Week 9 Blog

Allowing outer space and art to interact opens a world for humans to create art about a world of the unknown [IAAA]. Considering that a select few people have experienced space first-hand, the receiving audience of these works also appreciates something of the unknown. This, in my opinion, makes space-centered art so special, because it is our way of expressing appreciation and fascination with something that we likely won't ever be able to experience. An example of this fascination is the popular Van Gogh work "Starry Night" in which the sky, and therefore space, was used to exemplify his deteriorating mental health at the time [Van Gogh].

David A. Hardy - Jupiter from Europa

It is not only the idea of space that is involved with art but the science of this other world that is being investigated, as well. For example, Arthur Woods created a space art intervention called the "Cosmic Dancer" Sculpture, which serves as the first three-dimensional artwork conceived for and in a space habitat [Woods]. The purpose of the aforementioned sculpture was to experiment with artwork that no longer depended on gravity, and investigated the properties of weightlessness properties that outer space provides. Woods himself described the idea behind the artwork as: "The Cosmic Dancer is an angular and unusual sculpture in the classical understanding of art, nevertheless it made us pleasure. Contemplating the sculpture turning in weightlessness while listening to music resulted in an effect that is possibly totally unknown on Earth. It is difficult to describe this effect." [Greater.Earth].

Cosmic Dancer - Arthur Woods

Space and art have continued to evolve in a more modern context, especially in films like "Star Trek," "Star Wars," and several movies within the Marvel franchise. Space has also become a mainstream subject matter that has piqued the interest of not only upcoming astronomists, but athletes, actors, and singers, as well [Lazzaro]. With this, space has become a common subject matter of songs, TV shows, and so much more. 

Star Trek Poster (1966-1969)

Works Cited

“The Cosmic Dancer Space Art Intervention.” Greater.Earth, https://greater.earth/ART_DOCS/the_cosmic_dancer_space_art_intervention.php. Accessed 2 June 2023.

IAAA. “What is Space Art? – International Association of Astronomical Artists.” International Association of Astronomical Artists, https://iaaa.org/what-is-space-art/. Accessed 2 June 2023.

Lazzaro, Sage. “Celebrities & Pop Culture Are Suddenly Obsessed With Space. Why Now?” Supercluster, 15 July 2019, https://www.supercluster.com/editorial/celebrities-and-pop-culture-are-suddenly-obsessed-with-space-why-now. Accessed 2 June 2023.

van Gogh, Vincent. “Starry Night:10 Secrets of Vincent van Gogh Night Stars Painting.” Vincent van Gogh, https://www.vincentvangogh.org/starry-night.jsp. Accessed 2 June 2023.

Woods, Arthur. “Introduction: News : Arthur Woods : Cosmic Dancer.” The Cosmic Dancer Sculpture, https://www.cosmicdancer.com/introduction.php. Accessed 2 June 2023.