How artists dream of outer space
Long before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, artists were trying to convey the mystery and excitement of space. Today, artists use cosmic materials to paint - and are even planning for weightless theater productions.
Unlimited space
Long before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, artists were trying to convey the mystery and excitement of space. Today, heroes of science fiction - like spaceship commander Perry Rhodan, protagonist in the eponymous German book series - are a part of pop culture. But the confrontations with space began far earlier….
Gate to the universe
Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno (pictured) believed in the infinity of the universe. He saw our solar system as one of many. Along with scientists like Nicholas of Kues, Copernicus and Leonardo da Vinci, he opened the gates to the universe during the Renaissance period. Because of his teachings, Bruno was executed by the Catholic Church in 1600.
Man on the moon
But the Church could not hold science back. One consequence of a heliocentric worldview was that authors began writing the first science fiction stories. In 1638, English writer Francis Godwin's novel, "Man in the Moone," was published posthumously. Artists still reference it today - and, in another 300 years, Godwin's vision would be vindicated.
Fantastic utopias
In novels like "From the Earth to the Moon," Frenchman Jules Verne (1828-1905) actually inspired the pioneers of space. He predicted inventions in rocket technology. He is also seen as the father of the technological utopian adventure novel and of the genre of science fiction. Filmmakers repeatedly reproduce his stories, such as "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea."
The first fictional film
In 1902, a film pioneer embraced the space trip. It was the first fictional film of all time, and its director, Georges Meliès, was inspired by Jules Verne's ideas. In the film, astronauts travel in a space capsule to the moon. They ultimately land on the eye of the moon's "face." Many other directors have paid homage to scenes from that film.
Black Square
An icon of modern art, Russian painter Kazimir Malevich created the "Black Square" in 1914/1915. What does it have to do with space? For Malevich, abstract art was the first testimony to an extraterrestrial perspective. The idea was to deliver a sense of detachment from the materials used - toward an almost religious silence and weightlessness.
Rocket fever
Here, scientists search for treasure on the dark side of the moon. It's a scene from "Woman in the Moon" by legendary Austrian director Fritz Lang. The silent film sparked a wave of enthusiasm for space in Germany during the Weimar Republic. Space became a new field of experimentation - but the Second World War dashed hopes of a real trip to the moon.
The adventures of the Enterprise
"Outer space, infinitely vast. We write from the year 2200." If Trekkies balk at this introduction to Star Trek, it's because it's from the German version of the US series. The Enterprise spaceship was the flagship of this perfect example of science fiction on television. "Star Trek" ran in the 1960s. After the moon landing in 1969, the Enterprise's crew became a part of pop culture.
The UFO house
Architecture also embraced utopian ideas from science fiction. The "Futuro" house is one example. Finnish Architect Matti Suroonen developed the UFO-like house in 1968. One of these miniature apartments was built onto the roof German artist Charles Wilp's house, who himself was inspired by all things cosmic. The structure is now at the Witten Museum in western Germany.
Art from stardust
German artist Ulrike Arnold uses real stellar material on her canvases. At times, she mixes shimmering stardust (provided to her by an American researcher) with sand from the river Rhine. The idea is that, just like on this triptych, heaven and earth come together.
Art in weightlessness
In the last decade, artistic ideas of how to use space culturally have been flourishing. A Slovenian art collective known as Delak developed the idea of "post-gravity art," or art created in the weightlessness of space. At the moment, artists are showing plans for "artistic satellites," or "Umbots," pictured here at the Freies Museum Berlin. But their plans go much further…
A 50-year theater project
Delak also built the European Cultural Centre for Space Technology in Slovenia, hewing to plans drawn by space visionary Hermann Noordung (1892-1929). The group's theater project, "Noordung 1995-2045," is performed every ten years. The last performance to take place in outer space. If a performer dies in the meantime, he or she is to be replaced by a melody.
Moon geese
A London art organization known as "The Arts Catalyst" deals critically with science. That includes a project called "Moon Goose Analogue" by artist Agnes Meyer-Brandis. She was inspired by a scene from the "Man in the Moone" story (see third picture), in which a transporter of "moon geese" is drawn. For the installation, she bred eleven geese and named them after astronauts.
Music at the UFO platform
German composer and musician Rochus Aust also has a soft spot for the cosmic. His group, Ensemble Re-Load Futura (pictured), is currently touring the world. Their "Export Cars to Mars?" project offers experimental music and alluring visuals. One performance took place at a train station in Scheven, Germany, which was temporarily transformed into a studio and "UFO platform."