Lunar Denizens: A Three-Panel Series
SFI’s InterPlanetary Project teamed up with the New School Policy and Design for Outer Space, and Very Very Far Away to host a series of conversations centering artists, architects, poets and researchers in an imagined Lunar Settlement, Mare Nectaris.
These conversations were part of the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale, held in the Cityx Venice Virtual Pavilion, and an attempt to answer the the 2021 biennale’s central question: How will we live together.
You will see three separate investigations on lunar living. The first conversation focuses on the arrival of new Denizens to Mare Nectaris. The second conversation focuses on day to day life in the settlement, and the third conversation explores the Denizens’ return to Earth.
The first session in the series pays particular attention to Mare Nectaris base’s welcoming party. Throughout its lifespan the base has hosted hundreds of inhabitants on periodic rotations. As newcomers arrive, older settlers are sent away never to return. This in turn engages a series of protocols and preparations to welcome their new members, provide guidance and accommodate needs until the transition is complete and trivial Moon life resumes. Our lunar visionaries for this first event are Stephanie Sherman, Simone Rebaudengo and Haym Benaroya, with facilitation by Sitraka Rakotoniaina and Andrew Friend.
The second session in the Lunar Denizens series pays particular attention to Mare Nectaris’ daily life. The base operates on a continuous basis collecting, processing, and transmitting solar energy back to Earth. And in the midst of this industrial process, the workers and their families must also make their lives together. Their routines and regular engagements create and sustain their shared lifeworld, collectively bringing the Moon to life. Our lunar visionaries for this second event are Nicholas De Monchaux, julijonas urbonas, Alice Bucknell, Nina Lanza, and Ibiye Camp, with facilitation by VVFA Sitraka Rakotoniaina and Andrew Friend.
The third and final session in the Lunar Denizens series departs from Mare Nectaris and focuses on themes of relationality. Parting may be a sweet sorrow, but in this case the denizens are also returning to their initial point of departure: Earth. How have they changed from their experience on the moon and what changes can they look forward to in the intervening time while they've been away? How can they reconnect with their home world, communicating and demonstrating their experience to and with others? Our lunar visionaries for this third event are Charmian Griffin, Joseph Popper, julijonas urbonas, and Caitlin McShea, with facilitation by Sitraka Rakotoniaina and Andrew Friend.