Space and Art

What stood out the most for me this week in lecture was the discussion of Nicolaus Copernicus who came up with the model of the universe that the Sun was at the center instead of Earth. Things that great thinkers Copernicus come up with go unappreciated at the time of their discovery until later on.

This heliocentric universe was groundbreaking and it ended up being correct even though no one appreciated this discovery. Professor Vesna said that Copernicus didn’t publish his ideas out of fear of a rejection from the public and the church. His influence on space is long lasting, and the “importance of the work he’s done is really significant” (Vesna).

This goes to show that throughout our time, there has always been an authority figure that wants to have control and this causes revolutionary thinkers to be tentative on their findings. Artists play a crucial role in the discovery of space because “only artists can provide the vision that will bring humankind to other planets” (Annick Bureaud). Without artists’ visions, the space industry would not have anything to do because with these visions they are able to think out of the box and try and make things happen that no one thought could ever happen. Art, just like space can be controversial and this should not mean that this is devalued. A prime example that it should be valued is in the case of Copernicus because if he weren’t able to explore new and important topics, too many ideas would be lost. Even though artists have been disregarded, they have “embraced irrationality as a vehicle for anti-war politics and a rejection of artistic standards” (Forde). This has made artists make new ideas because they understand rejection and know how to deal with it.

Forde, Kathleene. "Dancing on the Cieling: Art and Zero Gravity." zerogravity.empac.rpi.edu. N.p.. Web. 1 Dec 2013. <http://zerogravity.empac.rpi.edu/>.

"Heliocentric vs Geocentric."Hendrianusthe.wordpress.com. N.p., 21 July 2012. Web. 1 Dec 2013. <http://hendrianusthe.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/heliocentric-vs-geocentric/>.

Vensa, Victoria. "Space Exploration Plus Art." Youtube. Uconlineprogram, 29 Jul 2013. Web. 29 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLZMDpoP-u0> 

Vensa, Victoria. "Space Exploration Plus Art Intro." Youtube. Uconlineprogram, 29 Jul 2013. Web. 29 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dPAmpBiVHY> 

“Leanardo Space Art Project Visioneers.” Leanardo Space Art Project. Web. 29 May 2015. <http://spaceart.org/leonardo/vision.html>.