographic magazine.
According to the National Geographic citation, Miller was selected because his “multimedia performances, recordings, art installations, and writings immerse audiences in a blend of genres, raising awareness about climate change, sustainability, global culture, the role of technology in society, and other pressing environmental and social issues. His multimedia composition, book, and installation The Book of Ice creates an experiential visual and acoustic portrait of Antarctica’s disappearing environment. In Nauru Elegies, he explores, through a string ensemble, video, animation, and live Internet feed, problems facing the environmentally exploited South Pacific island of Nauru. He also founded Vanuatu Pacifica Foundation, a sustainable arts center on the island of Vanuatu.”
National Geographic Emerging Explorers may be selected from virtually any field, ranging from the society’s traditional arenas of anthropology, archaeology, photography, space exploration, earth sciences, mountaineering, and cartography to the worlds of technology, art, music, and filmmaking.

(—from the press release)