Tiger Strikes Asteroid LA presents Encounters, an exhibition by Makenzie Goodman & Adam Stacey about individuals in the Mojave Desert who claim to have come into contact with UFOs. The series is an ongoing collaboration that was started at Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency in the fall of 2019. Encounters addresses a belief system associated with the American desert and the lore of shared spiritual experiences that are pervasive throughout history. While science provides ample data to suggest the statistical likelihood of extraterrestrial life, the theories of those who claim to have experienced this first-hand are considered fringe. This installation aims to question traditional values, shared experiences and belief systems, while holding space for multiple perspectives. The show features an 8mm film of first hand experiences in the Mojave Desert, black & white photographic documentation, and ceramic sculptures based on the possibility of intergalactic travel and communion between Earth and the extraterrestrial. The objects range from wormholes, models of spacecrafts and the first scientifically observed interstellar traveler. Intriguingly, this aptly named traveler, ʻOumuamua, is the first known object of its type possessing significant hyperbolic excess velocity, indicating it did not originate in the Solar System. Theoretical Physicist Avi Loeb, Professor of Science at Harvard University, has suggested that it could be a product of extraterrestrial technology, but no definitive conclusions have been reached so far. Goodman and Stacey’s collaboration is thoughtfully created to encompass various viewpoints. They apply an artist's lens to the scientific method, and leave space for the audience to draw their own conclusions.