In 1997 Louise K Wilson spent 30 days at London's Science Museum (as part of an InIVA residency) researching material from the 'Exploration of Space' gallery and the Museum's library. She became interested in notions of the museum as a 'dream space' where 'real' objects attract re-readings and mis-readings among visitors and actors are employed by the Museum to interpret the collections.
She produced three pieces that explore cultural perceptions of Space as an arena for evoking both nostalgia and dread. Two audio pieces refer to a reliving of this technological history. 'Oneironaut (C)' invites the listener to reconsider the fate of Laika, the first dog sent into space on-board Sputnik II in 1957. At the time the technology to return spaces capsules safely to Earth had not yet been invented. Whilst in "Enactment' actors speak words originally uttered across Space.
The Voyager space probes, which were launched from Earth twenty years ago, contain representations of 'Earth culture' for the benefit of possible extraterrestrial civilisations. 'Capsule', a sealed steel capsule, containing a transcript of the entire Apollo 11 lunar mission commentary (originally 700 pages), is intended for ground storage.
Exhibition: InIVA Library, London
Materials: Steel, paper, vinyl wall lettering read '7/16/69 CDT 7:02 - 7/24/69 CDT 2:10' |
