| Heavenly Art |
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10 June 2005, for Science Art in space got its launch in 1969, when Apollo 12 carried a postage stamp-sized tile of tiny drawings, including an Andy Warhol rendering of a penis. "We are regularly solicited by artists to send pieces into space, or for astronauts to perform something," says Dieter Isakeit of the European Space Agency (ESA) in the Netherlands, who oversees European users of the international space station. But ESA's approach to choosing projects has been haphazard, he admits. Now ESA has signed a $90,000 contract with Arts Catalyst, a London-based organization, to consult with artists on how they might make use of the space station and astronaut training facilities. ESA favors projects that "change the states of mind of more people, or make more people happy," Isakeit says. Sending artists themselves into space costs too much, he says, but one idea floating around would involve exposing astronauts to "different sounds that induce the idea of infinity."Artist-performer Ricky Seabra, who has proposed a module for art and performances on the space station, says "space is not a realm for science alone." And the artist's realm is not art alone either: Seabra plans to apply for astronaut training. |