In this episode of Critical Currents, Student Council Members Stella Horns and Ziyan Xie speak with space historian and writer Lois Rosson. She is bridging the gap by exploring how art can transport us out of our own atmosphere and into the alien landscapes of foreign planets–and by pointing out how those landscapes aren’t all that alien afterall. The hidden or implicit messages within the visual culture of the space race reveal deep biases and anxieties; examining them helps us better understand our broader society and maybe even ourselves. Rosson questions assumptions like the idea that machine-like photorealism is the most objective method of image production, and turns the lens of fine art analysis upon NASA’s visual commissions. Next, she puts science fiction and the metaphor of the final frontier under the microscope. The conversation approaches Rosson’s research topic from myriad angles and perspectives, giving the audience an hour’s worth of answers and many, many more interesting questions to ponder.
MENTIONED:
NASA’s Artist Cooperation Program
The International Association of Astronomical Artists
In the Stream of Stars: Soviet/American Space Art Book edited by William K Hartmann, Andrei Sokolov, Ron Miller, and Vitaly Myagkov
Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
The Truth and Other Stories by Stanislaw Lem
2001: A Space Odyssey dir. Stanley Kubrick
Picturing the Cosmos: Hubble Space Telescope Images and the Astronomical Sublime by Elizabeth A. Kessler
Octavia Butler (1947-2006)
Audio & Sound Engineering by sadie ibrahim.
Critical Currents is a collaborative production of the Wende Museum, Thomas Mann House, and dublab, with episodes airing from the heart of Downtown Los Angeles at the dublab studio. New episodes release monthly throughout the spring and fall, available on all podcast platforms.
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