Week 9: Space and art

This week, we bring up discussion on space art. To many focused on the scientific and technical issues of spaceflight, art can seem like a distraction. Yet few would dispute that art, in its many diverse forms, can provide an emotional connection difficult to duplicate elsewhere. With much of the public indifferent to space exploration today, understanding the role that art can play in enlightening and inspiring audiences well outside the narrow niche of the space field can go a long way towards building broader interest in and support for space ventures across the board.

The most prevalent connection between space and art is seen in movies about outer spaces. From the last decades, there are more and more popular films setting the background as the universe. Also, there are many diverse topics discussed in these films.  For example, there are a field of movies discussing the presence of aliens. The depictions of the aliens are also diverse. In the recently released movie Aliens, species at the outer space are depicted as evil creatures that are deadly to human. On the contrary, in the movie E.T., an alien can be a lovely friend of a lonely boy. Also, some other movies are centered on human’s endeavor in exploring the universe, such as The First Men in the Moon. While some in the categories aspire people in a scientific way, films like Guardians of the Galaxy are more imaginary and dramatic.

Space films can be either informative or dramatic, but in both cases they help to inspire audiences on the possibilities of space exploration. They are a blend of space technology and art that add more interesting elements to the field.

Reference:

Griffin, Michael. Air & Space Magazine. "The Real Reasons We Explore Space". http://www.airspacemag.com/space/the-real-reasons-we-explore-space-18816871/ Accessed May 31 2017

Stepney, Susan. Guardian. "The Real Science of Science Fiction".  https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jan/21/real-science-science-fiction-sf-scholar Accessed May 31 2017

Powell, Dominic. "Artist's Impression: How to Paint a Planet". New Atlas.

Shilling, Eric. "Meet the Father of Modern Space Art." Atlas Obscura. N.p., 21 Sept. 2016. Web. 04 June 2017.

Bonestell, Chesley. “Image Gallery”. Chelsea Bonestell. Web. 4 June 2017.