Week 9 - Space + Art

 Space & Art

    The connection between space and art is one that is all-encompassing. All of the intersections between science and art that have been discussed in this class thus far, can be connected back to space and art. There are endless examples of this crossover that enhance both fields in ways that will further the future.

    The first example is the Leonardo Space Art Project. The overarching goal of this project is to provide an opportunity for artists to explore space in a way that benefits their craft (Leonardo On-Line).  A member of the project, Nina Czegledy, created an interactive audio-visual installation of the Aurora Borealis, that "allowed for a comparative perspective on how the Aurora is being perceived across diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds" (ArtMargins). This project uses science and art to connect people of different cultures, and create a common understanding of a phenomena that occurs in space.   

    The next example of an individual who is advancing this field is Guy Laliberté, the founder of Cirque du Soleil. Laliberté created the "Poetic Social Mission", which was ultimately a project that aimed to "raise awareness about access to clean water" (The Space Review). In his mission to space, Laliberté documented his journey through poetry, to express how space exploration can aid access to clean water. (CirqueFascination) Laliberté used art and space science to not only create something that is accessible to both communities, but to also raise awareness about an issue that blankets much of the world. 

    The final example is the project The Color Out of Space, which explores the intersection of astronomy and art by representing, "the common ways in which artists and physicists start with facts before speculating into the unknown" (EveryDayMatters). The heart of the project is a video art installation of outer space, that is projected into the Hirsch Observatory. This project centralizes the artistic representation of a scientific concept that is almost too vast to understand without it, and therefore serves as a perfect example of art and space. 

Sources

Barba, Rosa. “The Color Out of Space, 2015.” Rosa Barba, 2015, www.rosabarba.com/the-color-out-of-space-2015.

Czegledy, Nina. “Aura Aurora.” Art Projects, 2016, www.ninaczegledy.net/projects/aura-aurora/.

Engelstad, Janeil. “Creating Art and Meaning through Collaboration.” ARTMargins, 26 Apr. 2019, artmargins.com/creating-art-and-meaning-through-collaboration-interview-with-nina-czegledy-d1/#:~:text=Nina%20Czegledy%3A%20Aura%2FAurora%20is,in%20circumpolar%20cultures%20over%20centuries.

Foust, Jeff. “When Space and Art Intersect.” The Space Review: When Space and Art Intersect, 8 Sept. 2008, www.thespacereview.com/article/1460/1.

Laliberte. “Laliberté Personal Patch.” Www.spacepatches.nl - Personal - Laliberte - Soyuz TMA-16, 2016, www.spacepatches.nl/personal/laliberte.html.

Leonardo. “Leonardo Space Art Working Group.” Leonardo On-Line, 2004, leonardo.info/spaceart/spaceartproject.html.

Rensselaer. “Astronomy and Art Intersect in The Color Out of Space, a Unique Collaboration Between EMPAC and the Hirsch Observatory.” Every Day Matters, 2 Apr. 2015, everydaymatters.rpi.edu/astronomy-and-art-intersect-in-the-color-out-of-space/.

Richasi. “Guy Laliberte's Poetic Social Mission.” Fascination! Newsletter, 18 Sept. 2017, www.cirquefascination.com/?p=7679.