10 January – 2 February “Republic of the Moon” Exhibition, London

So I may be a wee bit biased in saying that this event is going to be amazing, given that I am (flattered to be) one of the speakers…. But I’m saying it anyway: this is going to be amazing!

It’s an Exhibition spearheaded by The Arts Catalyst titled the Republic of the Moon. “An exhibition of artists’ works that reimagines the future of the Moon. Combining lunar narratives, fantasies and futures, Republic of the Moon reclaims the Moon for artists, idealists and dreamers.”

Full details (and to book tickets), see the website here (below is just a summary…)

There are various events running from 10 January to 2 February (I’m speaking on the 16 January event and chairing a Panel on 1 February). Prices are either very reasonable or free (though advance booking still necessary in some cases).

Location:

Bargehouse
Oxo Tower Wharf
South Bank
London SE1 9PH
UK

The programme:

Thursday 9 January, 6.30-8.30pm – Opening night and Manifesto launch, with Leonid Tishkov reading from his Private Moon poems and Tony White reading from ‘Occupy the Moon!’

Friday 10 January, 5-6pm – Exhibition tour with curator Rob La Frenais and the artists, free no booking necessary.

Saturday 11 January, 11am-1pm – Open think tank late breakfast for scientists, experts and the public with artists in residence WE COLONISED THE MOON.  Further participatory events investigate the future of the Moon: theme park or quarry? Will take place on Saturdays 18 and 25 January.

Sunday 12 January, 2–5pm – Make it to the Moon, drop in family workshops led by artist and ESERO-UK Space Ambassador Helen Schell.  Find out about space travel and colonisation, design a lunar mission logbook, rocket manual, moon flags and mission badges. Free, drop-in for 5–11 year olds, must be accompanied by an adult.

Thursday 16 January, 7-10pm – Kosmica: Full Moon Party and late night exhibition opening. Talks by artist Tomas Saraceno, space politics specialist Jill Stuart, space medicine expert Kevin Fong and space scientist Lucie Green, Live Moon smelling with artists in residence WE COLONISED THE MOON and music by Orchestra Elastique (with Georges Méliès, A trip to the Moon).  Tickets £5 book online.

Sun 19 January, 2.30–4.30pm – Moon Stories, family workshop with Moon Vehicle project leader Joanna Griffin.  Join a space adventure re-enacting the history of Moon landings, making space vehicles and a light-based lunar installation for a new mission. Suitable for ages 8+, must be accompanied by an adult, free but booking essential.

Saturday 1 February, 2-5pm – Global Lunar Day: an investigation of international and cultural approaches to the moon.  Moderator: Dr Jill Stuart (Executive Editor of Space Policy), Prof Bernard Foing (Executive Director, International Lunar, Exploration Working Group), Bijal (Bee) Thakore (engineer and member of Board of Directors, Planetary Society) and Dr Marek Kukula (Public Astronomer, Royal Observatory Greenwich), Joanna Griffin (artist and lecturer Srishti School of Art, Bangalore). Book online (Free)

There are some amazing artists involved: Agnes Meyer-Brandis, Leonid Tishkov, Katie Paterson,Liliane Lijn, WE COLONISED THE MOON, Hagen Betzwieser, Sue Corke, Tomas Saraceno, Joanna Griffin

There will also be a publication, A Manifesto for the Republic of the Moon will be published to accompany the exhibition, edited by curator, Rob La Frenais and including Tony White’s specially commissioned short fiction Occupy the Moon!

From the main exhibition website: “It’s nearly four decades since humans walked on the Moon, but it now seems likely that we will return there this century – whether to mine for its minerals, as a ‘stepping stone’ to Mars, or simply to do scientific research. In a provocative pre-emptive action, a group of artists are declaring aRepublic of the Moon here on Earth, to re-examine our relationship with our planet’s only natural satellite.

After two decades working with space dreamers from the European Space Agency to anarchist autonomous astronauts, The Arts Catalyst will transform Bargehouse into an Earth-based embassy for a Republic of the Moon, filled with artists’ fantastical imaginings. Presenting international artists including Liliane Lijn, Leonid Tishkov, Katie Paterson, Agnes Meyer Brandis, and WE COLONISED THE MOON, the exhibition combines personal encounters, DIY space plans, imaginary expeditions and new myths for the next space age.

Marking the start of its twentieth anniversary year, The Arts Catalyst will animate the exhibition with performances, workshops, music, talks, a pop-up moon shop bysuper/collider and playful protests against lunar exploitation.  A manifesto declaring the Moon a temporary autonomous zone, with responses from artists and scientists to novelist Tony White’s call to “occupy the Moon!” will be published in print and e-Book formats to coincide with the exhibition.

The artists in Republic of the Moon regard the Moon not as a resource to be exploited but as a heavenly body that belongs to us all. The exhibition asks: Who will be the first colonisers of the Moon? Perhaps it should be the artists.”