If humans colonize Mars, what new art forms would emerge?
This question began a five year research project on Mars that took the form of paintings, creative writing, and an academic paper on how designs of Mars shape perception of and dialog around the red planet.
Image: SpaceX
Occupy Mars: Manned Missions to Mars and the Material Culture of the Contemporary Space Industry
"Occupy Mars" in an in-depth analysis of the material culture of the private space industry, looking at how industry uses design to shape public imagination. I found imagery referencing colonialism and manifest destiny, as well as a visual and verbal analogy between planet and human body: “dying Earth,” “dead Mars.”
MA Department of Design Research, Writing and Criticism, School of Visual Arts, 2015
I presented this work at the Cooper Hewitt Voorsanger Symposium. The thesis also lead to an after-hours conversation on terraforming with TMRO, as well as an invitation to design and curate an exhibit at The Planetary Society HQ.
Image: NASA Ames
Terraform Mars Now! & The Mars Almanac
What landscapes, infrastructures, governments, and art forms might arise on a colonized planet? Terraform Mars Now explores everything from duct tape sculptures, the accumulation of dust, and how constellations would change for Martian settlers. 2012-14
The Mars Almanac provides resources for Martian settlers as they move boldy into the unknown. 2015