After nine years and the work of over 300 people, the MoonArk will be unveiled at the Thrival Innovation & Music Festival on Thursday, Sept. 28. It will then be on display in multiple venues before it heads to the moon in 2019.
The MoonArk is a massive collaborative and integrated project intended to spark wonderment for future humans through poetically entangled visual narratives of the arts, humanities, sciences and technologies.
Comprised of four independent chambers and weighing a combined total of about 8 ounces, it contains hundreds of images, poems, music, nano-objects, mechanisms and earthly samples intertwined through complex narratives that blur the boundaries between worlds seen and unseen. It is designed to direct attention from the Earth outward, into the cosmos and beyond and reflects back to Earth as an endless dialogue that speaks to humanity's context within the universe.
Fabrication of the MoonArk has instigated original innovation and invention of digital fabrication techniques, ultra-high resolution imaging and many innovations in material science, technology and the arts. It has also engaged colleagues across the world. The project involves 18 universities and organizations, 60 team members and more than 250 contributing artists, designers, educators, scientists, choreographers, poets, writers and musicians.
"After nine years, it's fully realized and ready to go," said Mark Baskinger, associate professor in the School of Design and project director for the MoonArk. "This is truly a testament to human endeavor, persistence and faith."