This week’s lectures focused on space and how it has been the source of inspiration for many forms of art. Space is such an extraordinary idea to think about and it is absolutely fascinating to me to think that the universe is so huge. This really puts into perspective the lives that we really live, and raises the question, will my life leave any meaningful impact at all? Let’s get straight into some examples.
“2560x1440 Astronaut Lost in Space 1440P Resolution.” Wallpapersden.com, Pinterest, 9 Apr. 2021, https://i.pinimg.com/originals/19/14/5a/19145a11effb8830fbecb3eb6f8bd7b4.jpg.
An example of art inspired by space is the space elevator (Vesna). This piece imagines a world where there would be an elevator to take humans all the way up to space from the ground. Although this is a very difficult task, as mankind has never built a tower high enough to reach space yet, this project is actually being funded to be produced into reality (Soderman).
Clovis, Glen. The Space Elevator – an Alternative Path to Space? Room The Space Journal of Asgardia, 2018, https://room.eu.com/article/the-space-elevator-an-alternative-path-to-space.
If transportation to space is built for tourism purposes, space could start to be taken advantage of as a business. Marketing the idea of going to space is an incredibly attractive option for many companies. This has already been shown when Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin traveled to space, with tickets generating as much as 100 million dollars (Duffy).
Berger, Eric. “Blue Origin’s New Shepard Crew.” Despite Tuesday’s Flight, Jeff Bezos Is Running out of Time to Save Blue Origin, WIRED Media Group, 20 July 2021, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/GettyImages-1329728630.jpg.
A space art piece I have personally been inspired from is the album cover of “Everybody Loves You When You’re Gone.” This album contains 12 songs, and the cover is of a man waiting for his train on a station overlooking Earth (Go).
Go, Van. Everybody Loves You When You’Re Gone. Spotify, 2018, https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273c5356c028f39ec0511dc9387.
It’s important to remember that art doesn’t always come in visual forms. On the last day of the Mars Opportunity Rover’s mission, the scientists at NASA used their final communication to play “I’ll Be Seeing You” by Billie Holiday (Cerón). This was a nice farewell to the robot that served them for almost 15 years, whose mission was expected to only last 90 days (Greicius). The scientists could have used their final signal for anything, but chose to play a song, to express music in space. I believe this was the right decision.
Works Cited
Cerón, Ella. “The Dead Mars Rover Was a Springsteen Fan.” The Cut, VOX MEDIA, LLC, 20 Feb. 2019, https://www.thecut.com/2019/02/nasa-scientists-played-the-mars-rover-music-for-years.html#:~:text=As%20their%20final%20communication%20to,'ll%20be%20seeing%20you.%E2%80%9D.
Duffy, Kate. “Jeff Bezos Said Blue Origin Has Sold Nearly $100 Million Worth of Tickets for Future Tourist Trips to Space.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 21 July 2021, https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-sold-100-million-space-tourism-tickets-2021-7.
Go, Van. “ Everyone Loves You When You're Gone.” I Wish i Could Be Grateful, Bandcamp, https://vango4.bandcamp.com/album/everyone-loves-you-when-youre-gone.
Greicius, Tony. “Mars Rover Opportunity - Mars Missions - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.” Opportunity Rover, NASA, https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-exploration-rover-opportunity-mer.
Soderman. “The Space Elevator Concept.” Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, NASA, https://sservi.nasa.gov/articles/the-space-elevator-concept/.
Vesna, Victoria, director. 8 Space pt1 1280x720. YouTube, UC Online, 29 July 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZIqTR332l8&t=225s. Accessed 23 May 2022.
Hi Vivek! What an insightful analysis on art and space! I really appreciate how you brought up more about the future of space and how it will become a more tangible destination to the average person. Seeing the different pictures of what space travel might look like gets me really excited about what the future holds. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHi Vivek,
ReplyDeleteYour post was really insightful! The idea of ordinary (but also very wealthy) individuals being able to go into space is astonishing to me. Space has always been deemed as this kind of scary, unknown area, so the fact that people are now able to experience it first-hand is quite amazing. I also like how you added some music that's personal to you and your relationship with space. I'll definitely check it out! Great post!
Hi Vivek, I really enjoyed reading your post. All of the examples you included were very interesting, and I like how you included the song form of art as one of your examples. It is a good reminder to highlight how art can come in many forms, and can be influential in another way, and potentially reach another audience. I also really liked how you posed the question in the beginning, how you can leave an meaningful impact yourself.
ReplyDeleteHi Vivek! I love your blog post! Your analysis and discussion of space, its vastness, and our place in it was incredibly fascinating. I was particularly interested in your discussion of space and its connections to music. I had not thought of music as an art form in this class, and think it was incredibly relevant to include. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHello! I really enjoyed your blog. The most interesting part to me was the section about companies sending people to space. I think it is a very important topic that needs to be discussed more. I loved that you touched on private companies sending people into space for the right amount of money. There are astronauts that go through very rigorous training to go into space and companies and rich people are paying their way into space with not even half of the training that astronauts go through. In my opinion, another downside to private companies going into space just for the fun of it is that the more that companies send people into space for a certain price, the more waste there will be in space, which could lead to even worse problems.
ReplyDelete