February 21, 2024
3 Ming read
Sculptures about landing on the moon Join the long history of lunar art
Lunar Lander, nicknamed Od, carries 125 small lunar sculptures of the artist Jeff Kuns, which may be the first authorized works of art on the moon
A close plan of the memorial plate on the moon on the section of Hadley Apennin, in honor of the 14 dead astronauts of NASA and astronauts of the USSR. Astronauts David R. Scott and James B. Irwin established it during the activity of the lunar surface of Apollo 15. The drawing symbolizes the fallen spatial researchers.
If everything goes smoothly, the robotic population of the moon will increase on February 22 with Planned landing of the funded NASA Odysseus OdysseusThe nickname Od. Among its cargo – 125 miniature sculptures of the moon, which their creator, artist Jeff Kuns, announced as “the first authorized work of art on the moon.”
Launched on February 15, Odie was built by a company from Houston Intuitive machinesIt carries six NASA tools, as well as many commercial benefits, including Kuns Moon. Each single -inch moon heading to the lunar surface has two analogues that remain on the ground: a larger statue and digital version in the form of an invisible token or NFT.
“Authorized” is an important word when issuing a sculpture account as “first” on the moon. Even if the landing of intuitive machines passes smoothly, the sculptures of Kuns are probably not the first art to concern our nearest companion in space – although the question is amazingly slippery.
On the support of scientific journalism
If you like this article, consider the opportunity to support our journalism awards SubscriptionWhen buying a subscription, you help to ensure the future of effective stories about discoveries and ideas that form our world today.
The leading applicant for the first art on the moon will affect the lunar module in 1969 in 1969 Apollo 12 missionThe field called the Museum of the Moon, the work was sports drawings the size of the seal of six leading artists of that time, including Andy Warhol and Robert Raushenberg. Although the coalition asked NASA to establish efforts, she did not receive an answer.
“At that time, the concept of art supply to the moon was an avant-garde idea for NASA administrator,” says Caroline Russo, the art curator in the National Museum of Air and Cosmos in Washington, the County of Colombia, “they tried to get official permission, and they could not.”
And so they went to the crook. Presumably, NASA engineer pierced the tile on the leg of the lunar module under shiny golden layers of insulation before the mission exploded. However, there is no photograph of the Museum of the Moon; The only way to make sure that the tile made it is to visit the outpost Lander on the moon. (There are also copies that remain on Earth, including in the Museum of Contemporary Art in New York.)
“Now I know that there is a mental work of art – part of the software among all this equipment and garbage,” said artist Forrest Mayers, who led the effort, said New York Times In an article published on November 22, 1969, when the project was published.
Rousseau claims that the Museum of the Moon, assuming that he reached his destination, is the only true art on the moon. She says that, in her opinion, projects should deliberately fly as art for the purpose of art for qualification. In her opinion, this would be disqualified by another subject of Apollo, a small aluminum statue, which became known as the Fallen Astronaut.
This statue was designed by the artist Paul Van Hoidon and placed on the surface of the moon by Apollo 15 David Scott in 1971, accompanied by a sign, which listed 14 American astronauts and Soviet astronauts who died in search of good. Scott said he It is considered a tribute to the colleagues with a statue, although since then Van Hoydonk said that he approached the work as art.
And just as the roots of art on the moon extend in the first days of the intelligence of the moon, Kuns is not alone in turning his artistic vision to our closest neighbor.
The mission of intuitive machines goes to the heels Another attempt to land on the US MoonA spaceship called Peregrin, which could not reach the moon in January. This langer carried the artistic tablet of the British artist Sasha Jafrey, as well as a small sculpture called Moonark, created by major cooperation, headed by the University of Carnegie -Mellon, which contained images, poems, music and other materials.
“Humanity has always expressed itself through art, and the moon served as inspiration since the beginning of time,” says Rousseau. “Why do not artists see the moon as a new place to propose a new cultural understanding of who we are as civilization?”
It's time to defend science
If you liked this article, I would like to ask for your support. Scientific American For 180 years, he served as a defender of science and industry, and now he may be the most important moment in the history of two centuries.
I was Scientific American The subscriber from the age of 12, and this helped to form how I look at the world. Let me know He always teaches and delights me, and inspires me with fear for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope this does it too for you.
If you Subscribe to Scientific AmericanYou help to ensure that our lighting is focused on significant research and discoveries; that we have resources to report on decisions that threaten laboratories throughout the United States; And that we support both beginners and working scientists at a time when the very value of science is too often unrecognized.
In return, you get important news, Fascinating podcastsBrilliant infographics, I can't miss the information ballotsI definitely watch the video, Complex gamesAnd the best spelling and reporting in science. You can even Give anyone a subscriptionField
We have never had a more important time to get up and show why science matters. I hope you support us in this mission.