Week 9: Space and Art

Space exploration has always been closely related to art, but never this closely as of now. Neil deGrasse Tyson, probably the nation's most famous astrophysicist, has educated millions of Americans through his TV shows such as "Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey". Artists actively explore concepts of space and incorporated them into their work. Rhythms of Stars, played at St. Paul's Chapel of Columbia University, reveals the sounds of stars. The artist Jeff Talman is also about to release a CD that presents the sounds of the sun.

Rhythms of Stars, presented by St. Paul's Chapel of Columbia University:

http://www.jefftalman.com/rhythms.html

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Speech - Space as Culture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNxnCzz5oQE

Do you still remember the classical song "fly me to the moon"? This famous song is first recorded in 1954 and has became closely associated with NASA's Apollo space program. A copy of the song was played on the Apollo 10 mission which orbited the Moon and also by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin when he stepped onto the Moon. Artworks are often the source of inspiration of scientific development, space exploration is no exemption. From the spacecraft described by H.G. Wells in his 1897 novel "The War of the Worlds" to the depiction of multistage rocket launch and space travel in the George Méliès's movie "A Trip to the Moon" in 1929, these science fictional art pieces have inspired generations of scientists to make humans' dream to come true. On the other hand, art creations also provoke general public's curiosity of the space. Movies like E.T., and Star Trek have become also extremely popular and generated much discussion about space exploration and aliens.

NASA Space Exploration Artwork with Tony Bennett's "Fly Me to the Moon":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oARVU5t7rQ

Moreover, the space has always been the source of inspiration for art and current space research provides artists lots of room for imagination. The Starry Night by Van Gogh is a great example. Drawn from his memory and imagination of the morning stars, this painting depicts Van Gogh response to the space and nature. Just a side note: this is my favorite art piece! The actual painting looks much fascinating than the picture below. I was completely drawn into it at the very first sight! 

The Starry Night, by Van Gogh:

http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=79802

There is a reason why so many people are fascinated by the space. Check out this amazing video of collection of images sent back from the Hubble Space Telescope. The space's grand beauty is not comparable by anything on Earth.

Collections of Hubble images:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loXDVGi_lK0

There are numerous examples of art creation inspired by the concept of space. Reflecting the Stars created by Jon Morris, is a solar-powered light installation set on the Hudson River. LEDs were attached to the decaying posts along the river and recreating a view of starry night sky in New York. This also serves as an act to increase awareness of light pollution which prevents us from seeing the stars.

Reflecting the Stars, by Jon Morris:

https://youtu.be/LVGV83JnvdQ

Other artists like Yoyoi Kusama created artwork to reflect his thinking of life and death. The artist put up hundreds of flashing LED lights from the ceiling of a dark room with many mirrors. Visitors enter via a mirrored walkway surrounded by a water pool. The reflection of mirror and water created a fascinating sense of starry and endless space. Even if you cannot perceive the philosophical aspect of this art creation, you should still treat it as a beautiful visual art piece!

Infinity Mirror Room, by Yoyoi Kusama:

http://limitlessmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Yayoi-Kasuma-Infinity-Mirror-Room-Image-3.jpg

There are numerous examples of art inspired by the space. The concept of space provided a broad context with unlimited possibilities for creativity for artists to leverage on. On the other hand, artistic work also helps scientists and the general public to develop future direction of research and increase awareness of the universe.

Sources:
[1] Belbruno, Edward. Fly Me to the Moon: An Insider's Guide to the New Science of Space Travel. Princeton University Press, 2007.
[2] Heidegger, Martin. "Art and space." Man and World 6.1 (1973): 3-8.
[3] McDonald, Frank B. "Space research: at a crossroads." Science 235.4790 (1987): 751-754.
[4] Morris, Jon. "Reflecting the Stars." YouTube. N.p., 05 Aug. 2011. Web. 31 May 2015. <https://youtu.be/LVGV83JnvdQ>.
[5] Talman, Jeff. "Rhythms of Stars (2014)." Rhythms of Stars (2014). St. Paul's Chapel of Columbia University, 08 Apr. 2014. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.jefftalman.com/rhythms.html>.
[6] Thomas, Peter C., et al. "Impact excavation on asteroid 4 Vesta: Hubble space telescope results." Science 277.5331 (1997): 1492-1495.
[7] Tyson, Neil DeGrasse. "Best Neil DeGrasse Tyson Speech - Space as Culture." YouTube. YouTube, 23 Apr. 2013. Web. 31 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNxnCzz5oQE>.

[8] Vesna , Victoria, dir. Space Part 1. 2012. Film. 29 July 2013. Web. 31 May 2015. <https://youtu.be/2dPAmpBiVHY>

[9] Vesna , Victoria, dir. Space Part 1. 2012. Film. 30 May 2012. Web. 31 May 2015. <https://youtu.be/WnSUHMXBmdg>