Week 9 Blog Post DESMA9

 This week’s topic covers the connection between art and space. It would be impossible to talk about the beginnings of our endeavors into space without mentioning Sputnik. In 1957, the first man-made satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched [5].
[3]

Though Sputnik 1 was only the size of a beach ball, it was quite reflective and therefore visible from Earth [5]. The event sent cultural waves around the world, and led to an increased interest in mathematics and science in America; including leading to the creation of NASA [5]. NASA would continue to be a leading force for learning about the vastness of space. Exploration still occurs, and inspires art and our perspective. In a famous lecture by Carl Sagan, he comments on the image of a small pale Earth sent from a distant spacecraft, “Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light” [3]. 

Space and art would have a further intertwined nature and attitudes would adjust as we reached further into the cosmos. In 1993, a sculpture called The Cosmic Dancer was brought aboard the Russian Mir space station [2]. It was intended to investigate the properties of weightlessness and to evaluate the process of integrating art into the human space program [2]. Prior to this Chesley Bonestell popularized the idea of manned space travel through his many illustrations including cover art for magazines and books like Astounding Science Fiction, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, The Conquest of Space, The Exploration of Mars, and Beyond the Solar System in collaboration with several authors well known in the field of space exploration [1].

[2]

Another artist who is a pioneer in art-in-space was Richard Clar. His works are philosophical in nature, and include themes such as space environment issues, orbital debris, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and water management on Earth [4].
[1]





Works Cited

[1] “Bonestell - about Chesley Bonestell.” Chesley Bonestell, https://www.bonestell.org/About-Chesley-Bonestell.aspx.

[2] “Cosmic Dancer - A Space Art Intervention by Arthur Woods.” Cosmic Dancer 2.0: Arthur Woods : Space Artist, https://www.cosmicdancer.com/cosmic_dancer_2.0.php.

[3] A Pale Blue Dot, http://www.bigskyastroclub.org/pale_blue_dot.html.

[4] “Richard Clar.” About the Artist RICHARD CLAR, Founder and President of Art Technologies, http://www.arttechnologies.com/site-2005/richard-clar.html.

[5] Wall, Mike. “Sputnik 1! 7 Fun Facts about Humanity's First Satellite.” Space.com, Space, 4 Oct. 2020, https://www.space.com/38331-sputnik-satellite-fun-facts.html. 



Images Cited

[1] Duncan, Edgar `. “Space Flight Dolphin.” An Art-and-Technology Payload for the Space Shuttle, http://www.arttechnologies.com/clar-sfd.html.

[2] Nora. “Chesley Bonestell, the International Association of Astronomical Artists, and Cosmic Art in...” Medium, The Startup, 13 Oct. 2019, https://medium.com/swlh/chesley-bonestell-the-international-association-of-astronomical-artists-and-cosmic-art-in-e744de739dee.

[3] Wallace, Tim. “How Sputnik 1 Launched the Space Age.” Cosmos, 20 Apr. 2021, https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/how-sputnik-1-launched-the-space-age/. 

Comments

  1. Juan LarsonMay 28, 2022 at 2:37 PM

    I like how your blog emphasizes the historical significance of Sputnik 1 and the lasting influence that it had on the development of space exploration. I also enjoyed your discussion on how artistic depictions of space can be used to tackle and address several issues about the world around us.

    ReplyDelete

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