Week 9: Space + Art

Curiosity rover's self-portrait on Mars

Over the past few weeks, the recurring theme of science and art as overlapping disciplines has become more and more apparent with all the new forms of technological collaboration from neuroscience and nanotechnology to biotechnology and space. Many areas including biomedical engineering, artificial intelligence and practically every other field within science and technology have advanced enough to explore areas far beyond the comprehensible boundaries of Earth. All while advancements in art have seemingly leveled off in comparison. So is art actually getting closer to science as we have attempted to cover throughout this quarter?

In my opinion, the answer is yes. While scientists endeavor to understand the intricacies of the world’s structure and explore spaces never traveled to by humanity, artists are seeking to expose the deeper implications of such scientific advancements. From this perspective, art is not only growing closer to science, but is also complementary and essential to the growth of science. Just as Buckminster Fuller once said, “the further art advances the closer it approaches science, the further science advances the closer it approaches art” (Vesna).

"The Jetsons: Little Bundle of Trouble"

In addition to the previously studied focuses of science, space science is a field that has made great strides over the past hundred years. The space race between the US and USSR during the Cold War, mankind’s first steps on the moon, and the landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars have all sparked the imagination of the public and inspired artists to write about the future. Pop culture shows such as “The Jetsons” and “Star Trek” influence the way we imagine space and the future of our world to involve extraterrestrial beings, flying cars and robots with artificial intelligence. With much of the general populace indifferent to space exploration, space art in its many forms plays an extremely important role in generating broader interest towards the field across the board.

"First Steps" Mitchell Jamieson, 1963

"The astronomical artist will always be far ahead of the explorer. They can depict scenes that no human eye will ever see, because of their danger, or their remoteness in time and space" 

-Arthur C. Clarke (NASA).

A clear example of space art is the NASA Art Program which was started in 1962. The program was founded as an effort to “present NASA’s discoveries and cutting-edge research to the public in a way that would be more accessible than complex scientific reports” (NASA). This program allowed artists to create depictions of NASA’s landmark achievements.

Works Cited:

"Curiosity Self-Portrait at 'Mojave' on Mount Sharp." Nasa.gov. NASA, 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://mars.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/images/?ImageID=6976>.

"The Daily Galaxy." The Daily Galaxy. The Daily Galaxy, 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2013/10/unknown-forces-causing-milky-way-galaxy-to-wobble.html>.

Dunbar, Brian. "The NASA Art Program." NASA.gov. NASA, 12 Apr. 2013. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://www.nasa.gov/connect/artspace/creative_works/feature-inception.html>.

Dunbar, Brian. "NASA Art Space." NASA.gov. NASA, 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://www.nasa.gov/connect/artspace/galleries/art_program/ArtProgramGallery.html>.

"The Jetsons: Little Bundle of Trouble." YouTube. YouTube, 12 May 2015. Web. 28 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS8GRm2XTck>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Introduction to Buckminster Fuller." Bfi.org. Buckminster Fuller Institute, n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <https://bfi.org/about-fuller/biography/introduction-buckminster-fuller>.