Kirsten Johannsen
About the Research
OFF the Orbit, works of art for long-term astronauts: This research combines the disciplines of art and human spaceflight. The aim of investigations is the identification of aesthetical parameters for display in space specific works of art going on extended crewed missions. The extraordinary challenges of extended space exploration – and this circumstances does effect any kind of art production in human spaceflight – do not only concern technical and human-bodily aspects, they will also affect the enormous psychological and psycho- social restrictions the spacefarer will face. These limitations are due to the unusual distance and the long time-frames, the future explorers will live confined and isolated within the habitat environment far away from their place of origin. In addition the effects of sensual deprivation caused by the high-tech indoor habitat, the emptiness of outer space, the effects of social monotony and limited contact with home will dominate the life in the extreme environment and the emotional state of the future spacefarer. Many cultural techniques for recreation and stress mitigation are already in use or will be tested in human spaceflight in the near future. However, in this context the implementation of works of art has not been evaluated
About the Researcher
Kirsten Johannsen lives and works in Berlin, Germany. She exhibits worldwide. Some of her objects and installations are in the art collections of the ZKM (Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie, Karlsruhe), Museum Ludwig Köln and Neue National Galerie Berlin, Germany. Johannsen has lectured at the Hochschule der Künste, Berlin and at the Bauhaus University, Weimar, Germany.
Websites
www.kirstenjohannsen.de
www.nomadicnaturekit.de
In cooperation with
