Provided

Writer and naturalist Diane Ackerman will present "A Midwinter Barbaric" with the Cayuga Vocal Ensemble during Light in Winter 2011.

Flash Rosenberg challenges what we see with what we know, commenting on her photographs and cartoons with scientific logic and irreverent wit. Rosenberg will show how she captures the world in real time, and how a slice of pizza can define infinity, in "Laughing at the Speed of Light," Saturday, Jan. 22, at 1 p.m. in Statler Auditorium.

Rosenberg will be the artist-in-residence at the 2011 Light in Winter Festival, Jan. 20-23. Admission to "Laughing" is $10; she also presents a photo humor workshop at Cornell Plantations' Lewis Education Center (Jan. 23, $15) and performs live drawing during a panel discussion Jan. 23 at 3 p.m. in Statler Hall on "How Our Senses Work."

Founded by artistic director Barbara Mink, a senior lecturer in the Johnson School, the festival is a celebration of science and the arts, bringing collaborative programs and performances to Cornell and the Ithaca community. Many events are free, including the Hall of Wonders, noon-4 p.m. Jan. 23 in Statler Atrium.

There are more than 20 events on campus and off, including concerts, art exhibitions, lectures, comedy and a feast for the senses: Dark Dining, Jan. 23 at Taverna Banfi, where participants dine on a gourmet meal blindfolded.

The eighth annual festival begins Thursday, Jan. 20, at the Museum of the Earth with a local wine and cheese tasting reception from 6:30-7:30 p.m. ($20), and "Off the Charts," with former biologist and comedian Tim Lee, 8 p.m. ($15).

Mann Library hosts a reception Jan. 21 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. for "A Closer Look," Susan C. Larkin's deep-focus black-and-white photographs of seeds, pods and other plant structures. The exhibition continues through Feb. 18. Light in Winter-themed exhibits are also open 5-7 p.m. at downtown Ithaca galleries.

Pianist Syau-Cheng Lai performs two free concerts Jan. 21 in Barnes Hall: Bach's Goldberg Variations at 3:30 p.m. and Frederic Rzewski's "The People United Will Never Be Defeated!" at 5 p.m.

Also Jan. 21: "A Midwinter Barbaric," 7:30-9:30 p.m. in Statler Auditorium, with readings on snow, ice and water by literary naturalist Diane Ackerman, and winter-themed choral works by the 16-member Cayuga Vocal Ensemble ($10).

The Alloy Orchestra will perform music for "The Lost World" (1925), screening Jan. 22 at 10:30 a.m. in Statler Auditorium. The classic Arthur Conan Doyle adventure features thrilling stop-motion animation of dinosaurs; Warren Allmon, the Hunter R. Rawlings III Professor of Paleontology, also lectures ($10).

The orchestra also accompanies "South: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition," Jan. 22 at 4 p.m. in Statler ($10). The 1919 film shows the epic survival of the Endurance crew while their ship was locked in Antarctic ice for months.

Also Jan. 22: Author Dava Sobol and Galileo's Daughters present "Perpetual Motion: Revolutions in 17th Century Science and Music," 7:30 p.m., Hangar Theatre ($20, desserts included).

Looking to the stars, Nick Sagan presents "A Cosmic Adventure," Jan. 23 at 1:30 p.m. in Statler, a lecture with music, celebrating the legacy of "Cosmos," his father Carl's landmark public television series ($10). Trekkies will enjoy "The Physics of Star Trek," explained by astrophysicist Lawrence Krauss, 2:30 p.m. Jan. 22 in Statler ($10), and the family-friendly interactive stage show "Star Trek Live!" 4:30 p.m. Jan. 23 at the State Theatre ($17.50, $12.50 students).

Also Jan. 23 in Statler: "Touching Sculpture," with artist Rosalyn Driscoll, noon ($10); and "Building, Crashing, Thinking," 4:30 p.m., with Harvard science historian Peter Galison on transformative technology ($10).

Tickets are available at Ticket Center Ithaca (171 State St.), online at http://lightinwinter.com/buy-tickets/ or http://www.ithacaevents.com, or by calling 607-273-4497. Ticket discounts include a Festival Weekend Package (good for all shows, a 15 percent savings) and a Flex Pass (choose any seven shows, a 10 percent savings). Phone or in-person reservations must be made for Dark Dining.