Arktikum Science Centre and Museum, Rovaniemi, Finland
”Sipping Cosmic Latte in the Milky Way, waiting for The Big Crunch” and ”We are taking great pains to make sure there’s not an orbital debris issue”
The two sculptures in the exhibition encompasses, discarded materials from the Arktikum Science Centre, the HDK-Valand Academy of Art and Design workshops and the Gothenburg Opera. The sculpture ”We are taking great pains to make sure there’s not an orbital debris issue” includes images from her collaborations with the artificial intelligence bot Midjourney, based upon the Elon Musk statement which is also the title of the work [1] regarding the SpaceX expansion. In my artistic research practice I explore questions of ownership and responsibility for the (light) pollution caused by colonization, space tourism and commercial space tech companies. Led by wealthy nations and private companies, this reflects the colonization of the Earth whose negative impact on the environment and cultures we have yet to come to terms with.
It is estimated that there is already more than 200 000 kg of artificial material on the Moon, and the number of large pieces of debris in space is about 20 000. The starry sky we look upon nowadays is actually scattered with artificial lights which impossible for the bare eye to tell the difference.
The sculpture ”Sipping Cosmic Latte in the Milky Way, waiting for The Big Crunch” is a reference to the color of the Universe as defined by scientists Karl Glazebrook and Ivan Baldry, named Cosmic Latte for its creamy yellowish white hue. The Big Crunch is a hypothetical scenario for the ultimate fate of the universe, in which the expansion of the universe eventually reverses and the universe re-collapses. [3]
[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/05/spacex-satellites-starlink/590269
[2]https://www.astro.ljmu.ac.uk/~ikb/Cosmic-Spectrum.html
[3]https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/big-crunch-theory
Part of the exhibition by Nordic the artist network – Changes on Northern Shores: Observing problems through art and science and supported by Nordic Council of Ministers.
Art Test Field – Alvaret, Öland, Sweden
[Prussian] BLUESHIFT – Space Debris 2551
The sculpture [Prussian] BLUESHIFT – Space Debris 2551 takes its shape from the satellite Cosmos 2551. One of the biggest fragmentation events in space took place in 2009 when the abandoned satellite Cosmos 2251 and Iridium 33 collided, leading to the destruction of both satellites. To this day, over 1000 catalogued space debris objects from the collision circulate around the Earth and one of the orbits passes right over Öland. When an object in space moves towards us, the light from the object is called blueshift, which describes the change in the frequency of a light wave. The color of the sculpture is Prussian blue, which is on the World Health Organisation’s list of essential medicines and is used as an antidote to certain heavy metals and radioactivity.
In her work, Josefina Posch is interested in questions of ownership and responsibility for the pollution caused by colonisation and space tourism. Led by wealthy nations and private companies, this reflects the colonisation of the Earth whose negative impact on the environment and cultures we have yet to come to terms with. The sculpture is mostly created from recycled material from discarded student projects from the HDK-Valand art school and the Gothenburg Opera’s metal textiles set design from the climate-smart production of The Ring of the Nibelung.
Supported by Skulptörförbundet – The Swedish Sculptors Association and HDK-Valand, Gothenburg University Artistic development
NIPÅ Gallery – The Nordic Institute, Åland
Point Nemo
Revolving around themes such as environment, climate and sustainability, my recent work “Point Nemo” also studies colonization and space debris. Led by rich nations and private companies, a part of the 1%, space exploration reflects the colonization that has taken place on Earth, where we still struggle to find solutions for its negative effects on the environment and different cultures.
2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, and in 2021, the prize of the current space race is Mars: a United Arab Emirates probe has entered the planet’s orbit, followed by a Chinese orbiter shortly afterwards, and a NASA rover has landed. It is estimated that there is already more than 200 000 kg of artificial material on the Moon, and the number of large pieces of debris in space is about 20 000.
The first Swedish satellite, the Viking, was launched in 1986, and although the mission was completed one year later, the satellite still orbits the Earth. Space debris increases the risk of collisions, which, in turn, produce more debris, and usually happen around the Earth’s polar areas. Routinely, decommissioned satellites are directed to land in a place in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, known as “Point Nemo” or “the spacecraft cemetery”. However, unplanned crashes can happen anywhere: the latest example being when debris from the Chinese spacecraft The Long March 5B crashed into the Indian Ocean.
Part of the exhibition by Nordic the artist network – Changes on Northern Shores at NIPÅ Gallery, Åland and supported by Nordic Council of Ministers.
Kalaallit IllUUTAAT – The Greenlandic House, Copenhagen, Denmark
Viking and The Kessler Syndrome
In my recent work I explore the colonization and pollution of space. Space exploration is led by rich nations and private companies and reflects the colonization that has taken place on Earth where we are still struggling to find solutions to the negative impact on the environment and cultures that this has had. It has been over 50 years since the moon landing and it is estimated that there is 200,000 kilo of artificial material on the moon. In space the number of large debris amounts to 20,000.
The sculpture “ Viking & The Kessler Syndrome “ takes its shape from Sweden’s first satellite “Viking”. It was launched in 1986 and even though the mission ended only a year later the satellite is still in orbit today. All this space debris creates a high risk of collisions which in turn creates more debris, this escalation scenario “The Kessler syndrome” was first described by NASA scientist Donald J. Kessler in 1978. Between Greenland and Canada lays the biologically rich ocean Pikialasorsuaq, when the European Space Agency launched a satellite into orbit in 2017 it did so despite opposition from Inuit leaders in Canada and Greenland over its potential to contaminate an important Arctic area. Professor Michael Byers research reveals that on ten occasions since 2002, Russia has dropped rocket stages fueled with the highly toxic unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine in the Pikialasorsuaq area. A practice that is in violation of both international treaty and article 29 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which declares that states must ensure hazardous materials are not disposed in Indigenous territories without their consent.
Part of the exhibition by Nordic the artist network – Changes on Northern Shores at Kalaallit IllUUTAAT – The Greenlandic House, Copenhagen, Denmark and supported by Nordic Council of Ministers.
