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Week 9: Space + Art

Copernicus' heliocentric model
"Copernican Heliocentrism." Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernican_heliocentrism. Accessed 2

   June 2018.
The relationship between art and space is very integrated in pop culture. I personally have always
been enticed by the mystery and beauty of outer space. The coolest part, to me, is how space is
so far away that renditions of how people think space looks like is so integral to the study of
astronomy and understanding astrophysics. For example, Copernicus, the German astronomer
who came up with the idea of a heliocentric solar system, had to draw out his thoughts in detail
because he did not have the technology to just take a picture. Even today we still do not know
what the galaxy we live in looks like, but use the knowledge of physics and our limited view of
the spiral arms we have studied to create pictures of what we think it looks like (Veronese).

Artist's rendition of the
space elevator
Veronese, Keith. "How Can We Take Pictures of the Galaxy without Leaving It?" io9: Welcome to the
   Future, io9.gizmodo.com/5956960/


   how-to-take-pictures-of-the-milky-way-without-leaving-the-galaxy. Accessed 2 June 2018.
Although some credit the beginning of pop culture’s interest in space with the 1957 launch of
Sputnik, the first Russian artificial Earth satellite, it is clear that from the beginning of time,
humans have been studying and imagining the unknown wonders the night sky holds. Before
the moon landing, shows like The Jetsons, Space Patrol, and the Twilight Zone intertwined
scientific exploration and art using the imagination of the TV and Film industry (Sean). I think it’s
important to acknowledge that the relationship between art and science is very reciprocal rather
than one sided. Inspiration from sci-fi books and movies drive scientific exploration and
technological innovation while new technologies help tell more complex and realistic sci-fi stories.
For example, the space elevator from Arthur Clark’s novel, The Foundations of Paradise, is an
idea that modern day scientists are tinkering with and working towards making it a reality
(Dr. Gimzewsk). I think astronomer Roger Malina summed up the complementary relationship
between art and science perfectly when he said, “The space age was possible because for
centuries the cultural imagination was fed by artists, writers, and musicians who dreamed of
human activities in space” (Leonardo Space Art Project).

1950's show "Space Patrol"
Sean, Mike. "Sci-Fi Television in the 1950s." IMDb, www.imdb.com/list/ls000097346/. Accessed 2 June 2018.
Radical ideas of the potential space has to offer humans has been a popular theme in both the
TV/film and sci-fi novel industries since before space exploration even became a goal for the
world. The relationship between artists’ and scientists’ imaginations are crucial to furthering our
knowledge about the universe and even ourselves and how we came to be. As Carl Sagan said,
“imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere” (Sagan).
What I am not excited for is the new push for discovering other Earth-like planets for us to live on
because with government funding, not only will we be able to make huge leaps in astronomical
discoveries, but I think it will benefit the world’s understanding of how precious and fragile Earth
is and hopefully generate the much needed push for environmental conservation.

Sources:

Vesna, Victoria. “Space + Art.” Lecture part 1. May 29, 2018.

Sean, Mike. "Sci-Fi Television in the 1950s." IMDb, www.imdb.com/list/ls000097346/. Accessed 2 June 2018.

Roger Malina, “Leonardo Space Art Project Visioneers.” Leonardo Space Art Project. MIT Press, 1996. Web. 26 Nov. 2012

Veronese, Keith. "How Can We Take Pictures of the Galaxy without Leaving It?" io9: Welcome to the
   Future, io9.gizmodo.com/5956960/
   how-to-take-pictures-of-the-milky-way-without-leaving-the-galaxy. Accessed 2 June 2018.

Dr. Gimzewsk. “Nanotechnology + Art.” Lecture 2.

Sagan, Carl. "Carl Sagan Quotes." Art Quotes, www.art-quotes.com/
   auth_search.php?authid=2336#.WxMQbtMvyL8.

"Copernican Heliocentrism." Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernican_heliocentrism. Accessed 2
   June 2018.

Comments

  1. Tyler MillerJune 8, 2018 at 6:04 PM

    Great post! I, too, have been intrigued by the mystery of space for a long time. I love your quote that "it’s important to acknowledge that the relationship between art and science is very reciprocal rather than one sided." I've been realizing more and more that science fiction is often what drives the imagination of scientists to bring the technology to fruition.

    ReplyDelete

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