Outer space is celebrated for its remarkable scientific achievements—from Moon landings and the exploration of distant planets and comets to pioneering deep-space research. Yet, much of today’s activity is dominated by national and commercial interests in limited Earth-Space environment that claim to benefit humanity while excluding structural engagement of civil and public perspectives. Expedition to Public Outer Space will challenge this paradigm by rethinking the role of the public in space initiatives.
In a world where 75 percent of the planet's land surface is experiencing measurable human pressure, the way people imagine the planet substantially impacts the environment itself. Such environmental imaginaries are constructed by a number of underlying concepts, value systems, visual cultures and technologies used for portraying the Earth's environment. However, these technologies are neither neutral nor inclusive of society.
Outer space has presented itself as a contemporary condition where humanness is getting redefined. Are human beings in outer space human, technological or ecological? Are they there for their own sake, or to represent others? Supre:organismpresents work of artists that confront the established deterministic cosmology with a multiplicity of artistic perspectives in order to expand the understanding of human non-terrestrial becoming.
The Supre:organism residency of Waag’s AI Lab in collaboration with the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG) aims to engage artistic perspectives on understanding living materiality in outer space with use of emerging AI technologies.
Outer space has presented itself as a contemporary condition where humanness is being redefined in the absence of arts, humanities and social studies. With this open call, we provide an opportunity to expand established human space activities with a multiplicity of artistic perspectives to broaden the understanding of human non-terrestrial becoming. With the Supre:organism residency, we mark the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing and 100th anniversary of Kazimir Malevich’s gaze into life emerging from the sentinel canvas, the cosmos:
"... all technical organisms are nothing but small satellites—the entire living world is ready to fly into space and take a special position. For each such satellite is fitted with reason and able to live its own life." – Kazimir Malevich, UNOVIS, Vitebsk, December 15, 1920
