This week's readings made me contemplate the idea of art not about space, but hypothetically, created in space. Personally, I find architecture and physical design to be the most interesting and potential-filled field in the intersection of space and art.
What does that mean for aesthetics?
At the highest-level, in an advanced civilization where humans aren't bound by Earth's gravity, it could mean aesthetics are both null and paramount.
Null, because how can you have beautiful carpeting and delicate antique vases and expensive sculptures in a luxury spacecraft without gravity? You should be more worried about the pressure systems and insulation and radiation blocking than beauty. In some ways, we would find ourselves existing in a state similar to that of our ancestors, prioritizing survival above beauty.
It might seem bland, until you think of humanity's exponential potential for growth. When we finally reach the summit of space technology, and safety is a given, what will happen then?
Here's a hypothetical I have always been intrigued by. When you see space shuttles and rockets launch on Earth, you think of a distinct silhouette, because that's what's necessary to minimize air resistance to get into orbit. Once you're out in the great beyond though, there's barely 5^-10 atoms per 1 cubic centimeter. You could propel a tissue-shaped spacecraft with the same effort as a sleek sports-car inspired alternative (ignoring considerations about radiation surface area, thruster designs, etc). Imagine a spacecraft than resembles a marble sculpture rather than a technological marvel. Vessels shaped like mobius strips and phoenixes could dock at the same space port as a classic, "retro" space shuttle. It would only be possible if space were humanity's new home; if we lived, built, and died without ever needing to engineer a prison break from a planet's atmosphere.
How would art change if we were in space? Would we find waterfalls beautiful if water no longer... well, fell? Would you have to travel a few light years to see your favorite Andromeda Galaxy musician in concert? Would signs of aging- loose skin, saggy jowls- become exotic and rare? (See The Expanse for some really cool considerations about beauty standards for space-dwellers, who grow lanky and diseased without gravity to dictate their fetal development).
It sucks that our generation might never know, but hopefully, one day, all of these musings might become reality.
References
ARCTIC PERSPECTIVE INITIATIVE. (n.d.). http://arcticperspective.org/.
CODED UTOPIA. Continental Drift. (2009, May 18). https://brianholmes.wordpress.com/2007/03/27/coded-utopia/.
DeMichele, T. (2017, September 18). The Universe is Mostly Empty Space - Fact or Myth? Fact / Myth. http://factmyth.com/factoids/the-universe-is-mostly-empty-space/.
EugeneSpali, & HeatherNob. (2019, June 9). Aerodynamics in aerospace. AEROSS. http://www.aeross.org/2019/06/aerodynamics-in-aerospace/.
Leonardo Space Art Project Visioneers. (n.d.). https://spaceart.org/leonardo/vision.html.
Hi Michelle! I really enjoyed reading your blog post this week, and you’ve shown me a brand new perspective to think about! I’ve always thought of the shape of rockets and space shuttles to be fixed, but after reading your blog post I’ve realized that they don’t necessarily have to be. Although their designs are optimized for function now, why can’t we design a different shape with the same function? What would life in space be like? And if we did shift to a life in space, would the people who live in space be as curious about life on Earth as we are now about life in space?
ReplyDeleteYour blog post was fascinating! You showed so many different possibilities of art and imagination in a world without gravity or in space. It is interesting to think about how much our environment has an effect on our interpretation of beauty. While adapting to creating a life without gravity would be difficult, humanity's creativity will evolve in new ways by the empty space that surrounds them. I wonder without seeing many natural wonders of the world, how would the design for spaceships change? Many of the engineering creations we have today are based on mimicking animals for function. Without needing to consider function, how would designs change. I personally feel like they would become more elaborate and embellished.
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI loved your blog this week! I really liked how you proposed the philosophical question imagining what art would be like if we were in space and knew how to live in it. The constructs and ideas we see that are in space right now are a product of very specific science and engineering to allow us to survive in space. If we could go beyond these limits and actually live in space, the possibilities for art and imagination are endless!
Cheers,
Dave Ho