Week 9- Space + Art

From 10²⁴ meters away, galaxies look like nothing but dust.  Carl Sagan described our planet as nothing but a “Pale Blue Dot” in the grand scheme of the universe (Sagan), and in the grand scheme of things, our place is insignificant relative to the rest of the universe. This realization, or paradigm shift was first presented by Copernicus, who suggested that maybe we aren’t the center of the universe (Vesna). A heliocentric model represented a shift in attitude, perhaps there are greater powers and places, perhaps our self-conflict is petty in comparison to what lies outside of our planet.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/files/2013/06/paleblue_custom-b200d49e728a183a8622779513762ba435508898-s6-c30.jpg

However, it has not been entirely for the sake of curiosity that we were able to forge our way into the space age. Advancements such as the United States sending a chimp into space were a result of military and competitive pressures. At the time, Russia had had already send a dog into space, and the fuel for the space race had more to do with competition rather than curiosity and a heightened perspective of one’s place in the universe (Vesna).

http://2851d2fbad102e10c664-1cb2d5b3e31f5602110e31f71f5d15e5.r5.cf2.rackcdn.com/b315638d7c1eb533305c4bf49718fa11.jpg

On the other hand, artistic and cultural creations did play a role in shaping and fueling our steps into the space age. David Bowie released his hit single Space Oddity a few days before Neil Armstrong landed on the moon (Bowie). And additionally, Planet Stories, The Jetsons, Star Trek, and Star Wars, have all contributed to the public’s curiosity and wonder, in regard to space exploration. Men such as B.E. Johnson worry that in this age we may no longer be driven to explore the stars now that there is no military or economic “pot of gold in the heavens” (Levrier). However, there is still plenty of economic interest. Some companies have looked into harvesting resources from asteroids, while companies like SpaceX have plans to colonize other planets (Vesna). Artists today continue to pump the bellows of our culture and fan the flame of curiosity and mystery when it comes to space exploration. Works of art like the movie Interstellar or Peljihan’s Makrolab continue to blend fantasy and reality. Other artists such as Ron Miller use space as a portal of imagination, capturing our curiosity by envisioning possible worlds (Miller).

http://i.space.com/images/i/000/043/578/i02/Lynette_Cook_Page_69.jpg?1415677197

Overall, looking to the stars is a humbling experience. Perhaps through our artistic and literal explorations of different planets and solar systems, we will let go of our delusions of human privilege and set some of our petty self-conflicts aside, uniting to explore the deep, mysterious and wonderful frontier of the unknown.

References

Bowie, David. “Space Oddity.” Bowie. Mercury Records, 1969.

Holmes, Brian. "CODED UTOPIA Makrolab, or the Art of Transition." Brian Holmes. Word Press, 2003. Web.

Levrier, Guy. "The Leonardo Space Art Project Working Group." Space Art. Leonardo Space Art Project, 1996. Web.

Miller, Ron. "The Art of Space, Envisioning the Universe (Op-Ed)." M.space.com. Purch, 10 Nov. 2014. Web.

Carl Sagan - You Are Here (Pale Blue Dot) [Sagan Time]. Perf. Carl Sagan. Patrick Mylund Nielsen, 2011. Film.

8 Space Intro 1280x720. Perf. Victoria Vesna. UC Online Program, 2013. Film.