Delta Sierra Juliet - Field Theory
On the evening of 21 October 1978, trainee pilot Frederick Valentich vanished while flying over Bass Strait. His final radio transmission, identifying himself as “Delta Sierra Juliet”, described a strange, metallic object hovering above his plane. Moments later, contact was lost. The wreckage was never found, and the incident remains one of Australia’s most enduring mysteries.
Field Theory’s Delta Sierra Juliet drew audiences into this enigma. Created in collaboration with the Australian National Aviation Museum and presented as part of Six Moments in Kingston (2019), the work introduced a temporary para-fictional tour and exhibit into the museum’s collection.
Weaving together fact and speculation, the project explored disappearance as both event and metaphor — gently unsettling the authority of the museum and probing how communities mythologise the unknown.
Team:
Field Theory artists - Jason Maling, Anna Schoo, Martyn Coutts
Producer - Shannon Quinn
Six Moments in Kingston curators - David Cross, Cameron Bishop
Hosts - Australian National Aviation Museum
Video Documentation - Tim Stone
