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 In
the past century a new and highly diverse genre of art has emerged
- Space Art.
Artists have been at the forefront of space exploration since
its very beginning. Their works of imagination have stimulated
and catalyzed a new human endeavor. Works of art and literature
about space have both anticipated and stimulated space development
while exploring destinations and technological concepts that were
often too dangerous, too distant or too advanced for the science
and technology of the moment.
Artists have worked closely with space scientists and engineers
to help them to visualize and develop their scientific and technological
concepts making the dream of space exploration a reality. Science
Fiction literature with a space theme combined with cinematography
has since become one of the most popular and financially successful
artforms of all time. As such it stimulates the public's fascination
with space exploration and likewise has a positive influence on
maintaining the public's support for further space development.
Today, a new breed of contemporary artists have initiated projects to explore outer space on their own terms by realizing their art beyond Earth or with their own bodies in weightlessness.
The goal of "Spacearts - the Space Art Database" is
to document this important and exciting art form and to make it
be publicly accessible on this website.
Leonardo/OLATS - the French branch of Leonardo/Isast (the International Society for the Arts, Science and Technology) and the Foundation - a non-profit cultural and astronautical organization based in Switzerland have embarked on an ambitious project to comprehensively document this vast and new genre of space art.
Definition of Spacearts
Spacearts is an online database providing information about
the arts related to outer space from the middle of the 19th
century until the present.
Description
Spacearts is a comprehensive reference that focuses on the artists engaged with the themes of outer space exploration and space development and documents their significant contributions.
Spacearts is international in scope and multilingual in practice
with English, French and German language versions developed
simultaneously.
The content of Spacearts is being curated. It will be open to
public submission and each record will be evaluated and edited
before being added to the publicly accessible database
The Aim of Spacearts is to show that after over 45 years of space development:
Space Art in many cases has anticipated, through the visions
and ideas it incorporates, many technological and space developments.
Space Art is part of popular culture and of contemporary art
Space art is diverse, complex and includes a variety of art
forms
Space Art is essential to generating and maintaining the public's
support for space development
The Purpose of Spacearts
To provide a unique and useful tool to a targeted audience of:
- curators
- art historians
- art critics
- artists
- journalists
- researchers
- scientists
- students
as well as to be an interesting online resource for the general public
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