Yuri's Night World Space Parties celebrate humankind's first venture into space by Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961, and the launch of the first Space Shuttle on April 12, 1981. The event is a unique convergence of artists, scientists, astronauts, performers, technologists, and musicians to pay tribute to our shared global heritage in space exploration. Through simultaneous celebrations worldwide, Yuri's Night is a collaboration of creative thinkers from all fields to ignite excitement about what is new on the horizon in space exploration and to remind us of the inspiring possibilities that humanity can achieve. In 2008, NASA's 50th Anniversary, the NASA Ames Research Center will host the largest Yuri's Night event ever held.
The theme of this year's event is "Radical Technology for a Sustainable Future." In light of that, I submitted this proposal to the Open Call for Artists:
Title: A Home Forever
Philosophical Statement:
With this work, I intend to present a vision of a future in which humankind uses renewable sources to provide the materials necessary for life as we know it. I find aesthetic value in both the cities we build and the environments that were already there, and I believe that no future is complete without both of those aspects. By striving for renewable energy and building materials, we can reduce the impact that harvesting these things presently has on the environment while not giving up our standard of living. The title of the work is intended to reflect this idea by suggesting that the earth could be our home forever (or near to it) if we use it well.
Description:
My work has two parts. The first is a sculpture, which is a miniature city scene and background. It measures 24" long by 24" wide by 25.75" tall. The background is made of two 24x24 canvases, painted in oils. The floor is made of another 24x24 canvas, onto which I will attach buildings made of materials collected in a nearby park - pine needles, sticks, leaves, etc, all painted in acrylic paint. All together, the sculpture is intended to provide a visual illustration of a futuristic city which comes from renewable resources which are aesthetically pleasing both before and after they are converted to a building. Attached to this is a collection of scans showing what I intend the display to look like.
The second part of the work is a short story, showing a quick flash in the life of an inhabitant of this city, detailing one form the renewable resources could take. It will be hand written in easily readable calligraphy, on nice paper. I decided to do this not for any symbolic reason, but just because it will end up looking more beautiful than printed sheets. These would best be displayed on some sort of movable wall to which I could attach the papers.
Now, this being finals week and all, I haven't worked too much. Spring break is here now, though, so I'm planning on stepping it up and having most of the installation ready a week before I need it. The story's written and in the final stages of editing, and here's a sneak peek at the sculpture itself (one of the side canvases):
