Week 9: Space and Art



For this week’s topic, I found that both art and space have big influences on each other because they involve both human intelligence and creativity. Space is a concept that an everyday human has only been able to visualize since the first Apollo missions that were able to take photographs of space. This form of art is important to society because according to the International Association of Astronomical Artist, images of space bring “a new sense of our world as an island in empty space and promoted ideas of the essential unity of Humanity” (VAAA). Similarly, space is important to art because it has given us an idea what the world is like outside of our small bubble of earth. Art comes from these photographs because it shows the true beauty of space and also helps scientist to understand space without having to go into space (Jones). 

The Horsehead Nebula, a vast cloud of dust and gas.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jun/12/why-most-important-art-today-made-in-space#img-3

            Many exhibitions today are inspired by the beauty of space and use the concepts that relate to the infinity of stars in space. An example of this is seen in the exhibition by Yayoi Kusama called the infinity-mirrored room, which is featured at the Broad in LA. This exhibition individually places every guest in the room for 45 seconds to experience what the infinity of space would be like by using LED lights and mirrors to create an endless space (The Broad).

Yayoi Kusama Infinity-Mirrored Room
http://www.thebroad.org/art/exhibitions/yayoi-kusama-infinity-mirrored-room

            Another inspiration of art that came from space is seen in one of the top grossing movie franchises, Star Wars. This series has a big influence on society, which can be seen in the fact that it has grossed more than seven billion dollars and will continue to make more money because they are still creating movies (thenumbers.com). The series gives a realistic depiction of what space would be like through placing viewers in a futuristic world. According to NASA, there are actually a lot of connections between space and Stars Wars because many people working for NASA use a Star Wars lens as a way to view space. For example, when looking at space people working for NASA noticed that these movies are inspired by actual planets in space as seen in the resemblance of the Dead Star in Star Wars and Mimas, which is the moon of Saturn (Wilson).

Mimas, the Moon of Saturn that looks like the Death Star in Star Wars
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-and-star-wars-the-connections-are-strong-in-this-one
Ultimately, art is societies only eyes in space and the two working together help to reveal the beauty of space and the mysteries of our world.




References:

Jones, Jonathan. "Out of This World: Why the Most Important Art Today Is Made in Space." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 12 June 2016. Web. 05 June 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jun/12/why-most-important-art-today-made-in-space>.
Jones, Jonathan. "A coronal hole in the sun." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 8 June 2016. Digital Image. 05 June 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jun/12/why-most-important-art-today-made-in-space>.
"Movie Franchises." The Numbers - Where Data and Movies Meet. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2017. <http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchises/sort/World>.
"What Is Space Art?" International Association of Astronomical Artists. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2017. <https://iaaa.org/what-is-space-art/>.
Wilson, Jim. "NASA and Star Wars: The Connections Are Strong in This One." NASA. NASA, 14 Dec. 2015. Web. 05 June 2017. <https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-and-star-wars-the-connections-are-strong-in-this-one>.
Wilson, Jim. "Mimas, with its large Herschel crater, resembles the Death Star as it looms over Saturn's rings in this image from Cassini" NASA. NASA, 14 Dec. 2015. Digital Image. 05 June 2017. <https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-and-star-wars-the-connections-are-strong-in-this-one>.
"Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room." The Broad. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2017. <http://www.thebroad.org/art/exhibitions/yayoi-kusama-infinity-mirrored-room>.
"Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room." The Broad. N.p., n.d. Digital Image. 05 June 2017. <http://www.thebroad.org/art/exhibitions/yayoi-kusama-infinity-mirrored-room>.

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