DOCSLIB.ORG

Art on Mars: a Foundation for Exoart

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Art on Mars: a Foundation for Exoart THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA AUSTRALIA by TREVOR JOHN RODWELL Bachelor of Design (Hons), University of South Australia Graduate Diploma (Business Enterprise), The University of Adelaide ART ON MARS: A FOUNDATION FOR EXOART May 2011 ABSTRACT ART ON MARS: A FOUNDATION FOR EXOART It could be claimed that human space exploration started when the former Soviet Union (USSR) launched cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into Earth orbit on 12 April 1961. Since that time there have been numerous human space missions taking American astronauts to the Moon and international crews to orbiting space stations. Several space agencies are now working towards the next major space objective which is to send astronauts to Mars. This will undoubtedly be the most complex and far-reaching human space mission ever undertaken. Because of its large scale and potentially high cost it is inevitable that such a mission will be an international collaborative venture with a profile that will be world- wide. Although science, technology and engineering have made considerable contributions to human space missions and will be very much involved with a human Mars mission, there has been scant regard for artistic and cultural involvement in these missions. Space agencies have, however, realised the influence of public perception on space funding outcomes and for some time have strived to engage the public in these space missions. This has provided an opportunity for an art and cultural involvement, but there is a problem for art engaging with space missions as currently there is no artform specific to understanding and tackling the issues of art beyond our planet. This thesis involves research to recognise these issues and establish a foundation for a form of art that I refer to as Exoart, from which art can build a bridge to connect meaningfully with our new space future. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis was not written in isolation and there are many people to thank for their support and encouragement. First, thanks to the many friends and family members who constantly enquired about the progress of this thesis and were genuinely intrigued by my areas of research. Thanks to the University of Canberra for giving me the opportunity to undertake what must have initially seemed a research subject ‘off the planet’. The support and professionalism of those I had dealings with is greatly appreciated. Thanks also to the team who guided me on the trajectory to Mars. My primary supervisor, Associate Professor Stephen Barrass, my secondary supervisor, Dr Sam Hinton, and Associate Professor Paul Magee who came on board as an advisor part-way through the launch procedures. More should be mentioned regarding the supervision of Stephen Barrass whose good advice, prompt response to my many emails, sense of humour and commitment to this research over and above what could reasonably be expected, has made this endeavour a smooth and enjoyable journey. Acknowledgement and thanks also to all those who generously supplied me with images and gave permission for their use. This thesis is far clearer for their inclusion. Finally, my greatest thanks go to my wife, Sue, artist and fellow-traveller in the cosmos. Her unfailing support for this project, her practical assistance and her constant critiquing of my ideas has added significantly to the final presentation of this thesis. I will be forever grateful for her positive contribution. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF IMAGES ............................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1, INTRODUCTION Background to Research ........................................................................................... 1 Research Aim ............................................................................................................ 2 Research Parameters ................................................................................................. 2 Overview of Research ............................................................................................... 3 CHAPTER 2, THE ELEMENTS OF EXOART Introduction ............................................................................................................... 6 A new Artistic Initiative ........................................................................................... 6 Engaging with Space Missions ............................................................................... 22 Engaging with the Future ........................................................................................ 27 Engaging with Memory .......................................................................................... 37 Audience and Aesthetics ......................................................................................... 45 Summary ................................................................................................................. 47 CHAPTER 3, LAND ART Introduction ............................................................................................................. 49 Background ............................................................................................................. 49 Land Art Beginnings ............................................................................................... 53 Land Art Works ...................................................................................................... 55 Greg Johns – Horizon Figure ......................................................................... 55 Trevor Rodwell and Sue Rodwell – Read the Wind ....................................... 56 Chris Drury – Wave Chamber ........................................................................ 56 Andrew Rogers – Rhythm of Life ................................................................... 57 Robert Smithson – Spiral Jetty ....................................................................... 58 Hansjörg Voth – Sky Stairs ............................................................................ 59 Michael Heizer – Double Negative ................................................................ 59 Antony Gormley – Inside Australia ............................................................... 60 Walter De Maria – Lightning Field ................................................................ 61 Andy Goldsworthy – Locharbriggs Sandstone Arch ..................................... 62 Trevor Rodwell and Sue Rodwell – Written on the Land .............................. 63 Nancy Holt – Sun Tunnels .............................................................................. 63 Charles Ross – Star Axis ................................................................................ 64 James Turrell – Roden Crater ........................................................................ 65 Land Art Installation Features ........................................................................ 66 Issues with Land Art ............................................................................................... 67 Issues of Land ......................................................................................................... 70 Sites ................................................................................................................ 70 The Palmer Project ......................................................................................... 71 Accessing Land Art Works ............................................................................ 72 Vandalism and Bureaucratic Issues ................................................................ 74 Theoretical Elements .............................................................................................. 76 Nature, environment, landscape and the picturesque ..................................... 76 Land Art Works .............................................................................................. 82 Summary ................................................................................................................. 84 v CHAPTER 4, ANCIENT LAND INTERVENTIONS Introduction ............................................................................................................. 86 Overview ................................................................................................................. 87 Structures with a predominance of stone ....................................................... 89 The Hurlers, Bodmin Moor, UK ........................................................... 89 Nonokadō, Oyu, Japan ........................................................................... 90 Carnac and Locmariaquer, Brittany, France......................................... 90 Stenness and Ring of Brodgar, Orkney, UK .......................................... 91 Newgrange, County Meath, Ireland ....................................................... 91 Stonehenge, Wiltshire, UK .................................................................... 93 Avebury Henge and Standing Stones, Wiltshire, UK ............................ 96 Mounds constructed from environmental materials ....................................... 99 Silbury Hill, Wiltshire, UK .................................................................... 99 Serpent Mound, Ohio, USA ................................................................. 101 Markings on the Land .................................................................................. 103 Nazca Lines, Peru ...............................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Book Review1.Fm
    Meteoritics & Planetary Science 42, Nr 9, 1695–1696 (2007) http://meteoritics.org Book Review Protostars and planets V, edited by Reipurth B, Jewitt D., and Keil K. Tucson, Arizona: The University of Arizona Press, 2007, 1024 p., cloth (ISBN 978-0-8165-2654-3). Some thirty years ago, planetary science and the study of star formation were different scientific fields with different practitioners who rarely interacted with one another. Planetary scientists, mostly geochemists and geophysicists, resided in geology departments whereas star formation was the domain of astronomers. All this has changed starting with Tom Gehrels who organized the first Protostars and Planets conference in January 1978 in Tucson. In the book that followed this conference, which was edited by Gehrels, he expressed the hope “to develop the interface between studies of star formation and those of the origin of the solar system.” This hope has been fulfilled beyond expectations. The first volume has been followed by four more in intervals of about seven years. Each book was preceded by a conference. The Protostars and Planets V Conference took place at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island of Hawai‘i on October 24–28, 2005. The subsequent book appeared early this year. As its forerunners, it is part of the University of Arizona The arrangement of the chapters roughly follows the Space Science Series, which is devoted to different aspects of inferred prehistory of our own solar system. In the dense core solar system science. of a molecular cloud, gravity overcomes thermal and The rapid growth of this new interdisciplinary field magnetic pressures, leading to the formation of a star, in most between astronomy and planetary science is demonstrated by case actually of a binary star system.
    [Show full text]
  • Meteorites on Mars Observed with the Mars Exploration Rovers C
    JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 113, E06S22, doi:10.1029/2007JE002990, 2008 Meteorites on Mars observed with the Mars Exploration Rovers C. Schro¨der,1 D. S. Rodionov,2,3 T. J. McCoy,4 B. L. Jolliff,5 R. Gellert,6 L. R. Nittler,7 W. H. Farrand,8 J. R. Johnson,9 S. W. Ruff,10 J. W. Ashley,10 D. W. Mittlefehldt,1 K. E. Herkenhoff,9 I. Fleischer,2 A. F. C. Haldemann,11 G. Klingelho¨fer,2 D. W. Ming,1 R. V. Morris,1 P. A. de Souza Jr.,12 S. W. Squyres,13 C. Weitz,14 A. S. Yen,15 J. Zipfel,16 and T. Economou17 Received 14 August 2007; revised 9 November 2007; accepted 21 December 2007; published 18 April 2008. [1] Reduced weathering rates due to the lack of liquid water and significantly greater typical surface ages should result in a higher density of meteorites on the surface of Mars compared to Earth. Several meteorites were identified among the rocks investigated during Opportunity’s traverse across the sandy Meridiani plains. Heat Shield Rock is a IAB iron meteorite and has been officially recognized as ‘‘Meridiani Planum.’’ Barberton is olivine-rich and contains metallic Fe in the form of kamacite, suggesting a meteoritic origin. It is chemically most consistent with a mesosiderite silicate clast. Santa Catarina is a brecciated rock with a chemical and mineralogical composition similar to Barberton. Barberton, Santa Catarina, and cobbles adjacent to Santa Catarina may be part of a strewn field. Spirit observed two probable iron meteorites from its Winter Haven location in the Columbia Hills in Gusev Crater.
    [Show full text]
  • Planetary Report Report
    The PLANETARYPLANETARY REPORT REPORT Volume XXIX Number 1 January/February 2009 Beyond The Moon From The Editor he Internet has transformed the way science is On the Cover: Tdone—even in the realm of “rocket science”— The United States has the opportunity to unify and inspire the and now anyone can make a real contribution, as world’s spacefaring nations to create a future brightened by long as you have the will to give your best. new goals, such as the human exploration of Mars and near- In this issue, you’ll read about a group of amateurs Earth asteroids. Inset: American astronaut Peggy A. Whitson who are helping professional researchers explore and Russian cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko try out training Mars online, encouraged by Mars Exploration versions of Russian Orlan spacesuits. Background: The High Rovers Project Scientist Steve Squyres and Plane- Resolution Camera on Mars Express took this snapshot of tary Society President Jim Bell (who is also head Candor Chasma, a valley in the northern part of Valles of the rovers’ Pancam team.) Marineris, on July 6, 2006. Images: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training This new Internet-enabled fun is not the first, Center. Background: ESA nor will it be the only, way people can participate in planetary exploration. The Planetary Society has been encouraging our members to contribute Background: their minds and energy to science since 1984, A dust storm blurs the sky above a volcanic caldera in this image when the Pallas Project helped to determine the taken by the Mars Color Imager on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shape of a main-belt asteroid.
    [Show full text]
  • ET First Extract
    May 2018 Evangelical TIMES 23 What is man (1): Are we alone in the universe? The first of three edited extracts from Edgar Andrews’ new book, What is Man? Adam, alien or ape? Prof Edgar Andrews It’s easy to confuse SETI with YETI because both relate to are more likely to swallow small bugs than little green men. the National Science Foundation, Ohio State University began creatures that probably don’t exist. The Yeti is a proverbial I should make it clear that the planet’s discoverers said constructing a radio observatory called ‘Big Ear’ — which beast that inhabits the Himalayas and walks upright like a nothing about bugs — that was an invention by the BBC. later undertook the world’s first continuous SETI program. human, but leaves huge footprints in the snow and strikes But their claim that Gliese 581c is a rocky planet like Earth On 15 August 1977, Jerry Ehman, a project volunteer at fear into the local populace. Related to America’s Bigfoot, it and has liquid water on its surface is itself based on a string the observatory, observed a strong signal and wrote ‘Wow!’ is sometimes called the Abominable Snowman (apparently of assumptions. on the recorded trace. Unsurprisingly known as the Wow! due to a mistranslation of its Nepalese name). An informed website respondent commented: ‘You must signal, some enthusiasts consider it the best candidate to date SETI, on the other hand, stands for ‘the search for extra- remember that neither the mass nor the radius of this planet for a cosmic radio signal from an artificial source.
    [Show full text]
  • PART IV CATALOGUES of Exhibitions,734 Sales,735 and Bibliographies
    972 “William Blake and His Circle” PART IV CATALOGUES of Exhibitions,734 Sales,735 and Bibliographies 1780 The Exhibition of the Royal Academy, M.DCC.LXXX. The Twelfth (1780) <BB> B. Anon. "Catalogue of Paintings Exhibited at the Rooms of the Royal Academy", Library of the Fine Arts, III (1832), 345-358 (1780) <Toronto>. In 1780, the Blake entry is reported as "W Blake.--315. Death of Earl Goodwin" (p. 353). REVIEW Candid [i.e., George Cumberland], Morning Chronicle and London Advertiser, 27 May 1780 (includes a criticism of “the death of earl Goodwin, by Mr. Blake”) <BB #1336> 734 Some exhibitions apparently were not accompanied by catalogues and are known only through press-notices of them. 735 See G.E. Bentley, Jr, Sale Catalogues of Blake’s Works 1791-2013 put online on 21 Aug 2013 [http://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/collections/special collections/bentley blake collection/in]. It includes sales of contemporary copies of Blake’s books and manuscripts, his watercolours and drawings, and books (including his separate prints) with commercial engravings. After 2012, I do not report sale catalogues which offer unremarkable copies of books with Blake's commercial engravings or Blake's separate commercial prints. 972 973 “William Blake and His Circle” 1784 The Exhibition of the Royal Academy, M.DCC.LXXXIV. The Sixteenth (London: Printed by T. Cadell, Printer to the Royal Academy) <BB> Blake exhibited “A breach in a city, the morning after a battle” and “War unchained by an angel, Fire, Pestilence, and Famine following”. REVIEW referring to Blake Anon., "The Exhibition. Sculpture and Drawing", Morning Chronicle and London Advertiser, Thursday 27 May 1784, p.
    [Show full text]
  • UK Space Agency Civil Space Strategy 2012-2016
    UK Space Agency Civil Space Strategy An executive agency of the Department of Business, Innovation UK SPACE AGENCY Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 1SZ Tel +44(0)207 215 5000 Email [email protected] Web www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency CIVIL SPACE STRATEGY 2012-2016 The UK Space Agency To lead and sustain the growth of the UK Space Sector Foreword A strategy is more than simply words. A strategy demonstrates that we are carefully considering the options available to us; that we have an eye on the long-term, and most importantly, that we are committed to action. We are currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of the UK’s first foray into space, recognizing the pioneers who first ventured into unknown scientific territory with the Ariel-1 satellite. In the intervening half-century, space has become part of our lives. We use its technology to navigate our streets, access the internet and communicate around the globe. And UK space expertise has cemented Britain at the forefront of the exploration of our Universe. We have landed the Huygens probe on Titan, flown by Halley’s comet with the Giotto mission, probed the mysteries of the Universe with Herschel and Planck, and advanced our understanding of planet Earth through the Envisat and Cryosat missions. Today, space continues to be a key sector for Britain’s future. Its economic contribution to the UK economy is impressive. Total space-related turnover was £9.1 billion in 2010/11 (compared to £7.5 billion in 2008/09). This represents a real growth of 15.6% since 2008/09.
    [Show full text]
  • The Planetary Report
    On the Cover: Volume XV Seen thro ugh eyes other than our own, the planet Earth Table of Number 3 appears as a stran ge but beautiful place. The Galilea spacecraft on its way to Jupiter took thi s image of West ' Contents 'May/June 1995 Africa and the Mediterranean Sea from about 600 ,000 kilometers (400,000 miles) away. The spacecraft's camera was looking through infrared filters sensitive to light wave­ lengths unfamiliar to the human eye. Images ta ken th is way provide information about things such as the location an d health of vegetati on an d the water conte nt of clouds. Features Basics of Galilea's portrai ts of the planet cou ld be valuabl e referen ce 14 Spaceflight: poi nts for future Earth-monitoring spacecraft. Phoenix Rises: (See page 10 for a complete caption.) Gravity Assist 4 NASA SETI Project Image: Pau l Geissler, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Over the years the term "gravity assist" Un ivers ity of Arizona Is Reborn has appeared time and again in our pages. Two years ago the congressional budget This ingenious technique has made many cutters took an ax to NASA's ambitious of our pioneering spacecraft missions pos­ program in the Search for Extraterrestrial sible. For example, the Galileo encounter Froln Intelligence. But dedicated researchers with Earth was part of a gravity-assist refused to give up, and they found a way to maneuver. It's a hard technique to explain, The save part of the program. Project Phoenix but here we lay it out for our readers.
    [Show full text]
  • Georgia Historical Society Educator Web Guide
    Georgia Historical Society Educator Web Guide Guide to the educational resources available on the GHS website Theme driven guide to: Online exhibits Biographical Materials Primary sources Classroom activities Today in Georgia History Episodes New Georgia Encyclopedia Articles Archival Collections Historical Markers Updated: July 2014 Georgia Historical Society Educator Web Guide Table of Contents Pre-Colonial Native American Cultures 1 Early European Exploration 2-3 Colonial Establishing the Colony 3-4 Trustee Georgia 5-6 Royal Georgia 7-8 Revolutionary Georgia and the American Revolution 8-10 Early Republic 10-12 Expansion and Conflict in Georgia Creek and Cherokee Removal 12-13 Technology, Agriculture, & Expansion of Slavery 14-15 Civil War, Reconstruction, and the New South Secession 15-16 Civil War 17-19 Reconstruction 19-21 New South 21-23 Rise of Modern Georgia Great Depression and the New Deal 23-24 Culture, Society, and Politics 25-26 Global Conflict World War One 26-27 World War Two 27-28 Modern Georgia Modern Civil Rights Movement 28-30 Post-World War Two Georgia 31-32 Georgia Since 1970 33-34 Pre-Colonial Chapter by Chapter Primary Sources Chapter 2 The First Peoples of Georgia Pages from the rare book Etowah Papers: Exploration of the Etowah site in Georgia. Includes images of the site and artifacts found at the site. Native American Cultures Opening America’s Archives Primary Sources Set 1 (Early Georgia) SS8H1— The development of Native American cultures and the impact of European exploration and settlement on the Native American cultures in Georgia. Illustration based on French descriptions of Florida Na- tive Americans.
    [Show full text]
  • The Astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler
    Ice Core Records – From Volcanoes to Supernovas The Astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler Tycho Brahe (1546-1601, shown at left) was a nobleman from Denmark who made astronomy his life's work because he was so impressed when, as a boy, he saw an eclipse of the Sun take place at exactly the time it was predicted. Tycho's life's work in astronomy consisted of measuring the positions of the stars, planets, Moon, and Sun, every night and day possible, and carefully recording these measurements, year after year. Johannes Kepler (1571-1630, below right) came from a poor German family. He did not have it easy growing Tycho Brahe up. His father was a soldier, who was killed in a war, and his mother (who was once accused of witchcraft) did not treat him well. Kepler was taken out of school when he was a boy so that he could make money for the family by working as a waiter in an inn. As a young man Kepler studied theology and science, and discovered that he liked science better. He became an accomplished mathematician and a persistent and determined calculator. He was driven to find an explanation for order in the universe. He was convinced that the order of the planets and their movement through the sky could be explained through mathematical calculation and careful thinking. Johannes Kepler Tycho wanted to study science so that he could learn how to predict eclipses. He studied mathematics and astronomy in Germany. Then, in 1571, when he was 25, Tycho built his own observatory on an island (the King of Denmark gave him the island and some additional money just for that purpose).
    [Show full text]
  • The Economic Impact of Physics Research in the UK: Satellite Navigation Case Study
    The economic impact of physics research in the UK: Satellite Navigation Case Study A report for STFC November 2012 Contents Executive Summary................................................................................... 3 1 The science behind satellite navigation......................................... 4 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 4 1.2 The science................................................................................................ 4 1.3 STFC’s role in satellite navigation.............................................................. 6 1.4 Conclusions................................................................................................ 8 2 Economic impact of satellite navigation ........................................ 9 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 9 2.2 Summary impact of GPS ........................................................................... 9 2.3 The need for Galileo................................................................................. 10 2.4 Definition of the satellite navigation industry............................................ 10 2.5 Methodological approach......................................................................... 11 2.6 Upstream direct impacts .......................................................................... 12 2.7 Downstream direct impacts.....................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Educator's Guide
    EDUCATOR’S GUIDE ABOUT THE FILM Dear Educator, “ROVING MARS”is an exciting adventure that This movie details the development of Spirit and follows the journey of NASA’s Mars Exploration Opportunity from their assembly through their Rovers through the eyes of scientists and engineers fantastic discoveries, discoveries that have set the at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Steve Squyres, pace for a whole new era of Mars exploration: from the lead science investigator from Cornell University. the search for habitats to the search for past or present Their collective dream of Mars exploration came life… and maybe even to human exploration one day. true when two rovers landed on Mars and began Having lasted many times longer than their original their scientific quest to understand whether Mars plan of 90 Martian days (sols), Spirit and Opportunity ever could have been a habitat for life. have confirmed that water persisted on Mars, and Since the 1960s, when humans began sending the that a Martian habitat for life is a possibility. While first tentative interplanetary probes out into the solar they continue their studies, what lies ahead are system, two-thirds of all missions to Mars have NASA missions that not only “follow the water” on failed. The technical challenges are tremendous: Mars, but also “follow the carbon,” a building block building robots that can withstand the tremendous of life. In the next decade, precision landers and shaking of launch; six months in the deep cold of rovers may even search for evidence of life itself, space; a hurtling descent through the atmosphere either signs of past microbial life in the rock record (going from 10,000 miles per hour to 0 in only six or signs of past or present life where reserves of minutes!); bouncing as high as a three-story building water ice lie beneath the Martian surface today.
    [Show full text]
  • Space Travel to the Moon and Kepler's Dream
    Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science Volume 79 Number Article 15 1972 Space Travel to the Moon and Kepler's Dream Paul B. Selz Parsons College Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy Copyright ©1972 Iowa Academy of Science, Inc. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias Recommended Citation Selz, Paul B. (1972) "Space Travel to the Moon and Kepler's Dream," Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, 79(1), 47-48. Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol79/iss1/15 This General Interest Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa Academy of Science at UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science by an authorized editor of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Selz: Space Travel to the Moon and Kepler's Dream SPACE TRAVEL & KEPLER'S DREAM 47 Space Travel to the Moon and Kepler's Dream PAUL B. SELZ1 PAUL B. SELZ. Space Travel to the Moon and Kepler's Dream. that the same conclusions would follow. This involved concepts Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci., 79(1):47-48, 1972. ~£ mass, inertia, gravity, acceleration, velocity, and the driving SYNOPSIS: Johann Kepler advocated Copernicus's heliocentric force in a trip to the moon. Twelve years before Newton's birth theory in his Dream and Notes. He imagined how a moon dweller in 1642, Kepler published in this little known dream ideas which would see the solar system and the conclusions he would draw.
    [Show full text]