Week 9 : Space + Art

Of all the topics we talked about in this course, this week’s was the least surprising but yet the most interesting one for me. It was not to my surprise that art and space were intersecting subjects. People at my age have all grown up in the era of space. The ideas of space and universe have spread in popular culture, and they’re present everywhere in our lives; they’re in movies, in talks, in images, in school, and in our imaginations.

One of the scenes from Interstellar Movie.
<http://www.zmescience.com/science/physics/interstellar-black-hole-special-effects-0423432/>

Artists not only fulfill their own thirsts for exploring the world through their artworks, but they also strive to show the wonders of the universe to a wider audience. Art plays a crucial role in inspiring people and in building a broader interest and support for space exploration, for turning the idea of moving people and goods from the surface of the Earth to outer space into a reality. 

International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA) is for example one of the premier organizations that work for this cause. Artists of IAAA hope to raise awareness about the space. A lot of movie effects, numerous book and magazine covers, or artistic images illustrating the newest astronomical discoveries are done by an IAAA.

Artists have not made the connections with space only on earth, but art itself has fused into the outer space. In 1986, Space Shuttle Columbia traveled with four original oil paintings of American artist Ellery Kurtz. These original artworks were the first to enter Earth orbit. In 1993, another work by the artist Arthur Woods, “Cosmic Dancer Sculpture, was flown to the Russian Mir Space station.  Later In 1995, he also created the first Art Exhibition in Earth orbit, called Ars ad Astra, which contained 20 original artworks from 20 artists.

 

Cosmonaut Alexander Polischuk and the Cosmic Dancer sculpture in the Mir space station: the Cosmic Dancer had became a part of the living space of the cosmonaunts aboard the Mir station. 
<http://www.ours.ch/cosmicdancer.php>

To me, space is where all discoveries are made as there’s plenty of room for creativity and inspirations; space is the freedom of mind. As poetic as that might sound, I think this is exactly why space and art are so intertwined. Space is the best medium for an artist!

Cosmos and Space Wallpapers
<http://wallup.net/artwork-space-astronaut-space-art-stars-black-holes-painting-paint-splatter-floating-digital-art/>

sources

1. Foust, Jeff. "When Space and Art Intersect." The Space Review. N.p., 8 Sept. 2009. Web. 01 June 2017. <http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1460/1>.

2. Puiu, Tibi. "Interstellar Movie Is Helping Scientists Model REAL Black Holes." ZME Science. N.p., 04 Jan. 2017. Web. 01 June 2017. <http://www.zmescience.com/science/physics/interstellar-black-hole-special-effects-0423432/>.

3. "The Leonardo Space Art Project Working Group." N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2017. <http://spaceart.org/leonardo/vision.html>.

4. Vesna, Victoria. “Space  and Art.” DESMA 9. Lecture

5. Wallup. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2017. <http://wallup.net/artwork-space-astronaut-space-art-stars-black-holes-painting-paint-splatter-floating-digital-art/>.

6. "What Is Space Art?" International Association of Astronomical Artists. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2017. <https://iaaa.org/what-is-space-art/>.

7. Woods, Arthur. "The" Cosmic Dancer": Sculpture and the Absence of Gravity." Leonardo (1993): 297-301.

8. Woods, Arthur. "The Cosmic Dancer Project : Sculpture and the Absence of Gravity." N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2017. <http://www.ours.ch/cosmicdancer.php>.